Daily Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
UK-EU Brexit trade deal allows unchanged access to EU energy market
4 Jan 2021The UK government has concluded a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union. The energy part of the new agreement allows the country virtually unchanged access to the EU electricity and gas market, through new trading arrangements over interconnectors. However, that energy deal is due to expire on 30 June 2026 and there will be annual negotiations after this date. In 2019, the United Kingdom was a net importer of electricity.
Read moreGreece approves 2.8 GW of renewable energy projects
28 Dec 2020The Greek Ministerial Committee for Strategic Investments has approved four renewable energy projects with a combined capacity of 2.8 GW and requiring an investment of over €2bn. Egnatia Group will invest €888m to develop 1.5 GW of solar PV plants across 12 regional units in Central and Northern Greece. Karatzis plans to build 37 solar PV plants totalling 830 MW in Larissa, Magnesia and Kilkis for an investment of €422m. Terna Energy will develop 18 wind plants at Karystos on the island of Evia with a total capacity of 360 MW and a budget of €585m.
Read moreIndia’s SECI awards 1.2 GW of solar-wind hybrid power projects
28 Dec 2020The Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has closed its tender for setting up 1.2 GW of solar-wind hybrid power projects in India under tranche-III of the interstate transmission-connected (ISTS) programme.
Three companies, namely Adani Renewables, ABC Renewables (an affiliate of Axis Energy), and Amp Energy – won 600 MW, 380 MW, and 130 MW of projects, respectively, at a tariff of INR2.41/kWh (US$3.27c/kWh). In addition, ACME Solar submitted a bid of INR2.42/kWh ((US$3.28c/kWh) for 300 MW of projects but was only awarded 90 MW under the bucket-filling method.
Read moreCompanies
Orsted sells 50% stake in 605 MW offshore wind project in Taiwan
4 Jan 2021The Danish energy group Ørsted has signed agreements to sell a 50% stake in the 605 MW Changhua 1 offshore wind project offshore Taiwan to a consortium of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and Taiwanese private equity fund Cathay PE; CDPQ will be the majority owner among the partners. The transaction is pending regulatory approval from the Taiwanese authorities.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
Renewables accounted for 49% of Germany’s power mix in 2020
4 Jan 2021According to the German Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur), the network load decreased by 3.2% and net power generation declined by 5.2% in 2020. Conventional power generation fell by 12%, while renewable power generation rose by 4.1%. Consequently, the share of renewables in the network load increased from 46.1% in 2019 to 49.3% in 2020, with wind accounting for 27.4% and solar PV for 9.7%; the remaining 12.2% corresponded to biomass, small-hydropower and other renewables.
Read moreVattenfall retires 881 MW Ringhals-1 nuclear reactor in Sweden
4 Jan 2021 Read moreIraq signs 5-year 130 kb/d oil supply deal with China’s ZhenHua Oil
4 Jan 2021Iraq, through the state-owned oil trading company State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO), has signed a US$2bn prepaid oil deal with China’s ZhenHua Oil, an affiliate of the Chinese state-owned defence firm Norinco. This is the first prepayment deal, in which oil is effectively used as security for a loan. Iraq offered to supply 130,000 bbl/d for a period of five years.
In 2019, Iraq produced 4.7 mb/d of oil and NGL and exported 4 mb/d. In 2020, its oil export revenues halved over the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
Croatia LNG starts commercial operations at Omisalj LNG terminal
4 Jan 2021LNG Hrvatska (LNG Croatia) has received the first LNG carrier and officially started commercial operations at its LNG import terminal in Omisalj, on Krk island (Croatia). It consists of a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) with a capacity of up to 2.6 bcm/year and the connections to the national gas transmission network.
Read moreMorocco signs contracts for 270 MW Jbel Lahdid wind project in Essaouira
4 Jan 2021The National Electricity and Drinking Water Board (ONEE) of Morocco, the Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) and the consortium of Nareva Holding and Enel Green Power has signed contracts for the 270 MW Jbel Lahdid wind project in Essaouira in Morocco. The MAD2.8bn (US$316m) project is expected to be commissioned in phases as of the first half of 2023.
Read morePeru approves concession for the 392 MW Huallaga-1 hydropower project
4 Jan 2021The Peruvian Minister of Energy and Mines has granted Central Hidroeléctrica Huallaga Hydro SA (HUAHYSA) the definitive concession for developing its proposed 392 MW Huallaga-1 hydropower project in the Huanuco region of Peru. The US$988m hydropower plant will be located in the districts of Chaglla, Umari and San Pablo de Pillao, Pachitea and Huánuco provinces. Construction is expected to start in 2023 and will take four years, with commissioning in 2027.
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