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The Chinese National Development & Reform Commission (NDRC) has unveiled the Renewable Portfolio Standard, a new draft legislation expected to be finalised by the end of 2018.

The proposed RPS is aiming for renewable energy sources to stand for at least 35% of the domestic electricity consumption by 2030. Besides, the NDRC also stepped up 2018-2020 non-hydro renewables consumption targets for some provinces such as Inner Mongolia, which would have to increase its use to 18% in 2018 from a previous goal of 13%; regional targets have also been raised in Yunnan and Xinjiang. In the current legislation, the government recalls national targets of 15% of total primary energy consumption by 2020 and 20% by 2030 and also targets non-hydro renewables to produce 9% of the national electricity consumption by 2020, with requirements for each province and region ranging from 5% to 13%.

Under the proposed RPS, renewable power producers will be issued green certificates that can be transferred to grid companies upon power dispatch or to direct power purchasers. Renewable power traded across regions or provinces will be required to include the price of green certificates, with revenues deducted from subsidies paid to operators. The proposed RPS will also apply to power sales companies and local grid companies that are not under the State Grid Corporation of China or China Southern Power Grid. Non-compliant companies to pay compensation fees to grid companies, which will help the government recoup its renewable power subsidies.

The European Commission has approved Belgium’s governmental plans to grant €3.5bn support for three domestic offshore wind parks. According to the EC, this support measure will not not distort competition in the EU Single Market. The three concerned projects are namely 235 MW Mermaid, 252 MW Seastar and 219 MW Northwester-2,…

The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia has revised the country’s 2018 coal production target from 485 Mt to 507 Mt. The Ministry has issued additional output quotas for nearly 22 Mt of coal production to be split between 32 coal miners and has confirmed that no further additions to the coal output quotas in 2018 will be granted.

German power company innogy has started the construction of the 349 MWp Limondale solarpower plant in Balranald, New South Wales (Australia). The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and the operation and maintenance (O&M) services contracts have been awarded to innogy’s subsidiary Belectric. Thepower plant is expected to start full commercial operation in mid-2020.

Finnish engineering company Wärtsilä has broken ground on the small-scale Hamina LNG import terminal in Hamina, on the south-east coast of Finland. Wärtsilä will build the facility under the framework of an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) turnkey contract awarded by Hamina LNG,…

Entergy Texas has sent a full notice to proceed (FNTP) to US-based engineering company McDermott International for the construction of the 993 MW Montgomery County gas-fired CCGT power project in Willis, Texas (United States). Entergy filed the proposal for the construction of the CCGT in October 2016 and received an approval from the Public Utility Commission of Texas in July 2017.

Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP), a US-based joint venture (JV) of EQT Midstream Partners, NextEra, Con Edison, WGL Midstream and RGC Midstream, has increased the overall project cost estimate for the 1.9 bcf/d (19.6 bcm/year) Mountain Valley gas pipeline from US$3.7bn to US$4.6bn (+24%). Half of the increase is due to extended periods of work stoppage that occurred in August 2018.