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According to Wind Europe, new wind installed capacity in Europe reached 4.9 GW in the first half of 2019. Onshore wind installations totalled 3 GW (down from 3.3 GW in the same period of 2018) while offshore installations totalled 1.9 GW (1.1 GW in 2018). Countries leading the deployment of new onshore wind projects were France (523 MW), Sweden (459 MW) and Germany (287 MW). Countries leading the deployment of offshore projects included the UK (931 MW), Denmark (374 MW) and Belgium (370 MW). The largest offshore project under construction is the 1,214 MW Hornsea One in the North Sea (United Kingdom). Its first turbine was commissioned in February 2019 and the full commissioning of the wind project is currently expected for 2020.

Future prospects total 5.9 GW in capacity to be installed and grid-connected by 2021-2022 in Europe. Investments in new projects totalled €6.4bn in onshore wind and €2.4bn in offshore wind led by France and the Netherlands.

Total, the Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE) and the Republic of Benin have signed an agreement to develop a 0.5 Mt/year (0.675 bcm/year) LNG import facility in Benin. The projects will be developed and operated by Total under a 15-year contract starting in 2021.

ONEE (Office national de l’électricité et de l’eau potable), Morocco’s national power and water company, has announced a MAD 51.6bn (US$5.4bn) investment programme over the 2019-2023 period, including MAD 26.1bn (US$2.7bn) in the power sector.

Independent power producer Adani Green Energy has announced plans to add 800 MW of renewable power generation capacity by the end of the current financial year; Adani also plans to add 3.3 GW of renewable capacity by 2022, reaching 10 GW (India).

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam, the country could face a power supply shortage of 6.6 TWh in 2021 and 11.8 TWh in 2022. Reportedly the shortages will occur due to the slow development of over 47 power plant projects (> 200 MW each) and a non-expected increase in power demand.

Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC) and a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary have set a power purchase agreement (PPA) for the Skeleton Creek renewable power projects in the Garfield, Alfalfa and Major counties in Oklahoma (US).

The government of Mozambique has approved the construction of the 2,000 MW Beluluane gas-fired power plant in Boane by the Beluluane Gas Company (BGC). The government has also approved associated liquefied natural gas (LNG) handling, storage, power plant.

The French Council of State (Conseil d’Etat, the highest administrative court in France) has rejected appeals against siting authorisations for the 450 MW Courseulles-sur-Mer and 498 MW Fécamp offshore wind projects in Normandy (northwestern France).

India’s largest thermal power generation company NTPC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with BHEL to develop an 800 MW high-efficiency coal-fired power plant in Sipat, in Chhattisgarh (India). The demonstration plant would use the advanced ultra super-critical (AUSC) technology, which would reduce its CO2 emissions by around 20% compared to the conventional subcritical technology.