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Producción y mercados energéticos 05/03/19

Latest Energy News

05 March 2019

TOP STORY: Alberta (Canada) sets 30% renewable target capacity share for 2030 The government of the Canadian province of Alberta has issued a roadmap for the renewable electricity programme (REP) laying out plans to help the province reach its target of sourcing 30% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030. Intermediate targets have been set at 15% by 2022, 20% by 2025 and 26% by 2028. The programme supports the development of an additional 5,000 MW of renewable power generation capacity by 2030 and forecasts that about CAD10bn (US$7.5bn) of new private investments should be set aside to reach this objective. Meanwhile, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is preparing the state’s fourth renewable electricity auction, which will be referred to as REP Round 4 and will add up to 400 MW of renewable capacity. In 2018, only 10% of Alberta’s electricity generation came from renewable sources. The results of the previous rounds, referred to as REP Round 2 and 3, were unveiled in December 2018. REP Round 2 attributed 363 MW of wind power generation capacity (above the 300 MW initially available) at a weighted average bid price of CAD$38.69/MWh (US$28.63/MWh) to 4 companies. REP Round 3 awarded three projects totalling 400 MW at a weighted average bid price of CAD$40.14/MWh (US$29.7/MWh) to 2 companies. Both tender rounds were oversubscribed and the selected projects signed 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the AESO. Their construction is set to start in 2020, with commercial operation slated for 2021.

Companies Repsol’s hydrocarbon production increased by 2.9% in 2018 (Spain) Spanish oil and gas company Repsol has released its 2018 results and reported a 2.9% increase in hydrocarbon (oil and gas) production to 715,000 boe/d in 2018. The growth was propped up by the startup of new projects in Algeria, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, Peru and Malaysia along with an acquisition in Norway and the connection of new wells in Marcellus (United States). Read more Policy & Regulatory India’s SECI tenders 400 MW of floating solar power projects Indian state-held Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has launched a 400 MW floating solar power tender in the states of Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand (India). 250 MW will be deployed in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and 150 MW in the northern state of Jharkhand, of which 100 MW at the Getalsud dam reservoir and 50 MW at the Dhurwa dam reservoirs, respectively. Read more Forecasts Algeria aims to add 12 GW of additional power capacity by 2022 The Algerian Ministry of Energy has announced plans to commission 12 GW of additional power generation capacity to reach the 33 GW threshold by 2022. This programme is aimed at helping the country to meet its growing domestic electricity consumption, which has more than doubled since 2009 (+10%/year), bringing it to 64 TWh in 2017. Read more EIA forecasts US biofuels output and demand to remain stable until 2020 According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), recent trends in the domestic biofuels sector are likely to continue until 2020. In particular, fuel ethanol production and net imports of biomass-based diesel are slated to remain unchanged, while fuel ethanol exports will slightly decrease. Read more Infrastructure & Investments Mahagenco will build two new coal-fired units (1.3 GW) in India Maharashtra-based power generation company Mahagenco (MSPGCL) has announced that it will install two new 660 MW units at the existing 1,980 MW Koradi coal-fired power plant, near Nagpur, Maharashtra (India). The two new units were initially planned at Umred but failed to acquire available land and have been relocated to Koradi. Read more Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi-1 LNG has been fully commissioned (US) The first train of the US$15bn Corpus Christi greenfield LNG and export terminal project in Texas (United States) has reached substantial completion and is now fully commissioned. The 4.5 Mt/year train started to produce LNG in November 2018 and to export LNG cargoes in December 2018.. Read more Denmark selects site for new 800 MW Thor offshore wind project The Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities and Climate has selected a site for the construction of the 800 MW Thor offshore wind project that will be built between 2024 and 2027. It will be located at least 20 km off Nissum Fjord on the country’s west coast in the North Sea. A tender for the project’s construction will be held later in 2019. Read more Power utility DEWA has launched rooftop solar programme in Dubai (UAE) Emirati state-held utility Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) has launched a programme aimed at installing solar rooftops in 10% of the homes of UAE nationals within the Dubai Emirate and connect them to the domestic grid by 2020. The initiative is part of the 2015 Shams Dubai programme,… Read more