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Ghana has decided to review its 2011 renewable energy act that set a target of 10% renewable energy in the power mix by 2020 and to postpone this target by 10 years to 2030. This new timeschedule is in line with the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The NDC planned to scale up renewable penetration by 10% by 2030, by increasing small hydropower capacity to 150-300 MW, wind power capacity to 50-150 MW, and solar capacity to 10 MW (55 solar minigrids with an average capacity of 100 kW).

The country’s power mix is dominated by thermal generation and hydropower generation. The share of hydropower has fallen since 2010, from 69% to 40% in 2017, to the advantage of gas (from 11% in 2010 to 54% in 2017). Ghana’s power generation exceeds domestic consumption (14 TWh and 10 TWh, respectively, in 2017) and this excess capacity has discouraged investments in renewable power projects. The government is promoting solar power to ensure power supply in rural communities and to help achieve universal access to electricity.

The British energy group SSE has decided to divest its energy supply and energy-related services subsidiary SSE Energy Services by mid-2020, due to the decline in customer numbers, disappointing results and the failure of the proposed merger with npower.

US power utility Xcel Energy has decided to accelerate its plans to stop coal-fired power generation and to shut its remaining two coal-fired power plants in Minnesota (United States) a decade earlier than scheduled, i.e. by 2030 instead of 2040. The 598 MW Allen S. King coal-fired power plant would be closed in 2028, followed by the Sherco-3 coal-fired power plant in 2030.

Indian state-owned oil and gas group Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) plans to invest INR 65,773 crore (more than US$9.4bn) to increase oil and gas production in India at 13 field development projects and three Enhanced Oil Recovery/Improved Oil Recovery (EOR/IOR) projects. …

Chinese state-own power transmission network operator China Southern Power Grid has completed the first spot trading of electricity in southern China. A total of 190 power generation companies, 123 power distribution companies, and three major users took part to the spot trading pilot transactions. The ex-plant power prices averaged CNY 0.263/kWh (US$3.81c/kWh). ….

MASEN, the Moroccan Sustainable Energy Agency in charge of managing renewable energy projects in the country, has selected a consortium of EDF Renewables (France), Masdar (United Arab Emirates) and Green Energy of Africa (Morocco) to design, construct and operate the 800 MW Noor Midelt 1 solar power project in the Atlas mountains. …

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the National Energy Administration (NEA) of China have approved 250 renewable power projects totalling 20,760 MW in 16 provinces that will be developed without subsidy.

Saudi Arabia national oil and gas company Saudi Aramco has signed a heads of agreement (HOA) with US energy group Sempra Energy, paving the way for Saudi Aramco taking a 25% equity investment in the Phase 1 of Sempra Energy’s Port Arthur LNG export project, currently under development in the Jefferson County, Texas (United States).

Kiewit Power Constructors, the engineering, construction and procurement (EPC) contractor on the 1,000 MW Indeck Niles Energy Center project in Michigan (United States), has selected GE to supply two 7HA.02 gas turbines, a GE steam turbine and generator, and two heat recovery generators (HRSG) for the CCGT power project.