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According to the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), the rising trend in offshore wind installations (+21%/year over the 2013-2018 period) is expected to continue and the total offshore wind capacity could reach 190 GW (Business As Usual (BAU) scenario) to 210 GW (upside scenario) by 2030.

Under the BAU scenario, current policies and expected auctions and tenders are expected to lead to the installation of 15 to 20 GW per year of offshore wind capacity. Most of the growth would occur in China and other Asian countries, including Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, India and South Korea, where offshore wind capacity should reach 100 GW (53% of the global capacity). Capacities in Europe should rise after 2020 and reach 78 GW by 2030, while the US market could reach 10 GW by 2030 (first installations as of 2021-2023 raising capacities to 2 GW by 2025). Additional potential – advancement of floating wind technology, higher cost competitiveness and opening up of new offshore markets – could raise installations to 210 GW in the upside scenario.

Switzerland’s main gas company Swissgas had decided to unbundle its “Gas Network” and “Gas Procurement” activities over the next few years. The group will focus on gas network operations and will abandon the gas procurement business led through its fully-owned subsidiary Swiss Energy Trading (SET).

India’s independent power producer Adani Power has announced that it will acquire GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd (GCEL), on a move approved by GCEL’s consortium of lenders (led by Axis Bank). Adani will acquire a 52.38% stake from lenders and the remaining 47.62% from the GMR Group. …

Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Saudi Aramco and its affiliates have signed 12 agreements with major South Korean companies to expand international operations, strengthen relationships with South Korea, and expand Arabian crude oil supply to Asian markets. …

The Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of South Africa is working on a new oil and gas policy to reassure investors and to avoid the same uncertainties over laws applying to mining exploration that have blocked investments in the country’s mining sector. Developing a Petroleum Resources Development Bill should help private investors to invest in the hydrocarbon sector.

The French climate council (Haut conseil pour le climat, HCC) has released its first report, which estimates that current climate policies are not sufficient to reach the carbon neutrality target by 2050, and recommends to put the low carbon national strategy («stratégie nationale bas-carbone» (SNBC)) at the center of public policies. …

The Indian government aims to add up to 500 GW of renewables into the country’s power mix by 2030, in order to cut its dependence on coal and to reduce air pollution in cities. India will add up to 175 GW of renewable power capacity by 2022, not including 50 GW of large hydropower capacity that is expected by 2022.

The federal government of Canada has approved a C$275m (US$210m) financing for the US$40bn LNG Canada project in Kitimat (British Columbia). Around C$220m (US$167m) will be directed to the acquisition of energy-efficient gas turbines and C$55m (US$42m) to replace a bridge in Kitimat, which will see an increase in traffic. …