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Policy & Regulatory

Israel cancels 4.9 GW of gas-fired power projects

14 Aug 2020

The Israeli Ministry of Energy has requested the National Planning and Building Council to cancel four gas-fired power plant projects with a total capacity of 4,860 MW.

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Nigeria opens its oil transport network to private investors

13 Aug 2020

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has launched a tender for the rehabilitation of its oil pipelines and associated depots and terminal infrastructure under a finance, build, operate and transfer (BOT) model. Bidders for the projects will operate the revamped facilities over a defined period to allow for full recovery of cost and agreed compensation.

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UK’s NIC recommends 65% of renewables in power generation by 2030

13 Aug 2020

The UK’s National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) has updated its target for deployment of renewables as part of a low-cost low carbon electricity system, from 50% to 65% by 2030. According to the NIC, accelerating the deployment of renewable power generation will better position the UK to reach net-zero emissions, help provide long-term confidence in the economy at a crucial time, and won’t cost consumers more.

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Companies

SIGECO is seeking proposals for 1.3 GW of renewables capacity (US)

14 Aug 2020

Southern Indiana Gas and Electric Company (SIGECO), an affiliate of the US power and natural gas utility CenterPoint Energy, has launched a request for proposals (RFP) targeting 700 to 1,000 MW of solar and solar + storage as well as 300 MW of wind resources. The Indiana-based company plans to retire 730 MW of coal-fired generation by 2024 and to largely fill its ongoing energy need with renewable capacity.

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Energy & Climate Markets

Shell will close its 110 kb/d Tabango refinery in the Philippines

14 Aug 2020

Pilipinas Shell, Shell’s affiliate in The Philippines, has decided to stop the 110,000 bbl/d Tabango refinery in Batangas province (Philippines) and to transform it into an import terminal. According to Shell, the refinery is no longer viable due to the economic impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the oil supply-demand imbalance in the region.

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Infrastructure & Investments

Uniper may be forced to write down NordStream 2 loan if project fails

14 Aug 2020

German utility Uniper may be forced to impair a loan provided to the 55 bcm/year Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if the project fails due to US sanctions. Uniper committed to cover up to €950m of the project costs. Those investments are not subject to the current US sanctions. A consortium associating Gazprom (50%), Uniper, Shell, OMV, Wintershall, and Engie (10% each) is building the 1,230 km-long Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

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Phillips 66 will convert its 120 kb/d San Francisco refinery (US)

14 Aug 2020

US refiner Phillips 66 plans to reconfigure its San Francisco refinery in Rodeo, California (United States), which has a capacity of 120,00 bbl/d, to produce renewable fuels from used cooking oil, fats, greases and soybean oils. The new facility would produce 44,000 bbl/d of renewable diesel, renewable gasoline and sustainable jet fuel annually and would be operational by 2024. A similar project, with a capacity of 8,000 bbl/d, is currently under development on the same site.

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Chile authorises a new 145 MW solar project in the Coquimbo region

14 Aug 2020

The Chilean Environmental Assessment Service (Comisión de Evaluación Ambiental, CEA) has approved the 145 MW Punta del Viento solar power projet, developed by Energía Renovable Verano Tres in La Higuera (Coquimbo Region) for a total consideration of US$138m.

As of August, solar accounts for 10% of Chile’s installed capacity, with 2.7 GW. More than 3.1 GW are under construction and 16.6 GW are under development.

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The EBRD may finance a 204 MW solar portfolio in Greece

14 Aug 2020

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering lending €75m to the Greek oil company Hellenic Petroleum to develop a portfolio of solar projects totalling 204 MW in Western Macedonia (Greece). These projects are expected to help offset power generation from lignite-fired power plants that Greece plans to phase out by 2028 and the solar portfolio should avoid the emissions of 187 ktCO2/year..

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Angola plans a 500 MW transmission line from the Laúca dam to Luanda

14 Aug 2020

The government of Angola plans to build a 400 kV power transmission line to supply 500 MW of electricity from the 2 GW Laúca hydropower project, which produced first power in June 2019, to Luanda. The Laúca hydro project, located on the Kwanza river, is expected to be fully commissioned in October 2020. The facility entails six turbines with an installed capacity of 334 MW each, provided by the Austrian plant engineering group Andritz. The construction of the power line is expected to start once the demining of the route has been completed.

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