The government of Colombia has updated its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The country aims to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 51% by 2030. In its first NDC, the country pledged to cut GHG emissions by at least 20% in 2030 compared to a BAU scenario, a target that could have been raised to 25% or 30% with financial backing from the international community. Colombia plans to strengthen actions for energy transition, clean mobility and fight against deforestation.
The renewable energy capacity in India, which exceeded 130 GW (including hydropower and biomass) at the end of 2019, is expected to increase to over 220 GW by 2022, according to the government. This will require an annual investment of US$20bn. The previous objective was to increase the renewable capacity to 227 GW by 2022. The government aims to further develop renewables to reaches 450 GW of renewables 2030.
The Angolan government plans to start a partial privatisation of the national oil company Sonangol by the end of 2021 or early 2022. The partial sale is expected be done through an initial public offering (IPO). The introduction of the company to the stock exchange is conditioned to its reform and the privatisation of its non-core business. In addition, the government intends to give priority to Sonangol’s employees and to Angolan nationals to buy shares in the state-owned company. In January 2020, the country had already announced plans to sell 30% of the state-owned company.
Russia has submitted its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). By 2030, the country aims to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 70% of their 1990 level (3.1 GtCO2eq), corresponding to a 30% cut in GHG emissions over the 1990-2030 period. Earlier in November 2020, the Russian president had signed a decree ordering the government to work towards a cut in GHG emissions to 70% of their 1990 level by 2030, taking into account the maximum possible absorptive capacity of forests.
The European Commission has approved the competitive tender mechanism introduced by Germany to compensate for early closure of hard coal-fired power plants. The country decided to encourage the early closure of hard coal-fired power plants via a shutdown premium awarded through a competitive tender mechanism.
The Czech Office for the Protection of Economic Competition (ÚOHS) has authorised Sev.en Energy to purchase the 1,000 MW Počerady lignite-fired power plant in Czechia from state-owned power utility ČEZ.
ExxonMobil has suspended plans to sell part of its Australian assets, including its interest in Bass Strait oil and gas fields in the Gippsland Basin off the state of Victoria. The company puts the assets on the market in September 2019, as part of a broader review of its global portfolio.
The Pakistani power utility K-Electric plans to invest US$1.5bn in upgrading and expanding power generation and distribution infrastructure over the next three years. The company intends to complete the 900 MW Bin Qasim III gas-fired power plant, which is due to be commissioned in 2021, and set up new grid stations to power off-take of up to 1,400 MW from the national grid by 2023.
The Danish power company Ørsted has fully commissioned the 752 MW Borssele 1-2 offshore wind project off the coast of the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands. Ørsted won the Borssele 1-2 tender in 2016, with a price of €72.7/MWh. The offshore wind project, which consists of 94 turbines rated 8 MW each, was connected to the grid in April 2020 and will generate 3 TWh/year.
In 2019, wind power accounted for 13% of the Netherlands’ installed capacity, with 4.5 GW. More than 3.3 GW are currently under construction and another 2.4 GW are under development as of November 2020.
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has connected the 1,087 MW (1,150 MW gross) fifth unit of the Fuqing nuclear power plant in the Fujian province of China to the grid. The Hualong One reactor is the first of this kind in the world to start operations and is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2020.
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