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India has raised its renewable energy capacity target for 2022, from 175 GW to 227 GW, considering that the current 175 GW target would be exceeded and that the increasing domestic demand would push for the development of hydropower and solar projects.

In March 2019, state-held Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) issued three tenders for the expansion of renewable capacity in India: one for setting up to 1,200 MW of solar power projects connected to the Interstate Transmission system (ISTS), one for developing 1,200 MW of ISTS grid-connected solar-wind hybrid power projects and one for developing 1,200 MW of grid-connected solar power projects with 3,600 MWh storage.

Hydropower projects are also planned. In March 2019 as well, state-held hydropower producer National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) announced plans to raise its installed power generation capacity by approximately 30% by 2022 to reach a total of 10 GW. The company plans to spend INR38bn (US$544m) for the fiscal year to March 2020 as a first step to reach this objective.

Power generation utilities E.ON (Germany) and Duke Energy (United States) have broken ground on new major onshore wind parks in the United States. E.ON has started the construction of the 220 MW Cranelle wind park (Refugio County, Texas), which will be brought online later in 2019.

According to data unveiled by the Iranian authorities, the South Pars gas complex produced 250 mbl of gas condensates in 2018, which is 5% more than in 2017. As of today, the project accounts for 67% of the country’s natural gas production and for 92% of its gas condensate production. Out of the asset’s 24 planned phases, 22 phases are operating and phase 14 is being completed.

The French Parliament has adopted the Loi Pacte, a new regulation set to profoundly change the situation on the gas market in France, since the law schedules the end of the regulated gas tariffs (TRV) on 1 July 2023. These tariffs are marketed only by the historical suppliers, in this case Engie and some local companies.

Kenya is considering adding up to 600 MW of new onshore wind capacity over the next 6 years in order to increase the access to renewable energy across the country. More specifically, 50 MW to 100 MW of new wind capacity will be deployed every year over a 6-year period.

The British electricity and gas markets regulator Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) has shortlisted five bidders to own and operate the £2.7bn (€3.1bn) transmission links for three UK offshore wind parks with a total capacity of 2,520 MW, namely the SSE-led 588 MW Beatrice off located northern Scotland (expected to be commissioned in 2019), Orsted’s 1,200 MW Hornsea 1 off Yor…

Russian state-run nuclear company Rosatom has received regulatory approval to start the second unit of the Novovoronezh-2 nuclear power plant (Novovoronezh II-2), which is currently under construction in southwestern Russia.

The Danish Energy Agency has invited potential bidders for the construction of the Thor offshore wind project that will be built between 2024 and 2027 on the country’s west coast in the North Sea. The Thor offshore wind park (around 800 MW) is the first of three new offshore wind projects to be built before 2030, in line with the Energy Agreement of 2018.