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According to the German Environment Ministry (Umweltbundesamt, UBA), German greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contracted by 4.5% (-41 MtCO2eq) in 2018 to 869 MtCO2eq, as CO2 emissions decreased by 4.8% (-38 Mt) to 760 MtCO2eq.. This reduction was mainly driven by higher temperatures during 2018 and by a declining use of fossil fuels in the energy mix: energy related emissions dropped by 5% to 710 Mt, as emissions from coal fell by nearly 11% (-13 Mt), those from lignite by 2.2% (-3.6 Mt) and those from oil by 4.9% (-13 Mt). Coal-fired capacity closures (around 1.5 GW) and higher coal prices contributed to this significant decline, as well as the steady development in renewable power capacities. In 2018, renewables avoided around 184 MtCO2eq, including almost 75 MtCO2eq from wind power. 

CO2 emissions from the residential and small consumers sectors fell by nearly 11% (-15 Mt), as the milder weather cut heating oil consumption. CO2 emissions also declined in the transport sector (-2.9%, i.e. -5 Mt), as fuel prices increased significantly during the year. Industrial CO2 emissions fell by 2.8% (-4 Mt), with different trends (declining trend for steel, chemicals and automotive, increasing trend for mechanical engineering and pharmaceutical). GHG emissions from agriculture contracted by 4.1% (-2.7 MtCO2eq), due to decreasing animal number and fertiliser use.

Since 1990, Germany has reduced annual emissions by nearly 31%. Emissions should be reduced by 55% by 2030 to comply with the Paris Agreement.

The Greek Privatisation Agency has decided to delay sale of a 50.1% stake in Hellenic Petroleum, Greece’s larget oil refining company, as no binding bids have been submitted..

Chinese state-run oil and gas producer China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) predicts that the Chinese domestic gas demand will reach 360 bcm in 2020 and rise to 480 bcm by 2025, from the 275 bcm recorded in 2018.

Argentina has announced plans to launch a new renewables and grid capacity tender, which should secure a certain amount of renewable energy in 2019 (the amount will be specified later this year) and help Argentina achieve its 20% renewable target by 2025.

According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), renewable installed capacity rose by 171 GW worldwide in 2018. 61% of the new renewable capacity was installed in Asia in 2018. Asia installed 105 GW of renewable capacity in 2018 (reaching 1,024 GW), mostly from additions in China (+75 GW), India (+13 GW) and Japan (+6.8 GW).

Gás Natural Açu (GNA) has awarded Siemens a turnkey construction contract for the 1.3 GW LNG-to-Power project GNA 1 in the Port of Açu, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Siemens will provide three units of its H-class gas turbines and will also be responsible for operating and maintaining the CCGT power plant, estimated at BRL4.5bn (U$1.1bn).

China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has selected five Chinese companies to supply turbines for the CNY46.5bn (US$6.9bn) 6 GW Ulanqab wind power project in Inner Mongolia (China), namely Shanghai Electric (1.4 GW order), Goldwind (1.3 GW), Ming Yang (1.3 GW), Dongfang (1.1 GW) and CSIC Haizhuang (900 MW). Western developers GE, Siemens and Vestas pla…

French oil and gas company Total has signed several agreements to strengthen its partnership with US LNG project developer Tellurian – in which it already owns a 23% stake – and to develop the Driftwood LNG project in Louisiana (United States). Total will invest US$500m investment in the Driftwood LNG project and will offtake 1 Mt/year of LNG from the project as…