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French energy group EDF has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Vietnamese government to set out the general framework of the development of the 2,250 MW Son-My-1 CCGT power project in Son My (Vietnam). The project involves the construction and operation of the power plant over a 20-year period, that will be carried out by a consortium led by EDF (appointed leader of the consortium in March 2018 with a 37..5% stake), in partnership with the Vietnamese company Pacific Corporation (25%) and two Japanese companies, Sojitz (18.75%) and Kyushu (18.75%).

The CCGT project is expected to be commissioned by 2024 and will help Vietnam to meet its growing demand for electricity and reduce the share of coal in its energy mix.

EDF is already active in Vietnam through its 56.25% stake in the Mekong Energy Company, which operates the 715 MW Phu My 2.2 CCGT power plant. EDF has also built the 1,070 MW Nam Theun hydropower plant in Laos, which it now operates via its subsidiary, NTPC. It is also developing a 670 MW hydropower project in Myanmar.

A consortium of the Swiss trader Vitol (50%), Africa Oil Corporation (25%) and Delonex Energy (25%) has signed an agreement with Petrobras’ subsidiary Petrobras International Braspetro for the acquisition of its 50% stake in Petrobras Oil & Gas B.V. (POGBV) for US$1.4bn. BTG Pactual E&P will continue to hold its 50% stake in POGBV.

The Indian government has proposed to set up a priority gas allocation mechanism for the power generation sector for the next two financial years. It would pool ONGC deep offshore gas with imported LNG and supply it to the domestic power plants. The government is mulling over two options, either by auctioning the gas or by allocating it to power projects by rotation.

The European Commission (EC) has endorsed a financial compensation scheme granted by the Lithuanian government to LNG domestic supplier Litgas for supplying a mandatory quantity of LNG to the 4.1 bcm/year Klaipeda regasification terminal in Lithuania under the EU State aid rules. This decision comes in the wake of regulatory changes that occurred in June 2018,…

US-based natural gas utilities holding company Sempra Energy has initiated the commissioning process for the support facilities and first liquefaction train of Phase 1 of its Cameron LNG export project in Hackberry, Lousiana (United States). The construction activities have been completed and the startup process has begun.

Chinese oil and gas company Sinopec has secured approval from the Tianjin branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) for the construction of the second phase of the Tianjin Nangang LNG regasification terminal in China. The construction of the project is set to begin in March 2019 and will be completed in December 2021.

Saudi Arabian utility ACWA Power has signed an agreement with the Egyptian government for the construction of a 2,250 MW CCGT power plant in Luxor (southern Egypt) involving an investment of US$2.3bn. The project will be built within the framework of a build-own-operate (BOO) contract over a period of 25 years.

The United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has approved EDF Renewable Energy’s 500 MW Palen solar photovoltaic (PV) project in Riverside County, in California (United States). The plan for development was submitted to BLM by EDF RE in 2015. The project’s construction is scheduled to start before the end of 2018 and the commissioning date is currently set for 2020.