Daily Energy News
Companies
RWE sets up an US offshore wind JV, Orsted an offshore wind JV in Japan
21 May 2021
RWE Renewables and National Grid have agreed to jointly develop offshore wind projects in the coastal region of the Northeast United States and to jointly bid in the upcoming New York Bight seabed lease auction. RWE, which is currently building two offshore wind projects in Europe – the 857 MW Triton Knoll project off England (United Kingdom) and the 342 MW Kaskasi project off Heligoland (Germany) – is also developing the 1.4 GW Sofia offshore wind project in the United Kingdom (Final Investment Decision made).
Shell will sell its 45% stake in the Malampaya gas field (Philippines)
21 May 2021
Shell has agreed to sell its 45% stake in the Malampaya gas field in the Philippines to its partner Malampaya Energy XP (part of Udenna Corporation). The group has signed an agreement to divest its 100% interest in Shell Philippines Exploration (SPEX), which holds a 45% operating interest in the Service Contract 38 (SC38) including the producing Malampaya gas field for US$380m, with additional payments of up ot US$800m between 2024, contingent on asset performance and commodity prices. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.
Brazil’s lower house approves bill on Eletrobras privatisation
21 May 2021
Brazil’s lower house of Congress has approved a bill paving the way for the privatisation of the state-owned power utility Eletrobras. According to the law, which remains to be approved by the Senate, the company would emit new shares that would be sold to investors, thus diluting the stake of the government, which would retain a golden share and a veto power. The privatisation is expected to raise BRL 25bn (US$4.7bn) and to be completed by January 2022.
Energy & Climate Markets
New global carbon exchange expected in Singapore in late 2021
21 May 2021
The Singapore Exchange, Standard Chartered, the Singapore bank DBS and state-owned investor Temasek Holdings have decided to jointly develop Climate Impact X (CIX), a global carbon credit exchange and marketplace in Singapore. The project should be launched by the end of 2021 and would enable companies to offset hard-to-abate CO2 emissions (that they can’t remove from their operations).
Energy Prices & Taxes
Turkey’s special consumption tax hike raise fuel prices
21 May 2021
Turkey has increased the special consumption tax on some fuels by 54% to 189%, leading to significant end-consumer price hikes. The tax rate rose by 54% for 95 octane gasoline and for 98 octane gasoline to TRY1.3313/l (€13c/l) and to TRY1.0283/l (€10c/l), respectively, by 78% for diesel to TRY1.2931/l (€12.6c/l) and by 189% for LNG to TRY 0.8107/l (€7.9c/l). Consequently, gasoline prices have increased by TRY0.55/l (€5.4c/l) to TRY7.72/l (€76c/l), while diesel price grew by TRY0.67/l (€6.5c/l) to TRY7.19/l (€70c/l) and LPG by TRY0.35/l (€3.4c/l).
Infrastructure & Investments
CNNC starts building nuclear units at Tianwan and Xudabao (China)
21 May 2021
The Chinese state-run nuclear group China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has officially started construction works on Tianwan units 7 and 8 and Xudabao units 3 and 4 nuclear units in China, pouring concrete at Tianwan 7 and Xubadao 3. Construction works will follow at Tianwan 8 and Xubadao 4 within five months. The four units will feature VVER-1200 reactors supplied by the Russian nuclear group Rosatum, as agreed under bilateral strategic agreements signed in 2018. The participation of Rosatom to Chinese nuclear project is regarded as a flagship joint project.
Shapoorji Pallonji plans a FSRU project at Mumbai (India)
21 May 2021
SP Armada Clean Energy Ventures Private Ltd (SPACEVPL), a 51:49 joint venture of Shapoorji Pallonji Oil and Gas and Bumi Armada, plans to develop a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) in the port of Mumbai, in Maharashtra (India).
EDF and Cero join force on 2.4 GW solar PV project portfolio in France
21 May 2021
EDF’s renewable arm EDF Renouvelables has signed an agreement to acquire a 45% stake in Green Lighthouse Developement (GLHD), a French solar PV developer focusing on ground-mounted and agrivoltaic projects. Cero Generation, a French portfolio company of Macquarie’s Green Investment Group active in solar project development (8 GW solar portfolio), will acquire another 45% in GLHD, while the founders of the company will retain 10%. The new shareholders will join force to support the implementation of 2.4 GW of solar projects in France.
Policy & Regulatory
Masdar submits lowest bid in 200 MW solar PV tender in Uzbekistan
20 May 2021
The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan has unveiled the bids submitted by the 5 shortlisted developers for a 200 MW solar PV project in Sherabad, in the Surkhandarya region. Bidders were allowed to submit offers beyond the 200 MW target, to fully use the 600 ha of land available and optimise their bids. Masdar submitted the lowest bid with a price of US$1.8045c/kWh (US$18.45/MWh) for a 457 MW project, followed by Jinko Solar (US$2.1621c/kWh for a 500 MW project), ACWA Power (US$2.4825c/kWh for 354 MW), Total Eren (US$3.3940c/kW for 400 MW) and Risen (no details).
EU Parliament approves €17.5bn Just Transition Fund (JTF)
20 May 2021
The European Parliament has approved the EU’s €17.5bn Just Transition Fund (JTF), which will combine funds from the EU’s budget and its COVID-19 recovery fund to support countries and communities affected by the planned closure of coal, peat and oil shale sectors. The JTF is expected to support a smooth transition from energy-intensive industries to low-carbon industries, as the European Union aims to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
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