Daily Energy News
Companies
Brazil’s Vale takes over Mitsui’s coal assets in Mozambique
25 Jan 2021The Brazilian mining company Vale has signed a Heads of Agreement (HoA) with Mitsui to acquire its 15% stake in the Moatize coal mine project and its 50% stake in the Nacala Corridor rail and port infrastructure project in Mozambique for the sum of US$1 each. The transaction is expected to be completed in 2021. Vale will search for a third party interested in the Moatize coal assets. At a later stage, the group intends to divest from its global coal assets, as it aims to cut its scopes 1 and 2 emissions by 33% by 2030 and to become carbon-neutral by 2050.
Read moreIberdrola signs a PPA for the 590 MW Francisco Pizarro solar project (Spain)
25 Jan 2021Iberdrola has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Danone for the 590 MW Francisco Pizarro solar PV project located in the municipalities of Torrecillas de la Tiesa and Aldeacentenera, in Cáceres, Extremadura (Spain). The €300m power plant, which is currently under construction, is expected to be operational in 2022.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
Japan’s crude oil imports fell by 16% to 2.5 mb/d in 2020
25 Jan 2021According to the Ministry of Finance of Japan, crude oil imports decreased by 16% to 2.5 mb/d in 2020. They came mostly from the Middle East (90%). However, petroleum products imports, which were supplied by the Middle East (48%) and Asia (29%), rose by 11%. The country imported only 74.5 Mt of LNG in 2020 (-3.7%), from Asia (23%) and the Middle East (16%). Coal imports dropped by almost 7% to 174 Mt and were supplied from Asia (17%) and Russia (13%).
Read moreAngola’s oil production declined by 15% in 2020 to 1.3 mb/d
25 Jan 2021According to Angola’s National Oil and Gas Agency, the country’s oil production declined by 15% to 1.3 mb/d in 2020. Gas production reached 31 bcm in 2020 (85 mcm/d). Almost 5% of the natural gas production was flared in 2020. In 2020, over 61% of the total oil production came from deep water projects (20% from ultra-deep water and 17% from shallow waters).
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
The Court of Appeal confirms approval of Drax’s 3.6 GW CCGT project (UK)
25 Jan 2021The Court of Appeal has confirmed the UK’s government approval of the 3,600 MW Drax CCGT power plant project in Selby, North Yorkshire (United Kingdom) granted in October 2019. Drax announced plans to build the project in 2017.
Read moreDenmark grants licence to the 605 MW Kriegers Flak offshore wind project
25 Jan 2021The Danish Energy Agency has awarded a 25-year electricity production licence to Vattenfall for its 605 MW Kriegers Flak offshore wind plant in the Baltic Sea. Construction started in May 2020. The project, which will entail 72 turbines rated 8.4 MW each, must be fully connected to the power grid by 31 December 2021. First power is expected in late January or early Februry 2021 and commissioning is planned for the end of 2021. Vattenfall won the tender to build the project in 2016 with a price of DKK 0.372/kWh (€49.9c/kWh).
Read moreIFA2 power transmission line (France-UK) enters commercial operations
25 Jan 2021The 1,000 MW Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA2) HVDC link project has entered commercial operations. The project operates a ± 320 kV DC cable system and includes an offshore section between Fareham near Portsmouth (Hampshire) in the United Kingdom and Bellengreville near Caen (Normandy) in France. The project is the result of a £700m (€773m) investment, shared between National Grid and RTE. Construction started in 2018. The two high-voltage direct current HVDC light converter stations, the submarine and land power cables were designed and manufactured by Prysmian and ABB.
Read moreMasdar plans to build a 120 MW solar landfill project in Sharjah (UAE)
25 Jan 2021Emirates Waste to Energy Company, the joint-venture of Masdar and Bee’ah, an United Arab Emirates-based waste management company, plans to develop a 120 MW solar landfill project in Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). The power plant will be built on top of Sharjah’s Al Sajah landfill, close to Bee’ah’s waste management complex, and the first phase is expected to be commissioned in 2023. Two other phases will follow.
Read morePolicy & Regulatory
The United States will reintegrate the Paris agreement on climate change
22 Jan 2021The new US president has recommitted the United States to the Paris climate agreement. The process to re-enter the international agreement will take a month. The Paris agreement was signed by nearly 200 countries in December 2015, in an attempt to cut global GHG emissions and to keep global temperature increases "well below" 2°C. The United States, which committed in November 2014 to reduce net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26%-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, formally ratified the agreement in September 2016.
Read moreSolar and wind accounted for 20% of Jordan’s power mix in 2020
22 Jan 2021Jordan intends to increase the share of renewables in its power mix to 30% in 2030, to become more self-sufficient. According to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, solar and wind already accounted for 20% of total power generation in 2020. The country also aims to strengthen its electricity interconnections with neighbouring countries, upgrading its interconnection with Egypt, and connecting its power grid to those of Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq.
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