Daily Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
The UK will launch the 4th CfD round for renewables projects in late 2021
14 Sep 2021
The UK government has unveiled plans to award £265m/year (€310m/year) in the fourth round of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) scheme, including £200m (€230m) for offshore wind project. In addition, the country allocated £55m (€60m) for less established technologies (floating offshore wind, tidal stream, geothermal and waves) and £10m (€12m) for established technologies such as onshore wind and solar, with a cap of 5 GW (maximum capacity limits of 3.5 GW imposed on both onshore wind and solar PV). The round should be launched in December 2021.
The EU approves Greek measures to improve access to electricity for PPC’s competitors
13 Sep 2021
The European Commission has approved, under EU antitrust regulations, measures proposed by Greece to allow the competitors of the Greek state-owned power utility Public Power Corporation (PPC) to purchase more electricity on a longer-term basis. The European Commission and Union courts had found PPC’s exclusive access to lignite-fired power generation created an inequality of opportunity in Greek electricity markets.
Companies
Brazil creates a state-owned power company to take over some Eletrobras assets
14 Sep 2021
The government of Brazil has published a decree to create Empresa Brasileira de Participações em Energia Nuclear e Binacional (ENBpar), a company controlled by the Ministry of Mines and Energy, which will take over the Brazilian nuclear company Eletronuclear and Eletrobras’s 50% stake in the 14 GW Itaipu hydropower plant shared with Paraguay.
RWE, NTE and Havfram form JV to bid in Norway’s next offshore wind round
13 Sep 2021
RWE, NTE and Havfram have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly participate in the Norwegian government’s tender process for floating offshore wind energy, which will begin later in 2021. Partners would submit a bid for the Utsira Nord area, with an estimated offshore wind potential of 1.5 GW. RWE has also expressed interest in another offshore wind area, Sørlige Nordsjø II.
Energy & Climate Markets
China extends licence for Qinshan-1 nuclear reactor
14 Sep 2021
The Chinese National Nuclear Safety Administration has renewed Qinshan-1 reactor’s operating licence until 30 July 2041. The nuclear power plant, operated by China National Nuclear Corporation, comprises 7 reactors with a total gross capacity of 4.4 GW. Quishan-1 is the first Chinese designed and constructed nuclear reactor with a capacity of 330 MW and the unit entered commercial operations in 1994.
Turkmenistan will export 1 Mt/year of oil through Azerbaijan
14 Sep 2021
Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil and gas company SOCAR and the international trading company Vitol have agreed to transport about 1 Mt/year of Turkmen oil via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, starting in early October 2021. The oil exports from Turkmenistan were previously transported by tankers to Novosibirsk in Russia, and then by an oil pipeline. Turkmenistan produced 10 Mt of crude oil and NGL in 2019 and exported 0.5 Mt.
Bangladesh adds 779 MW of new power capacity
14 Sep 2021
Bangladesh has commissioned 5 power plants, including the 400 MW CCGT power plant Bibiyana-3 in Habiganj, a 104 MW power plant at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj, the 100 MW unit-2 at the Zulda
Infrastructure & Investments
Gazprom awards contract for a 13 Mt/year LNG export plant in Russia
14 Sep 2021
RusKhimAlyans, Linde, and Renaissance Heavy Industries have signed an ЕРС contract to build a 13 Mt/year gas liquefaction plant within the Gas Processing Complex near Ust-Luga (Russia). The consortium is going to provide for the design works and supplies of equipment and materials, as well as to perform the construction and installation of two LNG production trains.
The World Bank funds a 1 GW pumped-storage hydro project in Indonesia
14 Sep 2021
The World Bank has awarded a US$380m loan to build the 1,040 MW Upper Cisokan pumped-storage hydropower plant, to be located between Jakarta and Bandung in Indonesia. The power plant, currently under construction, is expected to be commissioned in 2025.
Germany’s Sowitec unveils a 2 GW wind-solar project in Brazil
14 Sep 2021
The Germany company Sowitec will invest BRL5.2bn (US$1bn) in three renewable projects in Minas Gerais (Brazil), namely the President JK and Minas do Sol solar PV projects and the Gameleiras hybrid (wind-solar project). The Gameleiras hybrid project will comprise two phases: the first phase will include 600 MW of wind and 400 MWac (520 MWp) of solar; the second phase 800 MW of wind and 200 MWac (260 MWp) of solar. It will be located in the municipalities of Monte Azul, Espinosa, Santo Antônio do Retiro, Rio Pardo de Minas and Mato Verde in the north of Minas Gerais.
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