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The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey has selected Enerjisa and Enercon to develop 1,000 MW of wind projects under the latest Renewable Energy Resources Zones (YEKA) onshore wind auction. Total investment is estimated at US$1bn (€897m).

Turkish energy group Enerjisa was awarded a 250 MW wind project in Aydin with a US$4.56c/kWh (€4.09c/kWh) bid and a 250 MW wind project in Çanakkale with a US$3.67c/kWh (€3.29c/kWh) bid. German wind turbine manufacturer Enercon offered the lowest bids for the Muğla and Balıkesir wind projects, each rated 250 MW, with bids of US$4c/kWh (€3.59c/kWh) and US$3.53c/kWh (€3.17c/kWh), respectively. The power projects will receive a 49-year license and will sign a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

In August 2017, the first 1,000 MW YEKA wind tender was won by a consortium of Siemens (through its affiliate Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy), Kalyon İnşaat (Turkey) and Türkerler Enerji Grubu (Turkey), offering a US$3..8//Wh price.

Global oil company Chevron has decided to sell most of its oil and gas fields in the British part of the North Sea to Ithaca Energy, a subsidiary of Israel-based Delek Group, for US$2bn (€1.8bn). These assets will quadruple Ithaca’s pro-forma production to 80 kboe/d. The transaction is backdated to 1 January 2019 and is pending regulatory approvals.

The National Energy Administration (NEA) of China has decided to allocate CNY 3bn (US$435m) of subsidies to new solar power projects in 2019. Most of the subsidies (CNY 2.25bn (US$325m) will be directed to large-scale solar power plants, while CNY750m (US$109m) will be allocated to rooftop projects with a combined capacity of 3.5 GW.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) and Magnum Development plan to develop the Advanced Clean Energy Storage (ACES) project, a 1,000 MW energy storage project in Utah (United States). …

The Department of Environment and Science (DES) of the state of Queensland (Australia) has approved Indian coal mining group Adani’s management plans for an endangered bird on the site of its Carmichael coal mine project. Adani has just one permit outstanding, related to the source of the Doongmabulla Springs complex, which is expected to be issued by mid-June 2019. …

The Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has announced the next licensing round in mature areas on the Norwegian continental shelf – Awards in Predefined Areas (APA) 2019. The predefined area has been expanded by 90 blocks, including 48 in the Barents Sea, 37 in the Norwegian Sea and 5 in the North sea.

The Ministry of Energy of Tanzania is considering building a US$1.5bn pipeline to export refined products to Zambia. The proposed pipeline would stretch over nearly 1,350 km between Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Ndola, a major copper mining city in Zambia. It would also deliver oil products in the Morogoro, Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya and Songwe regions of Tanzania..

Icelandic geothermal development company Reykjavik Geothermal is preparing to begin exploration drilling in September 2019 for the development of two 500 MW geothermal power plants in Corbetti and Tulu Moye (Ethiopia). The projects will require an investment of around US$4.4bn and will add 1 GW of geothermal capacity into the national grid.  …