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The British Ministry of Energy and Clean Growth has presented the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), which will ensure small-scale renewable power producers – residential solar panels and businesses with renewable installations with capacities up to 5 MW – to be paid for their surplus power generation (exported power will be metered on a half-hourly basis). Energy suppliers with more than 150,000 customers (i.e. more than 90% of the retail market) will be required to introduce export tariffs by 1 January 2020; other suppliers may participate on a voluntary basis. This new SEG scheme is expected to continue to support local power generation from small-scale renewable projects, since the previous Feed-in Tariff scheme closed to new entrants as of 31 March 2019.

CNOOC has signed a Share Purchase Agreement with Novatek and Novatek’s fully-owned subsidiary Ekropromstroy to acquire a 10% stake in the Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia from Ekropromstroy, which currently owns 40% in the project. Novatek would then own 80% (50% directly and 30% through Ekropromstroy), with Total and CNOOC holding 10% each.

OMV has signed agreements with Gazprom, under the terms of which the Austrian oil and gas company will acquire a 24.98% stake in the Achimov 4A/5A phase development in the Urengoy gas and condensate field located in Western Siberia (Russia), for €905m (US$1.02bn).

EDF has decided to shut the last unit (580 MW) of its coal-fired power plant in Le Havre (northwestern France) in the spring of 2021. This is earlier than the shutdown timeline announced by the French government, which aims to close the remaining coal-fired power plants by 2022, in order to reach a CO2-free power generation by 2050.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved two loans worth €150m (US$170m) for two gas-fired CCGT projects that will help strengthen Ivory Coast’s power supply. …

Iberdrola has submitted the 590 MW Francisco Pizarro solar power project to the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition for approval. The project, worth over €300m, would be located in Torrecillas de la Tiesa and Aldeacentenera, near Caceres in Extremadura (western Spain).

The French Council of State (Conseil d’Etat, highest administrative court in France) has rejected an appeal against the permit granted to the 480 MW Saint Nazaire offshore wind project, which has now secured all administrative approvals for construction and operation.

British onshore wind project developer Community Windpower (CWP) has announced plans to develop a 560 MW wind project near Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway (Scotland) in the United Kingdom. The Scoop Hill wind project would include 80 turbines rated between 5 MW and 7 MW each. …