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Kazakhstan plans to reverse its Kenkiyak-Atyrau oil pipeline to boost oil exports to China from around 1 Mt/year to 6-7 Mt/year starting from the second half of 2020. The pipeline is currently shipping crude oil westward from the Kenkiyak oil field to the Atyrau terminal on the Caspian Sea for exports to Europe.

Kazakhstan’s crude oil exports to China have collapsed from their 2013 peak of 11.8 Mt to 1.3 Mt in 2018, due to declining output in oil fields located in the northwest and the south of the country. Many of these fields are operated by Chinese companies, which supply a large part of the oil used by the Shymkent and Pavlodar refineries, leaving limited oil volumes for exports. Reversing the Kenkiyak-Atyrau pipeline would link more small- and medium-sized oil fields in western Kazakhstan to the refineries and free up the same volumes of crude oil from southern and northwestern Kazakhstan to exports in China.

Reversing the pipeline would also reduce shipments through Transneft’s pipeline network and could reduce some oil flows to Europe. However, European customers should still benefit from the oil production of the giant Kashagan, Tengiz and Karachaganak projects run by Western majors.

Uniper has received the approval from the French government for the sale of its power generation and sales activities in France to the Czech energy group Energetický a průmyslový holding (EPH).

Edison (part of the EDF group) has signed an agreement with Energean Oil and Gas to sell its 100% stake in its oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) subsidiary Edison E&P (and in its affiliates) for US$750m (€665m), with an additional consideration of US$100m (€89m) contingent on the commissioning of Cassiopea development gas project in Italy.

Greece’s Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has concluded its solar and wind auctions, awarding only 54% of the initially-planned volumes (322 MW). …

According to the European Commission, maritime transport activities related to the European Economic Area (EEA) emitted more than 150 MtCO2 in 2018.

Gazprom has signed a 5-year gas purchase contract with Turkmenistan’s gas company Turkmengas, under the terms of which Gazprom will import 5.5 bcm/year of gas between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2024. …

Kenya and South Sudan have reached an agreement, under the terms of which Kenya will export power generated at its geothermal fields in turn for crude oil supplies from South Sudan’s oil fields. New power transmission lines should be built from Lodwar in northwestern Kenya to South Sudan.

The Indian government has presented its Economic Survey 2018-19 to the Parliament, which estimates that US$330bn will be invested in renewable energies through 2030: investments in renewable power plants – not including power transmission projects – until 2022 could reach US$80bn (at today’s prices) and an additional US$250m would be required over the 2023-2030 period, corresponding to an average…

India should install 1,190 MW of new hydropower plants in 2019, raising its hydropower capacity from 49.9 GW at the end of 2018 to more than 51 GW. NEEPCO plans to add 600 MW at its Kameng hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh, where the government also plans to add 211 MW.