Daily Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
South Africa’s Eskom will procure 6.8 GW of solar and wind power from IPPs
28 Sep 2020The government of South Africa has authorised Eskom to buy at least 6,800 MW of solar and wind power from independent power producers (IPPs) for the years 2022 to 2024. Eskom must get 6,800 MW of wind and solar power, 513 MW from storage, 3,000 MW from gas and 1500 MW from coal. The decision paves the way for the fifth bid window (BW 5) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP).
Read morePoland plans to end coal mining in 2049
28 Sep 2020Following an agreement with coal unions, the Polish government has approved a gradual closure of coal mines, with the last mines to shut in 2049. The first mine to be closed would be the Wujek mine in Katowice, that would be shut down as soon as 2021. In 2049, the last two mines would be shut down, namely the Chwałowice and Jankowice mines in Rybnik. Until then, mining is to be subsidised by the state. The country will unlock funds for coal mining regions, especially Silesia.
Read moreMyanmar awards 1 GW of solar capacity with lowest bid of US$3.5c/kWh
25 Sep 2020The government of Myanmar has allocated 1 GW of solar capacity in its first auction for large-scale PV. All but one of the 30 projects, ranging from 30 MW to 50 MW, were allocated, and the winning bids ranged between US$3.48c/kWh and US$5.1c/KWh. Most of the projects will involve Chinese companies. Chinese inverter maker Sungrow won 9 projects, while China Machinery Engineering Corp. (CMEC) was awarded 8 sites.
Read moreCompanies
Thailand’s Gulf buys a 50% stake in the BKR2 offshore wind park (Germany)
28 Sep 2020The Thai energy group Gulf Energy Development has closed the acquisition of a 50% stake in the 465 MW Borkum Riffgrund 2 (BKR2) offshore wind park in the German North Sea, northwest of Germany, from Global Infrastructure Partners. The two companies had reached an agreement in July 2020. Ørsted owns the remaining 50% stake in the project.
Read moreThe JV between Eneos and PetroChina will take over the Chiba refinery (Japan)
28 Sep 2020Eneos (formerly known as JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy) has announced ownership changes in two Japanese refineries, the 115,000 bbl/d Osaka refinery and the 129,000 bbl/d Chiba refinery, shifting its joint venture with PetroChina to Eneos’ Chiba refinery after shutting the venture’s Osaka refinery in October 2020.
Read moreTotal will develop 3.3 GW of solar projects in Spain with Ignis
28 Sep 2020Total has signed an agreement with the Spanish developer Ignis to develop 3.3 GW of solar projects located close to Madrid and Andalusia (Spain). The first projects in the Ignis portfolio are expected to start in 2022 and should be fully operational by 2025.
Read morePipeChina takes over Southern Guangdong province’s gas network (China)
25 Sep 2020The newly-created Chinese oil and gas pipeline company PipeChina has signed an agreement with the Southern Guangdong province (China) to take over its gas pipeline network. PipeChina plans to build six trunk gas pipelines in Guangdong in 2020, with a total length of 751 km. Guangdong is China’s second-largest gas consuming province after eastern Jiangsu.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
The World Bank will finance 3 hydro projects in Pakistan
28 Sep 2020The World Bank has awarded a US$450m financing to support Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hydropower and Renewable Energy Development Project, which intends to develop run-off river hydropower projects and solar projects worth US$727m in the Swat River Basin (SRB) in Pakistan. Total hydropower potential of SRB is more than 2,000 MW including several run-of-river hydropower projects of varying capacity ranging from 10 to 200 MW.
Read moreEDF and Padero Solar plan a 350 MW solar-plus-storage plant in the UK
28 Sep 2020A joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and Padero Solar is planning a new 350 MW solar project, co-located with battery storage on land north east of Chelmsford in the United Kingdom. The project, which would require development consent from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, is at an early stage in the development process and initial studies and surveys are ongoing relating to the feasibility of the power plant.
Read more824 MW Muskrat Falls hydropower plant produces first power (Canada)
28 Sep 2020Nalcor Energy’s Muskrat Falls hydropower plant in Labrador (Canada) has produced first power. The first unit at Muskrat Falls has just been successfully synchronised to the electricity grid. Power from the second unit is expected later this year, with the third and fourth units coming online in 2021.
The Muskrat Falls project includes the construction of an 824 MW hydropower plant on the lower Churchill River, of over 1,600 km of transmission lines across the province, and of the Maritime Link between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. Construction began in 2013.
Read more
No Comment