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The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) of China has decided to cut onshore wind projects feed-in tariffs (FiTs) in July 2019 and 2020 and to remove feed-in tariffs (FiTs) for new onshore wind projects as of 1 January 2021, when grid price parity will apply to all new power generation projects.

The guidance price for new onshore wind projects will be reduced to CNY 0.34-0.52/kWh (US$4.9-7.5c/kWh) (depending on the wind resource area) on 1 July 2019 and to CNY 0.29-0.47/kWh (US$4.2-6.8c/kWh) in 2020, a level lower than coal-fired power unit benchmark on-grid price. Decentralised wind projects will not benefit from any state subsidies and will have to negotiate prices with power users. As of 1 January 2021, new onshore wind projects will not benefit from any support and will have to compete with all technologies.

As for offshore wind projects, the guidance price is adjusted to CNY 0.8/kWh (US$11.6c/kWh) on 1 July 2019 and to CNY 0.75/kWh (US$10.9c/kWh) in 2020: the tariff for newly approved offshore wind projects through competition should not exceed this level. Offshore projects approved before the end of 2018 and connected to the grid before the end of 2021 will benefit from the FiT in force at the time of the approval; those with all units connected as of 2022 will receive the corresponding tariff.

China has progressively cut its financial support for onshore wind and solar projects and has promoted subsidy-free projects. Earlier in April 2019, the NDRC and the National Energy Administration (NEA) approved 250 renewable power projects totalling 20,760 MW in 16 provinces that will be developed without subsidy.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has restarted and synchronised the first reactor of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant to the Indian power transmission network. The 202 MW pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) had started commercial operations in May 1993 but had been offline since a leakage of heavy water from its coolant channel in March 2016.

Turkish banks have set up an Energy Venture Capital Fund to solve the exposure of the energy sector to loan repayment problems.

The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company and EuroAfrica Interconnector have signed a framework agreement on the construction and commissioning of a power interconnection project between Egypt and Cyprus. The project would include two 1,000 MW subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables that would be developed in two phases. …

The French banking group Société Générale has announced plans to stop financing companies, whose current activities in thermal coal represent 50% or more of their business. It will also stop financing companies for which thermal coal represents 30% to 50% of their activities and that plan to expand their thermal capacities or that have no reduction strategy to reach 30% by 2025.

US power utility Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has started to build 10 new solar power plants rated 74.5 MW each in ten counties of Florida (United States): FPL Babcock Preserve in Charlotte County, FPL Blue Heron in Hendry County, FPL Cattle Ranch in DeSoto County, FPL Echo River in Suwannee County, FPL Hibiscus in Palm Beach County, FPL Northern Preserve in Baker County, FPL Okeechobee…

British renewable power company Lekela has started importing wind turbines for its 159 MW wind project in Taiba Ndiaye, in Senegal. The FCFA200bn (US$342m) project is financed by Lekela (around 50% of the investment cost), by the Overseas Private Investment Corp (OPIC) and by the Danish export credit company EKF.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US$7.6m loan to Cambodia’s national power utility Electricité du Cambodge (EDC) for the construction of a 100 MW solar power project in the Kampong Chhnang Province. The ADB will also assist EDC is designing and leading a competitive bidding process to award the development of the National Solar Park Project to independent power producers (IPPs).