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The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China has issued the construction licences for the first two units of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project developed in the Fujian province of China by CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, a joint venture of China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%).

The Zhangzhou nuclear power plant would include up to six reactors to be installed in phases. In May 2014, the local government approved the first phase of the project, initially consisting of two AP1000 units (approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration in December 2015) but CNNC decided to use the Chinese-designed Hualong One reactors instead. The reactors would have a power capacity of 1,150 MW gross. Two more Hualong One units are planned for the second phase of the project and another two for the third phase of the Zhangzhou project.

So far, four Hualong One reactors are under construction in China: Fuqing 5 is expected to be commissioned in 2019, while Fuqing 6 and Fangchenggang 3 & 4 are scheduled for 2020. In addition, two HPR1000 (Hualong One design promoted on the international market) are under construction in Karachi (Pakistan).

The federal government of Germany has approved the Innovation Tender Regulation authorizing innovations tender in the field of renewable energies. It will allow testing innovations in tender design, by applying a fixed market premium to renewable energy subsidies.

Algeria’s caretaker government has discussed amendments to the energy law with five large foreign oil and gas companies and has adopted a draft energy law, prompting massive protests over its right to change the legislation of such a crucial economic sector. …

Brazilian renewable electricity producer Renova Energia has filed for bankruptcy protection as it seeks to restructure its BRL 3.1bn (US$742m) debt. Failed negotiations to sell heavily indebted wind projects and the sale of a 17.17% participation by Light SA to an investment fund for the symbolic value of BRL1 triggered the move.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) targets 3 mb/d of crude oil production and 40 Gbl of reserved by 2023. According to the company, Nigerian petroleum production stood at nearly 1.87 mb/d in May 2019, while reserves of crude oil reached at 28.2 Gbl at end-2018. For the year 2020, the federal budget anticipates crude oil production attaining 2.2 mbl/d. …

South African power utility Eskom is facing unplanned breakdowns that have exceeded 10.5 GW, as 5 power generation units are currently unavailable due to boiler tube leaks, while a technical failure at a coal conveyor belt at the Medupi power plant has limited the power plant‘s availability to around half its installed capacity.

EDF Renewables and El Sewedy Electric have commissioned two 65 MW solar PV projects in Benban, in the Aswan province of southern Egypt. Both projects have received funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and from Proparco. They were developed as part of the second phase of the national electricity feed-in tariff programme.

Two Mexican private companies, Refmex and Caxxor Group (operating arm of the English National Standard Finance investment fund), plan to invest US$800m to US$1bn to build the first private refinery in Mexico.