Ukraine has released its "Concept of Green Energy Transition until 2050", based on three pillars: ensuring energy security, ensuring sustainable energy production and consumption, and reaching climate neutrality by 2070.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan has awarded 27 bids for a total capacity of 39.8 MW in its fifth solar auction for projects of 500 kW capacity or more. Initially, more than 416 MW was offered in the auction, and the METI had accepted 72 initial projects proposals with a total capacity of 185.6 MW. The ceiling price was set at JPY13/kWh (US$11.9c/kWh). The lowest offered price reached JPY10.99 (US$10.07c/kWh) and the weighted average bid price stood at JPY12.57/kWh (US$11.5c/kWh).

Cameron LNG has asked the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for a 72-month extension to build the second phase of its Cameron LNG liquefaction and export terminal project in Louisiana (United States), until May 2026. The company aims to make a final investment decision on the expansion project by mid-2021 and construction is expected to last up to 58 months (until 2026).

The Polish power group PGE Group has secured environmental permits from the Regional Direction of Environmental Protection in Gdańsk for its 1,498 MW Baltica 2 and 1,045 MW Baltica 3 offshore wind projects in the Baltic Sea. PGE will now start technical work on the projects through design companies (Special Purpose Vehicles).

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has resubmitted its proposal for the 600 MW Shetland Transmission Link project to the British energy regulator Ofgem. The high voltage direct current (HVDC) power line would connect Kergord on the Shetland Isles to Caithness on the Scottish mainland (United Kingdom).

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline project is expected to be delayed by at least 6 months in Afghanistan, as decrees necessary to implement the law on land acquisition still needs to be signed. 

Saudi Aramco has signed a US$1.85bn engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Samsung Engineering for its Aramco HUGRS (Hawiyah Unayzah Gas Reservoir Storage) project in Saudi Arabia. The two companies had already signed a contract for initial work in November 2019. The gas storage project will have an injection capacity of 1.5 bcf/d (42 mcm/d) and a withdrawal capacity of 2 bcf/d (57 mcm/d) and is expected to be completed in 2023.

The board of the Indian state-owned power group NTPC has approved the acquisition of the majority stakes held by the Indian Ministry of Power in two power generation companies: NTPC will acquire 100% of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), which operates hydropower, thermal (gas-fired) and solar power plants in the north-east of India and 74.5% of THDC India, which operates 1,400 MW of hydropower plants (including the 1,000 MW Tehri-1

Eni has signed a 10-year purchase agreement with Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) for 1.5 Mt/year of LNG produced from the trains 1, 2 and 3 of the Nigeria LNG project. Earlier in January 2020, NLNG had signed a similar contract with Total, for 1.5 Mt/year starting in 2021. In December 2019, Vitol concluded a 10-year 0.5 Mt/year purchase agreement with NLNG, also from 2021.

The Indian state-owned coal mining company Coal India Ltd (CIL) has received approvals for 17 coal mining projects that will add 150 Mt of coal in the next five years and will increase CIL’s washing capacity by 25 Mt/year. According to the Ministry of Coal, it will allow CIL to reach its target of 1 Gt of coal production by 2023-2024 (April 2023-March 2024). The group intends to produce 660 Mt of coal in 2019-2020 (corresponding to 82% of the total domestic coal production) and 750 Mt of coal in 2020-2021.