Daily Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
Rosatom should build 24 new nuclear reactor units in Russia by 2045
11 Mar 2021The Russian president has decided to increase the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix to 25% by 2045, which will require the construction by the state nuclear corporation Rosatom of 24 new nuclear reactor units, including in new regions.
Read moreAlgeria plans to tender 1 GW of solar capacity in June 2021
10 Mar 2021Algeria intends to launch a tender for 1,000 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in June 2021. The program will include ten wilayas (provinces) in southern Algeria with 100 MW for each. Turning to solar power would help Algeria meet the growing demand for electricity and save gas production for export purposes. In addition, a new company dedicated to renewables should be launched, with the national power utility Sonelgaz and gas company Sonatrach taking part to its creation.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
PKN Orlen signs agreement with ExxonMobil to import 1 Mt of US crude oil
11 Mar 2021PKN Orlen has signed an agreement with ExxonMobil to import 1 Mt of US crude oil within a year. The purchase would supply the group’ refineries in Poland, Czechia and Lithuania. PKN Orlen usually imports most of its oil from Russia but a price row with Rosneft has delayed the signing of a new supply agreement. PKN Orlen also imports crude oil from the Russian company Tatneft (200 kt/month).
Read moreThe Yallourn coal-fired power plant will close in 2028 (Australia)
11 Mar 2021The Australian energy group EnergyAustralia plans to shut down the 1,480 MW Yallourn coal-fired power plant in Victoria (Australia) by mid-2028, i.e. 4 years than previously planned. The company also intends to build a 350 MW battery with four hours of capacity at its Jeeralang site in Victoria by 2026. The closure of Yallourn is expected to cut EnergyAustralia’s CO2 emission by 60%, helping the group meet its carbon-neutrality goal by 2050.
Read moreBP will stop its Kwinana refinery in Australia by end-March 2021
11 Mar 2021BP Australia will decommission its 146,000 bbl/d Kwinana refinery, near Fremantle in Western Australia by the end of March 2021, citing the competition from large-scale, export-oriented refineries throughout Asia and the Middle East. BP has already stopped importing oil for the refinery, which will be converted into a fuel import terminal that is expected to be operational in 2022.
Read moreForecasts
Bulgaria aims at installing 2.5 GW of renewable capacity by 2024
11 Mar 2021According to the Bulgarian power transmission system operator Electricity System Operator (ESO), Bulgaria had 1.1 GW of solar power plants and 0.7 GW of wind capacity at the end of 2020, accounting for about 20% of the country’s installed capacity. 77 MW of solar capacity was added during the year and another 114 MW should be connected in 2021.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
The EIB lends €200m for the Crete-Attica interconnection (Greece)
11 Mar 2021The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved a €200m loan agreement with the option to extend funding by €100m for the Ariadne Interconnection, to the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO), Greece’s power transmission operator. The project, which will cost €1bn, includes a 335 km high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine line with a capacity of 500 MW between Attica (mainland Greece) and Crete. The interconnection project is part of the Euro-Asia Interconnector project, a 1,000-2,000 MW subsea HVDC line between Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
Read moreSiemens wins turbines order for 176 MW Harapaki wind park (New Zealand)
11 Mar 2021Siemens Gamesa has signed an agreement with Meridian Energy to supply wind turbines for its Harapaki wind power project in Hawke’s Bay, in New Zealand. In February 2021, Meridian Energy unveiled plans to build a 176 MW wind project worth NZD395m (US$285m) in New Zealand. Construction is expected to start soon and the project would be completed in 3 years (commissioning in late 2023).
Wind accounts for 7% of New Zealand’s installed capacity with 690 MW. Over 2 GW of projects are in various phases of development.
Read moreThe Israeli authorities will support a new gas pipeline to Egypt
11 Mar 2021According to the Israeli Ministry of Energy, the government plans to give its support to a subsea pipeline project with a 10 bcm/year capacity that would link up Israel’s Leviathan gas field to Egyptian LNG terminals, and that could double the Israel’s gas export capacity to Egypt.
Read moreCompanies
CIL (India) greenlights 32 coal mining projects worth US$6.4bn
10 Mar 2021The Indian state-owned coal group Coal India Ltd (CIL) has approved 32 new coal mining projects in India, including 8 new projects and 24 expansion plans, which will have a combined peak output of 193 Mt/year. The projects, which are estimated to cost INR473bn (US$6.4bn), should produce 81 Mt/year from the financial year starting in April 2023. Most of the additional production capacity will come from three subsidiaries, namely South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) and Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) that should produce an additional 167 Mt/year.
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