The power industry briefing
The latest news, trends, and data you need to know about this month
News in Numbers
$17.7bn
EDPR plans to invest $17.7bn in the UK energy sector by 2030
55 Mt
An EDF plan to build nuclear reactors in Poland could reduce CO2 emissions by over 50 million tonnes
80%
Four-fifths of South Africa’s electricity is currently generated by burning coal
1.8TWh
Ocean Winds’ SeaMade wind project in Belgium is set to generate 1.8TWh of clean energy a year
3.3GW
The total installed capacity of a new joint venture, comprising Votorantim and CPP Investments is over 3GW
Project updates
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy has announced plans to build its first US offshore wind turbine blade facility in Virginia with an investment of more than $200m.
Energy company Galp has signed three financing agreements worth $473m with the European Investment Bank for developing solar power facilities in Spain and Portugal.
EDP has announced the opening of an operations and maintenance centre for the 950MW Moray East offshore wind farm in Scotland.
US-based energy technology provider Plug Power has begun building a $290m electricity substation and a green hydrogen fuel production facility in New York.
Further reading
Energy crisis sparks divide in Europe over nuclear power
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to soon approve the development of six small modular nuclear reactors, a decision which would place the country in opposition to major European allies like Germany.
In 2011, following the Fukushima disaster, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the country would phase out all nuclear power by the end of 2022. In March of this year, Germany went so far as to pay four companies €2.8bn in compensation for the early closure of their nuclear plants.
The conflict comes down in no small part to classification and a singular question: what counts as renewable power? In April, the European Commission incorporated hydropower into its criteria for clean power projects, previously left out for the environmental damage it can do, but nuclear’s place remains in question.
Read more: Power Technology
