Daily Energy News
Companies
South Africa’s Eskom should unbundle its transmission grid by end-2021
17 Feb 2021South Africa’s state-owned power utility Eskom intends to complete the legal separation of its power transmission unit by the end of 2021. The generation and distribution should follow in 2022. As presented in November 2019, Eskom is expected to be split into three separate companies dedicated to power generation, transmission and distribution by the end of 2022. The 3 companies would remain under a state-owned holding company but Eskom would abandon its near-monopoly and face increased competition from independent power producers (IPPs) with lower power generation costs.
Read moreDominion Energy (US) aims to invest U$72bn on decarbonisation by 2035
16 Feb 2021Dominion Energy, which posted a net loss of US$401m in 2020, plans to invest US$32bn in growth capital over the 2021-2025 period, including 52% in zero carbon generation and energy storage, 20% in electric transformation (power transmission, grid transformation and strategic undergrounding), 10% in gas distribution modernisation and renewable natural gas (RNG) systems and 18% in customer growth and others. Capital expenditures will ramp up from US$5bn/year in 2021 and 2022 to US$6bn in 2023 and US$8bn/year in 2024 and 2025.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
Gazprom’s gas exports to Europe decreased by 12% to 175 bcm in 2020
17 Feb 2021In 2020, Gazprom’s natural gas exports to Europe (including Turkey) decreased by 12% from 199 bcm to 175 bcm, including 135.7 bcm to western Europe. Germany remained Gazprom’s biggest market in western Europe (46 bcm in 2020, -14% on 2019), followed by Italy (21 bcm, -6%), Turkey (16 bcm) and Austria (13 bcm). The group retained its leading position in Central Europe with 39.1 bcm of gas exports, including 9.7 bcm to Poland, 8.6 bcm each to Hungary and Slovakia and 5 bcm to Czechia. Gas exports to China through the Eastern Route surged from 328 mcm in 2019 to 4.1 bcm in 2020.
Read moreGermany’s crude oil import bill fell by 37% in 2020 to €23bn
17 Feb 2021According to preliminary estimates by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control, Germany’s crude oil imports decreased by 3.4% in 2020 to 83 Mt. As a result of lower import volumes and falling oil prices, the country’s crude oil import bill fell by 37% to €23bn. Russia accounted for 34% of Germany’s crude oil imports (over 28 Mt), followed by the United Kingdom (12%), the United States (10%) and Norway (10%).
Read moreFluxys will double the capacity of the Zeebrugge LNG terminal (Belgium)
17 Feb 2021Fluxys LNG has taken the final investment decision (FID) to expand the regasification capacity of the 6.7 Mt/year (9 bcm/year) Zeebrugge LNG import terminal in Belgium, following a successful binding open season in which the full 6 Mt/year (8.1 bcm/year) capacity on offer has been subscribed.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
Repsol signs PPA for its 180 MW Atacama wind project in Chile
17 Feb 2021Repsol Ibereólica Renovables Chile, a joint venture between Respsol and Grupo Ibereólica Renovables, has signed a 14-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for its 180 MW Atacama wind project in Chile. The project, which is located in the Freirina district, in the province of Huasco, should be commissioned in the second half of 2022.
Read moreGE will supply turbines to the 753 MW Önusberget wind project (Sweden)
17 Feb 2021GE Renewable Energy has signed an agreement with Luxcara to supply 137 of its Cypress 5.5-158 wind turbines for the 753 MW Önusberget onshore wind project in northern Sweden. The two companies have also agreed on a 25-year full-turbine maintenance and service contract. Infrastructure construction works have already started, and GE will begin installing turbines in July 2021. The project, which would produce enough power to supply electricity to the equivalent of more than 200,000 Swedish households per year, is expected to save close to 1 MtCO₂ over its lifetime.
Read moreIberdrola plans a first 300 MW floating offshore wind project in Spain
17 Feb 2021Iberdrola plans to invest more than €1bn to build the first industrial-scale floating offshore wind project in Spain, which would have a 300 MW capacity. The group intends to start study, design and engineering for the plant in 2021, and the project should be operational in 2026.
Read moreSENS and KGAL plan a 700 MW solar PV project in Sicily (Italy)
17 Feb 2021STEAG Solar Energy Solutions (SENS) and KGAL, two German companies, are planning to build a 700 MW solar PV project in Sicily (Southern Italy). Construction should start in the third quarter of 2021. The project, which was originally expected to a have a 440 MW capacity, should produce more than 1,400 GWh/year. Partners will also develop two other PV projects near Grenada and Almeria in southern Spain in 2021.
Read morePolicy & Regulatory
Germany’s Bundestrat approves law to fast-track 30 transmission projects
16 Feb 2021The Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house, has approved the Federal Requirements Plan Act, which will fast-track 35 power network expansion projects, including the 1.4 GW NeuConnect HVDC submarine power cable between Germany and England (United Kingdom), the 700 MW Sweden-Germany Hansa Power Bridge interconnector and a new transmission line with Luxembourg and France. The law also applies to the capacity expansion of the north-south HVDC line SuedOstLink from 2,000 to 4,000 MW and the Corridor B, which will run from Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony to the Ruhr area.
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