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The French government has postponed the result of the tender for the development of a new 500 MW offshore wind project off Dunkerque (northern France) to 2019. Interested candidates may submit their offers and the government is expected to select the winner in mid-2019. The final tender specifications have already been sent to the pre-selected candidates.

Ten French and foreign groups were shortlisted in May 2017, including Equinor, Elicio, Deme Concessions Wind, InControl France, a consortium of Iberdrola Renovables and RES, a consortium of Engie and EDPR, a consortium of EDF EN, Innogy and Enbridge, a consortium of Boralex and CMI5i Pastor and a consortium of Parkwind and Valeco.

Besides, the government also eventually approved the new tariffs for the six offshore wind projects off the French coastline expected to be commissioned between 2021 and 2024. In 2017, it decided to renegotiate the public funding granted to these parks awarded during calls for tenders in 2012 and 2014, estimating that the rates provided at the time (between €180/MWh and €230/MWh for 20 years) had become excessive given the offshore wind cost decline in recent years. The government estimates that the decrease in subsidized tariffs of around 40% allows a savings of around €16bn over two decades for the end consumer.

Renascent Power, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Resurgent Power Ventures, the joint venture of the Indian utility Tata Power and the ICICI Bank, has agreed to acquire a 75.01% interest in Prayagraj Power Generation Company Limited (PPGCL), which owns the 1,980 MW Bara supercritical coal-fired power plant in Uttar Pradesh (India).

The Iraqi government has resumed oil exports from the Kirkuk oil fields one year after the city was seized by federal forces from the autonomous Kurdish administration over dispute about oil payments, revenues and pipeline fees.

French transmission system operator (TSO) RTE has unveiled its forecast report for the 2019-2023 period and concludes that the French electricity system will be balanced but without margins until 2020 due to the closure of some thermal production capacity resources in recent years.

The United Kingdom Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Environment Agency (EA) have completed a new assessment step of the UK-adapted version of the HPR1000 nuclear technology.

The Canadian National Energy Board (NEB) has approved Manitoba Hydro’s Manitoba-Minnesota power transmission project (MMTP), which is meant to increase export and import capability between Manitoba (Canada) and Minnesota (United States).

The 600 MW first turbine of the 3,600 MW Rogun (also spelled Roghun) hydropower dam on the Vakhsh River in southern Tajikistan has started operations. The US$3.9bn project is being built gradually by the Italian company Salini Impregilo and the remaining turbines will come online between 2019 and 2026. Once built,…

German power utility E.ON has unveiled a new 475 MW onshore wind park project in Nysäter (Sweden). The construction is scheduled to begin later in 2018 and the project’s completion is expected by the end of 2021. The facility will entail 114 turbines from the German manufacturer Nordex and their output will vary between 3.9 and 4.4 MW depending on the location..

Saudi Arabian power generator ACWA Power has achieved financial closure for the SAR1.2bn (US$320m) Sakaka 300 MW solar PV project in Al Jawf (Saudi Arabia) with its partner AlGihaz Holding Company. A new company will be set up to own and manage the project with ACWA Power holding 70% and AlGihaz 30% through its subsidiary AlGihaz Renewable Energy.