Latest Energy News
Policy & Regulatory
Gujarat (India) launches tender for 700 MW of solar power projects
23 Mar 2020
Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd. (GUVNL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Gujarat Electricity Board and holding company of all the power utilities in Gujarat (India), has launched a tender for 700 MW of solar power projects to be set up in Dholera on a build-own-operate (BOO) basis, within the framework of a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). The ceiling price has been set at INR2.92/KWh (US$3.84c/kWh). The submission of interest period will end on 18 April 2020 and the financial bid and reverse e-auction will open on 27 April 2020.
South Africa moves forward with 13.8 GW power procurement
23 Mar 2020
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) has issued two invitations to comment on the procurement by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) of nearly 2 GW of new power capacity.
Cambodia will not build dams on the Mekong River for the next decade
20 Mar 2020
Cambodia has abandoned plans to build new hydropower plants on the Mekong River for the next decade, according to a government master plan for the period 2020-2030. The country will instead bet on power supply from coal, LNG, imports and solar. Two large dam projects at Sambor (2,500 MW) and Stung Treng (1,200 MW) were announced and authorised, but the projects are now frozen.
Indian government plans to issue 20 GW of solar tenders by June 2021
20 Mar 2020
The Indian government plans to issue tenders for 20 GW of solar capacity by June 2021, in order to meet the national target of 100 GW of grid-connected solar power capacity by the end of 2022. So far, over 35 GW of grid-connected solar capacity has been installed, with another 21 GW under various phases of execution and more than 31 GW under various phases of bidding process.
Companies
Total buys project developper Global Power Wind France
23 Mar 2020
Total, through its fully-owned affiliate Total Quadran that develops renewable power projects in France, has acquired Global Wind Power France for an unknown amount. Global Wind Power France has a 1 GW portfolio of onshore wind projects, including 250 MW scheduled to be commissioned by 2025. Total Quadran already holds a 900 MW renewable portfolio in France.
Energy & Climate Markets
Global offshore wind capacity rose by 6.1 GW in 2019
23 Mar 2020
According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the global offshore wind power capacity increased by 6.1 GW to 29.5 GW in 2019. Offshore wind installations accelerated compared with 2018, when 4.5 GW were added, and accounted for 10% of the new wind power installations.
SOCAR and Equinor confirm new discovery offshore Azerbaijan
23 Mar 2020
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and the Norwegian oil and gas company Equinor have confirmed a new discovery in the Karabagh field located 120 km offshore, east of Baku, in the Azerbaijan sector of the Caspian Sea. The newly discovered reservoir holds enough volumes of oil and gas to pursue commercial development of the field, with oil reserves estimated at more than 60 Mt.
SOCAR and Equinor have been cooperating since 1994, and in May 2018 they signed a risk service agreement to develop the Karabagh field with equal shares.
The United States will buy 30 mbl of oil for the strategic reserve
23 Mar 2020
The US Department of Energy (DoE) has decided to buy up to 30 mbl of crude oil by the end of June 2020 for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), to comply with a presidential directive to fill up the SPR with US crude oil.
Forecasts
British Columbia will be the 1st gas producing province in Canada by 2040
23 Mar 2020
According to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), Alberta’s marketable gas production is expected to stagnate over the period 2019-2040. On the contrary, British Columbia’s gas production is projected to keep on increasing, catching up with Alberta’s in 2040 thanks to rising growing tight gas production from the Montney Formation. The two provinces accounted for 94% of Canada’s gas production from 2010 to 2018. LNG exports from Canada’s west coast are expected to start in 2025.
Infrastructure & Investments
US FERC approves Jordan Cove LNG export terminal project in Oregon
23 Mar 2020
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued a certificate of approval for Permina’s US$10bn Jordan Cove LNG terminal and 369-km Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline.
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