Test carried out for Dubai concentrated solar scheme

The first molten salt tank hydro test for the parabolic trough plant-2 (PT2) of the $4.4bn fourth phase of Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (MBR) solar park was successfully carried out in May, the project’s lead engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Shanghai Electric, has said.

“The positive results … laid a crucial foundation for the next phase of the molten salt system commission,” the firm said.

The test was followed by finalised molten salt pipeline installation inside the concentrated solar power (CSP) tower.

MBR solar park’s fourth phase uses hybrid solar energy technologies to generate 950MW of clean energy, including a 100MW CSP tower plant, three 200MW parabolic trough (PT) CSP plants, and 250MW of photovoltaic (PV) capacity.

Spain’s Abengoa is the subcontractor for the project’s PT systems.

Other technology suppliers for the project include:

• Aalborg (Denmark): steam generation technology for the PT section
• Brightsource Energy (US): control systems
• CMI (recently renamed John Cockerill) (Belgium): molten salt receiver for the tower plant
• Lointek (Spain): integrated steam generation system and oil-salt thermal storage system
• Rioglass (Belgium): heliostat mirror and solar receivers
• Siemens (Germany): four steam turbine generators and auxiliary equipment for the PT and tower plants. 

Shanghai Electric completed the project’s 260m-high receiver tower in January last year.

MEED reported that the plan involves bringing the plant online in phases between 2020 and 2022.

Shell, BKK and Lyse to jointly bid for offshore wind fields in Norway

Shell has partnered with renewable energy companies BKK and Lyse to apply for the licences for developing two offshore wind fields in Norway.

The Sørlige Nordsjø II and Utsira Nord offshore fields have been opened up by the Norwegian authorities for development.

The three companies recently signed a cooperation agreement plan to develop offshore wind projects in these regions.

Norske Shell CEO Marianne Olsnes said: “We are establishing a long-term, industrial partnership with a common ambition to be central in the work with green change.

“With this, we will contribute to the development of profitable jobs and sustainable industry in Norway.

“Working together, we can offer the best, from global to local resources, in a joint project and become a very solid applicant for these offshore wind licences.

“Shell has been a global player in wind power for more than 20 years, with wind power projects in Europe, the USA and Asia.”

The three companies, who have started preparing their applications, believe that Sørlig Nordsjø II has great potential due to its strategic location on the border of the Danish Shelf.

This location will allow clean energy to be exported from the offshore field to other parts of Europe.

The Norwegian authorities will allow up to 1,500MW of offshore wind capacity to be developed in the Utsira Nord and up to 3,000MW in Sørlige Nordsjø II.

Lyse CEO Eimund Nygaard said: “The Norwegian supplier industry is world-class in terms of innovation, quality and safety requirements.

“The market for offshore wind is growing strongly worldwide and we want to help the Norwegian supplier industry create a competitive advantage in the world.”

Earlier this month, BP agreed to join Statkraft and Aker Offshore Wind’s consortium to bid for developing offshore wind energy in the Norwegian North Sea.

The partnership will combine the companies’ expertise and experience in offshore energy projects.

UK struggling to cope with climate change effects

In a new report published as part of the UK’s third climate change risk assessment, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has warned that the country’s inability to adapt to dangerous temperatures could threaten the country’s goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.

According to the Independent Assessment of UK Climate Risk, climate impacts are already tangible in the country, with prevalent heatwaves, extreme flooding,  temperature anomalies, and other climate change consequences posing a danger.

The climate change committee said that more action to improve the country’s resilience is falling behind the impacts of global heating.

The UK Government’s statutory advisers on climate change also said that the country’s response to these effects has been inadequate and frustrating.

As part of the report, changing weather conditions such as warmer and wetter winters, and hotter and drier summers have been identified as factors bringing risks to people, nature, and the economy induced by a 1°C of climate change globally.

If no further steps are taken, heat-related deaths in the UK risk tripling from about 2,000 a year currently, to around 7,000 by 2050.

The Advice Report provides the Adaptation Committee’s statutory advice to governments on priorities for the upcoming national adaptation plans and wider action.

It is informed by extensive new evidence gathered for the accompanying Climate Change Risk Assessment Technical Report.

The report has identified more than 60 risks and opportunities that are essential to every aspect of life in the UK, covering natural environment, health, homes, infrastructure, and the economy.

The report has also emphasised five key actions that could bring benefits in the next five years: integrated land use policy with spatial targeting for land use initiatives; more targeted actions to restore degraded carbon stores; research to account for climate change risks to carbon stores in UK GHG inventory projections; a better understanding of carbon storage and sequestration potential for blue carbon; and a systematic programme of soil carbon monitoring for diverse land uses.

The CCC report is based on a 1,500-page analysis by 450 experts from 130 organisations that provide a comprehensive view of the climate-change risks in the UK.

IRENA and UN to advance renewable energy usage in peacekeeping

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations (UN) to advance the use of renewable energy in peacekeeping missions and their host countries.

The two organisations will work with countries that host UN peacekeeping operations to identify policy, regulatory and technical measures that could help increase their renewable shares.

IRENA director-general Francesco la Camera said: “The provision of affordable and reliable energy is a fundamental building block of inclusive development.

“While an energy system underpinned by renewables is key to decarbonising our world in line with climate goals, the abundance of renewables empowers governments and citizens, bringing them energy security, economic opportunity and social equity.

“Under this agreement, our two organisations will seek to make this future a reality in host countries as they rebuild.”

IRENA has also agreed to support the UN in these regions by encouraging private sector investment to strengthen renewable power generation.

These measures are expected to bring socioeconomic benefits to the host nations in terms of net positive economic growth, job creation, and energy access.

The move will help the UN reduce its environmental footprint and increase the host countries’ renewable energy generation capacities.

UN Department of Operational Support under-secretary-general Atul Khare said: “Our focus on raising awareness, improving performance and reducing our environmental footprint has prompted peacekeeping missions to implement more renewable energy projects.

“Several renewable energy projects are already underway in the field missions and we are keen to look for new and innovative ways to outsource renewable energy supply and implement on-site renewable solutions.

“Partnerships will be very important in bringing our goals to fruition and we look forward to working with IRENA to find innovative ways to increase the proportion of our energy from renewable sources.”

IRENA currently has 164 member states around the world. 

EDF to defuel Dungeness B nuclear station ahead of schedule

French operator EDF has decided to start the decommissioning of Dungeness B nuclear power station in Kent, England, earlier than previously scheduled, after issues with the reactors rendered it beyond repair.

The power station on the south-east coast of the country has been part of a multi-million-pound maintenance programme since 2018, during which EDF found significant technical challenges unique to the particular advanced gas-cooled reactor power station.

Despite the actions of the firm to overcome many of the issues, a new analysis showed some station-specific risks within key components, including parts of the fuel assemblies.

EDF confirmed that defuelling would begin immediately and will last for several years.

EDF notes that the power station ran for 10 years longer than its original design life, and in line with the expectations the company had when it acquired the station in 2009.

Dungeness B station director John Benn said: “This power station has been a cornerstone of life in Kent for decades. It is a very special place, and the team has a real sense of family – we are part of the community.”

“EDF has had to make a hard decision – but it is the right one. It gives our teams, our community, and our business a clear understanding of the future.”

The closure marks the end of more than 50 years of generating nuclear power in the region, after neighbouring Dungeness A stopped production in 2006.

Despite some nuclear energy scepticism, Dungeness B was one of the UK’s modern nuclear power stations, which helped the country avoid 50 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and contributed more than £1bn into the local economy over its lifespan.

Since it came online in 1983, Dungeness B has generated enough low-carbon energy to meet the needs of every home in Kent for more than 50 years.

Benn said: “I’m enormously proud of everything the team at Dungeness has achieved. Our low-carbon electricity has helped Britain over the past four decades and we have provided this part of Kent with vital jobs for generations.

"This marks the beginning of the next chapter in this station’s story. We will now plan the defuelling operations, a job we expect will take several years, and one that provides ongoing opportunities for our staff and their specialist skills."

The station, surrounded by a nature reserve, employs about 500 staff, with 250 contractors also working on the site.

US to explore potential for wind power in Gulf of Mexico

The US Government has announced its intent to explore offshore wind power potential in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) of the Gulf of Mexico.

The intent to assess the OCS’s potential opportunities to advance clean energy development is part of the government’s aim to create jobs by deploying 30GW of offshore wind by 2030.

This target is intended to power ten million homes across the country while offsetting 78 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said: “The Interior Department is committed to developing a robust and sustainable clean energy economy.

“We know that offshore wind development has the potential to create tens of thousands of good-paying union jobs across the nation. This is an important first step to see what role the Gulf of Mexico may play in this exciting frontier.”

On 11 June, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will release a request for interest (RFI) in the Federal Register for evaluating interest in potential offshore wind development in the OCS.

The RFI will focus on the Western and Central Planning Areas of the Gulf of Mexico offshore from Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama.

In addition to wind energy development, BOEM aims to focus on gathering information on other renewable energy technologies through this RFI.

Once published, the RFI will open a public comment period for 45 days to obtain indications of competitive interest and other uses of the proposed area.

BOEM Director Amanda Lefton said: “The Biden-Harris administration has energised the offshore wind industry by announcing the first ever national offshore wind energy goal, creating a roadmap for the future of this innovative industry.

“I’m excited to see the Gulf of Mexico be a potential part of this historic effort.”