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According to the Dutch government, gas production from the Groningen gas field in the northern Netherlands could decline 20% faster than initially expected for the year starting in October 2019. In February 2019, the government announced that gas production would fall to 15.9 bcm in 2019-2020 but it had to revise this target downward to 12.8 bcm (i.e. -3.1 bcm) after a 3.4 magnitude earthquake in Groningen in May 2019. The State Supervision of Mines (SodM) of the Netherlands had advised to reduce production to 12 bcm for the 2019-2020 year, a level deemed too low by the government.

Gas extraction from the Groningen gas field (operated by Shell and Exxon Mobil) was progressively reduced from 53.8 bcm in 2013 to 42.5 bcm in 2014, 33 bcm in 2015, 27 bcm in 2016, 21.6 bcm in 2017 and 20.1 bcm in 2018 (Oct. 2017 to Oct. 2018). The maximum production from the year through October 2019 is capped at 19.4 bcm. In April 2018, the government set a production target of 12 bcm for the next five years and ordered Dutch industrial users to phase out the usage of Groningen natural gas by 2022. The aim is to reach a complete phase out of the field by 2030, in an attempt to reduce the danger caused by small though damaging earthquakes.

The Ministry of Energy and Mines of Peru has announced the upcoming creation of the Multisectorial Commission for the Reform of the Electricity Sector (CRSE), that will start a comprehensive review of the current electricity market.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has adopted two rules returning New Jersey to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The Carbon Dioxide Budget Trading rule sets the mechanisms for rejoining RGGI and the initial CO2 cap for the state’s power sector at 18 MtCO2 in 2020.

China National Nuclear Power (CNNP) has installed the outer safety dome on the containment building of the second unit of the Karachi nuclear power plant in Pakistan. This marks a milestone in the construction of the Hualong One reactor.

Sempra Energy has filed a request with the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to begin the pre-filing review process of its Port Arthur LNG expansion project in Texas (United States). Sempra plans to double the capacity of its liquefaction project by adding two LNG trains to the two 5.5 Mt/year trains that have already secured approval.

The Scottish government (United Kingdom) has granted a licence to build and operate the 800 MW Moray West offshore wind project in the North Sea to a consortium of Engie and EDP Renovaveis (EDPR).

A consortium of Macquarie Capital and Swancor Renewable Energy has conditionnally awarded an order to Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) for the supply of 47 wind turbines for the 376 MW Formosa-2 offshore wind project in Taiwan; the contract also includes a 20-year full service agreement for the project. Offshore construction should start in 2020. …