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Policy & Regulatory
Angola plans to remove fuel price subsidies
12 Mar 2020The government of Angola has announced plans to remove subsidies on fuel prices, though without specifying the implementation schedule. The government estimates that more than US$3.5bn/year are spent on fuel price subsidies and is absorbing the cost of the subsidy on the state-owned oil company Sonangol, which has requested a tax break. In addition, subsidised prices are leading to significant price gaps between Angola and neighbouring countries, and large volumes of fuels are purchased by Angolan taxpayers and sold to neighbouring countries.
Read moreThe United Kindgom suspends its licencing round in 2020-2021
12 Mar 2020The British Oil and Gas Authority (OGA), tasked with oil and gas industry regulation, has decided to suspend its licencing rounds for offshore exploration acreage in the North Sea at least until 2021. The timing for a 33rd round will be announced at a later stage.
Read moreEU’s new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive enters in force
12 Mar 2020Since 10 March 2020, EU Member States are required to transpose into national law the new EU rules on the use of energy in buildings, and to implement national long-term building renovation strategies to decarbonise their existing building stocks by 2050 under the amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The EU building energy efficiency rules are now applicable in all EU countries.
Read moreUzbekistan’s 200 MW PV tender attracts 54 bidders
11 Mar 2020The Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan has received expressions of interest from 54 companies willing to take part to a tender for a 200 MW solar power project in Sherabad, in the Surkhandarya region. Interested companies include China’s China Three Gorges, PowerChina, TBEA and Jinko Solar, Japan’s Marubeni, Sumitomo and SoftBank, South Korea’s Kepco and Kospo, India’s NTPC and ReNew Power, Qatar’s Nebras Power, Masdar (United Arab Emirates), Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, European groups such as Engie, Total Eren, EDP, Eni and Fotowatio.
Read moreEnergy & Climate Markets
US gas production rose by 10% in 2019, spurring exports
12 Mar 2020According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), US dry natural gas production rose by 10% in 2019 to 92.2 bcf/d, i.e. 2.6 bcm/d or a total of nearly 950 bcm in 2019. The Appalachian region including the Marcellus and Utica/Point Pleasant shales of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, remained the largest gas producing region in the United States (29% of the total gas production in 2019) and Pennsylvania accounted for 17% of this total. Gas production also increased in Texas, due to the development in the Permian Basin and Haynesville shale formations.
Read moreIndia’s thermal coal imports rose by 13% in 2019
12 Mar 2020Indian imports of thermal coal, which is mainly used for power generation, increased by nearly 13% in 2019, whereas imports of coking coal, which is used in steel production, dropped marginally. Indonesia was India’s main coal supplier (60%) over the April-December 2019 period, followed by South Africa (22%), Russia (5%) and Australia (5%). Thermal coal imports rose due to lower production by the major coal miner Coal India Ltd (CIL) and despite a 2.5% drop in coal-fired power generation in 2019, due to a broader economic slowdown reducing electricity demand.
Read moreForecasts
Indonesia aims to double gas production by 2030
12 Mar 2020The government of Indonesia plans to double gas production in the archipelago over the next decade, in bid to reduce the country’s energy trade deficit. The country intends to produce 127 bcm of natural gas in 2030, against 72 bcm in 2018. The government previously said the country could become self-sufficient in 2025.
Read moreInfrastructure & Investments
Ivory Coast launches new expansion phase at Azito CCGT power plant
12 Mar 2020The government of Ivory Coast has officially launched the construction of the Azito power plant expansion (phase 4) near Abidjan. The gas-fired Cpower plant, which has already a capacity of 460 MW, will be expanded by 253 MW of CCGT capacity. The new phase is expected to produce first power in 2021. All its power generation will be sold to the State of Ivory Coast under a 20-year agreement.
Read moreOther
Saudi Arabia and UAE plan to increase their oil production in April 2020
12 Mar 2020Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil group Saudi Aramco, which plans to raise its supply to 12 mb/d in April 2020, i.e. when the existing oil production cut agreement expires, has received instructions from Saudia Arabia’s Ministry of Energy to boost its production capacity from 12 mb/d to 13 mb/d. Similarly, the United Arab Emirates, through its national company ADNOC, intends to raise its crude output to more than 4 mb/d in April 2020 and will accelerate its plans to expand its capacity to 5 mb/d, a target previously planned for 2030.
Read moreCompanies
JERA acquires a stake in Formosa 3 offshore wind project (Taiwan)
11 Mar 2020JERA, the joint venture between Japanese power utilities TEPCO and Chubu Electric, has signed an agreement with Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) and EnBW to buy a stake in the 1.9 GW Formosa-3 offshore wind project in Taiwan. Formosa-3 is now owned by JERA (43.75%), GIG (31.25%) and EnBW (25%). The project obtained its Environmental Impact Assessment approval in 2018 and partners will pursue capacity in Taiwan’s next round of grid allocations, expected in 2020.
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