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The Ministry of Finance of China has decided to raise tariffs imposed on US LNG imports from 10% to 25% as of 1 June 2019, as a response to the United States’ government decision to increase tariffs on some US$200bn worth of Chinese goods imports from 10% to 25%. Consequently, China decided to apply the same tariff increase on US$60bn worth of US goods imports.

In August 2018, the US announced a 25% tariff on Chinese goods imports as of September 2018, prompting China to introduce a 10% tariff on US LNG as of September 2018 (but not on crude oil). US LNG producers such as Cheniere and Tellurian expects the trade dispute to be temporary and to have no impact on their LNG sales to China.

The German energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur has selected winners in the second round of 2019 onshore wind tenders that was held on 1 May 2019 and that was largely undersubscribed. The tender offered 650 MW but only 41 bids totalling 295 MW (i.e. 45% of the total volume) were submitted.

Greek energy regulator RAE has opened a 430 MW solar auction: interested bidders can now submit their offers for solar PV projects up to 20 MW until 31 May 2019. The solar auction will be held on 31 July 2019, in line with the July 2018 renewable auction programme timetable. Bids will include a €500 fee and will start at a ceiling price of €6.93c/kWh, working downward from that level. …

According to the 2019 Hydropower Status Report released by the International Hydropower Association, around 21.8 GW of new hydropower capacities were commissioned in 2018, including nearly 2 GW of pumped-storage.

The government of Mozambique has approved Mozambique Rovuma Venture’s development plan for the Rovuma LNG project, which will liquefy and export gas from three reservoirs in the Area 4 block offshore Mozambique. The liquefaction plant will include two LNG trains with a combined capacity of 15 Mt/year.

Indian state-owned power utility Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (GUVNL) has selected eight renewable companies to develop 745 MW of wind power projects in Gujarat (India). GUNVL offered a total capacity of 1,000 MW in March 2019 and received bids for 931 MW. It then held a reverse wind power auction for 745 MW and awarded 200 MW to Renew Wind Energy (tariff of INR 2.95/kWh, i.e.

Santa Lucia Transmissora de Energia, the Brazilian subsidiary of Italian power transmission network operator Terna, has commissioned the 500 kV Jauru-Cuiabá 2 power transmission line and its two power substations in the state of Mato Grosso in central Brazil. The project, awarded in June 2017 by the Brazilian National Electricity Agency ANEEL, was delivered after 19 months of construction.

According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Investment 2019 report, global energy investment stabilised at US$1,850bn in 2018, after three years of decline in a row.