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Producción y mercados energéticos 07/03/19

Latest Energy News

07 March 2019

TOP STORY: US net power generation rose by 4% in 2018 According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA) preliminary data, US utility-scale power generation rose by 4% in 2018, pulled by a 13% increase in gas-fired power generation and by a 9% hike in renewable generation (excluding hydropower).. Coal-fired power generation continued to decline in 2018 (-5%), while hydropower generation dipped by 3% and nuclear production remained stable. Consequently, the share of coal in large-scale power generation fell to 27% in 2018, while that of gas rose to 35%. This 4% rise in power generation is due to the increased demand in the commercial and residential sectors, largely attributable to a hot summer season and a cold winter. Since the use of electricity for air conditioning (and space heating purpose at a lesser extent) is significant, the population-weighted cooling and heating degree-days were also higher in 2018. Both the commercial and residential sectors achieved higher retail sales of electricity in 2018 as 35% of the US homes use electricity as their primary heating source in winter, while 87% of US households cool their homes in the summer with air conditioning devices. Residential and commercial electricity sales were 6% and 2% higher in 2018 than in the previous year, respectively. Electricity sales in the industrial sector were 3% lower in 2018. On the longer run, the EIA predicts that domestic power consumption will continue to increase but at a slower rate than in recent years, mainly driven by economy and population growth but moderated by technology improvements and energy efficiency measures. Commercial and residential sectors are forecast to grow at rates of 0.5% and 0.4%, respectively.

Companies Tokyo Gas (Japan) aims to raise electricity customer base by 40% by 2020 Japanese gas group Tokyo Gas has announced plans to increase the number of its electricity customers by about 40% by the end of fiscal year 2020 (March 2021), reaching a customer base of approximately 2.4 million. Besides, the company has confirmed that it is preparing to target investments in overseas infrastructure projects, in particular in LNG and renewable energy projects. Read more Policy & Regulatory Greece launches joint 600 MW solar-wind electricity auction The Greek Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) has announced the country’s first joint solar and wind energy auction, which will tender 600 MW of capacity and will start with a ceiling bid of €64.72/MWh. Interested bidders will have to submit their offers by 27 March 2019 and the auction results will be unveiled on 15 April 2019. Read more Energy Markets Azerbaijan’s SOCAR refinery begins to export petroleum products (Turkey) Azerbaijan’s state-owned energy group SOCAR (State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic) has begun to export petroleum products such as middle distillate and fuel oil cargoes from its Aegean refinery project (STAR) in İzmir’s Aliağa district (Turkey)..The 200,000 bbl// (10 Mt//ear) project was commissioned in 2018;… Read more Forecasts Japanese LNG imports slated to decrease in 2019 as nuclear plants restart According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), imports of LNG in the Japanese electricity sector are predicted to drop by 10% in 2019 following the restart in 2018 of five nuclear reactors that were previously shut down after the 2011 Fukushima accident. These five reactors have a combined capacity of 4.6 GW and are namely: Genkai-3 (1,127 MW net),… Read more Pakistan’s LNG demand could to triple over the next 5 years State-run LNG importer and distributor Pakistan LNG expects the domestic LNG demand to more than triple in the next three to five years. LNG imports are estimated at 7 Mt in 2018: they could increase to as high as 15 Mt/year in 2019 and range between 25 Mt/year and 30 Mt/year over the 2022-2024 period. Read more Infrastructure & Investments US DoE approves Calcasieu Pass LNG exports to non-FTA countries The project company Venture Global LNG has been awarded an authorization by the United States Department of Energy (DoE) to export LNG from the 10 Mt/year (13.5 bcm/year) Calcasieu Pass export project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana (United States) to non-free trade agreement (FTA) countries. As per the terms of the DoE order,… Read more Thailand’s power group EGAT plans 2.7 GW of floating solar projects Thailand’s state-run power utility EGAT (Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand) has announced plans to build 16 floating solar parks with a combined capacity of more than 2.7 GW at 9 of its hydropower dam reservoirs by 2037. Bids for the projects are set to start in two months and will also be open to international companies. Read more Lithuania wants Belarus to convert nuclear project to gas The Lithuanian government will ask Belarus to abandon its nuclear power plant project that is currently in construction in Ostrovets and instead develop a gas-fired power plant that would be supplied by Lithuania’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Klaipeda. Read more Bapco launches US$4.2bn Sitra refinery modernisation programme (Bahrain) State-run oil and gas producer Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) has launched the US$4.2bn Bapco Modernisation Programme (BMP), which will upgrade the Sitra refinery on Bahrain’s Eastern coast (Sitra island, south of Manama). Upon completion in 2022, the project will increase the Sitra processing capacity by 42% from the current 267,000 bbl/d to 380,000 bbl/d. Read more