Daily Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
The EU plans to exclude oil and gas projects from infrastructure funding
17 Dec 2020The European Commission has proposed to revise TEN-E Regulation, which governs cross-border energy infrastructure planning and help implement projects of common interest (PCIs), to focus on the upgraded 2030 climate and energy targets and the 2050 climate neutrality objective under the European Green Deal. The proposal aims to exclude dedicated oil and gas infrastructure from the rules, which means that oil and gas infrastructure projects would no longer be eligible for PCI status.
Read morePapua New Guinea unveils its new Nationally Determined Contribution
17 Dec 2020The government of Papua New Guinea has updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC). The country is committing by 2030 to a headline target of carbon neutrality within the energy industries sub-sector. It will introduce energy efficiency measures (implementation of Minimum Energy Performance Standards and Labelling (MEPSL) to reduce energy demand), establish a framework for fossil fuel emission offsetting, and raise the share of renewables in the grid-connected installed capacity from 30% in 2015 to 78% in 2030.
Read moreGermany clears contract for early closure of lignite-fired power plants
17 Dec 2020The German government has approved a contract that compensates power utilities for early closure of lignite-fired power plants.
Read moreThe UK launches consultation on accelerating coal exit by 1 year to 2024
17 Dec 2020The British government has launched a consultation on bringing forward the deadline for phasing out coal from the country’s energy system by one year, from October 2025 to 1 October 2024. In January 2018, the British Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) unveiled a phase-out plan for its eight-remaining coal-fired power plants.
Read moreEuropean Commission approves €30bn SDE++ Dutch renewable support scheme
16 Dec 2020The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the €30bn Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie («SDE++») scheme to support projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Netherlands. The scheme, which will run until 2025, will be open to projects based on renewable electricity, gas and heat, the use of industrial waste heat and heat pumps, the electrification of industrial heat processes and electrification of hydrogen production, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) for industrial processes, including hydrogen production and waste incineration.
Read moreKazakhstan awards 148 MW of renewable capacity in auction
16 Dec 2020Kazakhstan has held an auction for 250 MW of installed capacity, including 120 MW of hydro, 65 MW of wind, 55 MW of solar PV and 10 MW of biogas. The power market operator KOREM selected 16 projects with a total capacity of 148 MW, including 65 MW of wind (lowest bid of KZT15.9/KWh, or US$3.8c/kWh), 60 MW of solar PV (lowest bid of KZT14.6/KWh, US$3.5c/kWh), and 23 MW of hydro (lowest bid of KZT13.5/KWh, US$3.2c/kWh). A total of 494 MW of projects participated in the bidding.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
Iran’s SP phase 11 expected to start gas production in March 2022
17 Dec 2020According to the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the South Pars phase 11 (SP11) is expected to start production within 15 months, i.e. in March 2022. SP11 will have a production capacity of 2 bcf/d (over 56 mcm/d or 20.7 bcm/year) of gas as of 2022.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
China lends US$2.5bn to Nigeria to build the AKK gas pipeline
17 Dec 2020The Bank of China and the Chinese export and credit insurance corporation Sinosure have approved a 15-year, US$2.2bn loan to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the construction of the US$2.6bn Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline project, which is due to enter operation in 2023. The Nigerian government is expected to issue a sovereign guarantee to back the loan. The NNPC will provide the remaining 15% (US$400m) to fund the project.
Read moreAMEA Power authorised to expand its solar project in Egypt to 500 MW
17 Dec 2020The Egyptian government has authorised the United Arab Emirates-based company AMEA Power to increase the capacity of its solar power project in Kom Ombo, Aswan from 200 MW to 500 MW. The company has signed a power purchase agreement with Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) at US$2.48c/kWh. Saudi Arabia-based ACWA Power is developing another 200 MW solar project in Kom Ombo.
Read moreAvangrid submits plan for an 800 MW offshore wind project (US)
17 Dec 2020Avangrid (owned by the Spanish energy group Iberdrola), through Avangrid Renewables, has submitted a Construction and Operations Plan (COP) to the US federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) for the first phase (800 MW) of the 2.5 GW Kitty Hawk offshore wind project off the coasts of Virginia and North Carolina (United States). The first phase of the project is expected to enter construction in 2024. The entire project should be operational by 2030.
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