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According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), US primary energy consumption increased by 4% in 2018 and superseded the previous record set in 2007 by 0.3%. The 2018 energy consumption increase was the largest since 2010 both in absolute and percentage terms.

The main driver was the consumption of fossil fuels such as petroleum, natural gas, and coal as it grew by 4% in 2018 and accounted for 80% of the total primary energy consumption. More specifically, natural gas consumption rose by 10% from 2017, driven by weather-related factors and by the power sector (higher demand for space heating and for air conditionning and for power generation) and offset a 4% decline in coal consumption. Coal-fired power plants continued to be replaced with gas-fired power plants: in 2018, nearly 13 GW of coal-fired power capacity were retired, while 14.6 GW of net natural gas-fired capacity were added.

Renewable energy consumption rose by 3%, spurred by new wind and solar power plant installations: wind power consumption grew by 8%, while solar electricity consumption increased by 22%. Biomass consumption (mainly biomass for transport), which accounted for 45% of all renewable energy consumption in 2018, slightly increased in 2018 (+1%), while hydropower consumption declined by 3%. Nuclear consumption also posted a moderate increase in 2018 (+1%), despite a record for nuclear power generation.

Argentina has received bids from 13 companies worth US$995m in its offshore licensing round, the first open bid round for Argentinean offshore acreage in more than 20 years. A total of 38 shallow, deep and ultra-deep water offshore blocks were offered in the licensing round, which focused on the Austral (6 blocks), North Argentina (14) and Malvinas West (18) basins.  …

The European Commission (EC) has approved an Irish scheme for renewable heat generation from biomass and anaerobic digestion along with for a €54m support to a waste-to-energy (WtE) cogeneration plant under development in Poland under State Aid rules, saying that they will contribute to the European Union’s energy and environmental objectives without unduly distorting competition.&n…

According to the Japanese government, the domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions dropped by 1.2% in fiscal 2017-2018 (April 2017-March 2018) to an eight-year low. It was the fourth straight year of decline, which was mainly driven by the increased use of renewable energies and the restart of several nuclear reactors.

Kenyan renewable energy firm Xago Africa has signed a joint-venture agreement with the Zambian firm Blue Chip Resources for the construction of a new 300 MW solar PV power plant in Zambia at a total cost of US$500m.

The Peruvian government has authorised the project company Kallpa Generación to carry out feasibility studies for the 500 MW Solar Sunny photovoltaic (PV) project in La Joya district (near the city of Arequipa) in the south-eastern region of the country. The feasibility works must be completed within the next two years. The project would be Peru’s largest project so far. …

Russian state-run company nuclear Rosatom has started to pour concrete into the foundations of the 1,255 MW Kursk II-2 nuclear power plant in western Russia. The Kursk II-1 and Kursk II-2 VVER-TOI (typical optimised) nuclear reactors will replace the existing Kursk I VVER-1000 units and are expected to be commissioned in 2022 and 2023, respectively.