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According to the Indonesian state-owned power company PT PLN, coal consumption in the power sector should increase from 92 Mt in 2018 to an estimated 97 Mt in 2019 and to 109 Mt in 2020, as new coal-fired power plants are expected to be commissioned in late 2019. These new coal-fired power capacities should reduce the demand for gas in the power sector. Gas consumption in the power sector should increase from 14 bcm in 2018 to 14.5 bcm in 2019 but would dip to 13.65 bcm in 2020; indeed, piped gas consumption should declined by 21% from around 331 bcf (9.4 bcm) in 2019 to 262 bcf (7.4 bcm) in 2020, while LNG consumption should grow by 22% from 181 bcf (5.1 bcm) in 2019 to 221 bcf (6.25 bcm) in 2020.

Global Power Synergy (GPSC), the power generation branch of Thailand’s largest energy group and national oil company PTT, has set a target of reaching 8,000 MW of renewable power capacity in the next decade, a surge from the 500 MW it currently operates.

The Ministry of Finance of Zimbabwe has approved a 200% increase in power tariffs for households amid recent power cuts. Tariffs will immediately rise to ZWD27c/kWh (US$3c/kWh), up from ZWD9.66c/kWh (US$1c/kWh). Tariffs for non-exporting business were also readjusted by 500% to ZWD45c/kWh (US$5c/kWh), up from ZWD9.66c/kWh (US$1c/kWh).

The Brazilian National Oil, Gas and Biofuels Agency (ANP) has released 5-year forecasts on hydrocarbon production and investments. Investments in oil and gas activities are expected to accelerate between 2019 (nearly BRL50bn, i.e. more than US$12bn) and 2021 to BRL 116bn (around US$29bn), before declining until 2023 to nearly BRL 35bn (US$8.7bn).

The construction of the 195 km-long, 500 kV high-voltage transmission line from the 1.6 GW Benban solar power plant in the Aswan governorate (Egypt) is 88% completed and should be operational in September 2019. The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC) had awarded the project to El Sewedy Electric in April 2019 giving the company six months to conclude construction.

According to the President of Mozambique, construction works at Mozambique’s Offshore Area 1 LNG have begun. The foundation stone of the project is ready to be laid and commissioning will take place in 2022-2023. Anadarko reached the Final Investment Decision (FID) on the US$25bn project in June 2019.

Mainstream Renewable Power has started to install wind turbines at the 158 MW Taiba N’Diaye onshore wind power project, located 90 km northwest of Dakar in Senegal. The project will consist of 46 V126-3.45 MW wind turbines supplied by Vestas. The project is being developed by the Lekela joint venture (60% Actis and 40% Mainstream Renewable Power).

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has approved €385m in loans to finance the construction of 21 wind projects with a combined capacity of 547 MW in Andalusia, Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla León, Galicia and Navarra (Spain). The projects will be developed by the Alfanar group, which won the projects in the July 2017 renewable energy auction.

The district court of Poznan (Poland) has ruled that the decision of state-owned power utility ENEA to join the 1,000 MW Ostroleka C coal-fired power project developed by Energa, another Polish state-owned power group, was null and void. The court ruling is appealable. …