/ Saudi Arabian energy company ACWA Power has reportedly signed a deal to build a new $2.3bn power plant in Egypt, according to Egyptian electricity minister Mohamed Shaker.

With a capacity of 2,250MW, the new power plant will be based in Nagaa Hamadi, Al Hanadi, Esna, in the Luxor Governate in southern Egypt. The Dairut IPP project site is expected to cover an area of approximately 433,000m², according to the ACWA Power website.

A statement by ACWA Power president and chief executive Paddy Padmanathan was quoted by The National as saying that it would close “the financing arrangements and commence construction of the power plant”.

It is expected that the project’s first operational phase will begin in mid-2022 and move to commence full operations by 2023.

ACWA Power said on its website: “The project will consist of the development, design, engineering, procurement, construction, financing, operations, and maintenance, for the 25-year term of the BOO PPA, of a Combined Cycle Gas Turbine power plant capable of firing natural gas and alternative liquid fuel. The off-taker is the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company.”

Designed on a build-own-operate (BOO) framework, the new power plant in Egypt will help meet the growing demand for power in the country.

Egypt has been facing power shortages, infrequent power supply and frequent blackouts since 2011.

In an attempt to counter shortages, the country has been pushing for energy development and increasing electricity generation capacity.

In July, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi inaugurated three power plants that were built with an investment of €6bn.

The construction of the three new sites began in 2015 as part of a €8bn deal to supply gas and wind power plants and increase electricity generation by 50%.

In August, ACWA power signed a joint venture agreement with Saudi Aramco and Air Products, under which Saudi Aramco would be responsible for providing gasification assets, power block and associated utilities. /

/ Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has secured two orders from renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) ReNew Power to deliver wind projects in India.

Under the contract, SGRE will be responsible for constructing a 100.8MW wind farm located in the Kutch district, Gujarat and a 76MW wind farm in Osmanabad district, Maharashtra.

Siemens Gamesa India Onshore CEO Ramesh Kymal said: “We are happy to announce these orders with ReNew Power, and thank them for choosing us as their preferred partner.

“Repeat orders such as this solidifies our enduring partnership, is an acknowledgment of our quality service and is a testament to our expertise.”

Under the turnkey contract, SGRE has agreed to supply, erect and commission 48 units of SG 2.1-122 in Gujarat and 38 units of SG 2.0-114 wind turbines in Maharashtra.

ReNew Power Wind president Balram Mehta said: “Siemens Gamesa’s quality EPC and execution capability has helped strengthen our portfolio of wind assets.

“Our association with them is now over 1GW, which includes operational and under construction assets and we are pleased to have them as a valuable partner in our growth story.” /

/ The Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to lead the global wind turbine market value through to 2022, according to a GlobalData report.

Over the forecast period 2018-2022, APAC will make up $93.85bn net value of the global wind turbine market, followed by Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with a market value of $88.77bn.

The APAC region will lead the way in onshore wind turbine development, while the EMEA is predicted to generate more revenue from a higher number of offshore wind installations than in the APAC region.

The global wind turbine market value is forecast to be $47.83bn in the year 2022, up from $44.75bn last year.

The report discovered that strong performance in the market is due to the global investment trends in all forms of renewables, including solar and wind power. Domestic power markets are prioritising self-sufficiency, energy security, and the need to address issues surrounding climate change.

GlobalData power analyst Nirushan Rajasekaram said: “There are growing concerns regarding environmental impacts of industrial activities and geo-political risks, which are prompting governments to utilise clean energy resources available within the country.

“Furthermore, the market opportunities are attracting a plethora of potential investors and stakeholders driving down equipment costs, promoting technology development, and thereby creating a conducive market for wind turbines.”

The APAC market for onshore wind turbines is estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4% during the 2018-2022 period, adding $17.24bn value to the sector in 2022 alone.

Factors driving growth in the onshore wind sector include increasing demand for electricity, greater access to electricity, and the strength of the industrial market. Especially in China, large-scale development plans using renewable energy are underway, as the country attempts to underline its position as a wind power technology global leader.

The offshore wind turbine market, which is significantly smaller than its onshore counterpart, will continue to be dominated by the EMEA region, according to Rajasekaram’s estimations.

The CAGR for the EMEA region is expected to climb at a rate of 4.6%, adding $5.16bn to the market value in 2022. Europe’s offshore wind power technology base will encourage bigger and more frequent wind farm development projects in the near future.

“The utilisation of renewables is seen as a suitable mechanism to wean away from the widespread resilience on fossil fuels, which has contributed to a myriad of environmental and economic challenges,” said Rajasekaram.

“The global commitment to curb emissions, need to circumvent geopolitical risks impacting fossil fuel supply, transition towards low carbon economies, and increasing demand for electricity will drive the wind turbines market.” /

/ US energy firm Engie North America has begun construction of the 196MW East Fork wind project in Thomas County, Kansas, US.

Built as the second phase of the 276MW Solomon Forks wind project, the East Fork wind project will be built near the city of Colby in northwest Kansas.

Engie North America US Wind Development senior vice-president and head Matt Riley said: “East Fork is our third major project to break ground after Engie’s acquisition of the Infinity Renewables wind portfolio in February 2018, bringing our total MW under construction to nearly 700.”

“It’s exciting to be part of a company driving renewable energy development at a meaningful scale. These wind projects provide much more than clean energy. They enable new economic, environmental, and educational opportunities that can make a positive difference in the communities where they reside.”

The East Fork wind project has already signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Brown-Forman to provide clean energy and entered a proxy revenue swap with Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty’s (AGCS) specialist weather risk team, in collaboration with its partners at Nephila Climate.

Built with a total capital investment of nearly $228m, the project is expected to create significant job opportunities as well as annual payments to landowners under land easements during construction and commercial operation. /

/ US-based public utility NV Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Blockchains to work on blockchain energy projects.

Under the MoU, the two companies have agreed to pilot blockchain energy projects that will enable the customer to control energy creation, consumption, storage and transactions.

Blockchains CEO Jeffrey Berns said: “The goal of this collaboration is to create technology solutions that will produce customer-centric energy platforms powered by public blockchain, all with the intent of integrating approved incubations into Nevada’s energy framework.

“These types of collaborative efforts, which return the power and control in transactions to the customer, are the very essence of blockchain technology. This partnership is only the beginning of what we have planned for Innovation Park.”

Under the deal, projects developed by Blockchains at its headquarters in Innovation Park in northern Nevada could be used to serve NV Energy’s 1.3 million customers.

In addition, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada will be presented with projects that are ready for implementation for approval.

NV Energy provides a wide range of energy services to 1.4 million customers throughout the state.

NV Energy CEO Paul Caudill said: “We will explore a variety of out-of-the-box energy concepts to identify ways to improve the customer experience, including applications that further the use of energy storage, renewable energy and collaborative energy conservation.

“We are, in addition, excited about the many other undiscovered applications that public blockchain technology has the potential to make possible.” /

/ French energy company EDF Energy has announced a partnership with green tech firm Nuvve to install 1,500 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) smart EV chargers for businesses throughout the UK.

Under the deal, EDF Energy will roll out Nuvve’s V2G chargers to its business clients to boost EV infrastructure and support the national grid at peak times by adding 15MW extra capacity.

According to the companies, 1,500 V2G chargers is the equivalent energy required to power 4,000 UK households.

EDF Energy managing director of customers Beatrice Bigois said in a press release: “With 55% of new vehicles coming on to the road through businesses, they will play a key role in the transition to electric transport.

“Through this partnership with Nuvve, we are investing in smart technologies that will help our business customers electrify their fleets in a cost-effective way and support the UK’s ambition for clean growth.”

Innovations in smart EV chargers can help the industry by providing stability to the national grid at a time when more intermittent power, such as wind and solar power, is coming online, and as the presence of EVs on UK roads increases.

The V2G chargers work by permitting electricity to flow between an EV and the charging system, potentially using car batteries as an independent storage system.

UK Energy and Clean Growth Minister Claire Perry explained: “These 1,500 electric chargers will provide much needed green infrastructure for businesses as they seize the opportunities of the electric vehicle revolution, reducing running costs, improving air quality and unlocking the capability to store energy which can be transmitted back into the grid when it’s needed most.”

The two companies have also signed a strategic partnership to roll out smart EV chargers across Europe.

However, ZapGo CEO Stephen Voller warns that there is still a long way to go for smart EV technology to reach the everyday consumer, telling Power Technology: “We welcome EDF Energy’s initiative, but this is for commercial fleets and will do nothing to improve the availability of chargers for everyday drivers.

“What drivers really want is electric vehicles that perform like petrol and diesel cars, and this means 350kW to 1MW chargers designed for the next generation of affordable electric vehicles. Also, while 1,500 charging stations is a reasonable start, there are more than 38 million vehicles registered on UK roads.” /

/ Mitsubishi Corporation Power (MCP) and Kansai Electric Power (KEPCO) have initiated works to build a new 200MW biomass power generation plant in western Japan.

The project is being executed through Aioi Bioenergy Corporation, a joint venture (JV) between MCP and KEPCO that was formed in April last year. KEPCO holds 60% stake and MCP 40% in the JV.

The commencement of works on the project follows on from an agreement reached by Aioi Bioenergy with the lenders for a loan under a non-recourse project finance scheme.

Aioi Bioenergy is currently working on plant design, as well as procurement of equipment for the new plant.

This project will see conversion of Unit 2 of Aioi Power Station in Hyogo Prefecture, which has been offline since 1 April 2018 and uses heavy or crude oil as fuel sources.

The unit will be converted to use natural wood pellets as a fuel source, allowing the biomass power generation facility to operate as a baseload plant and help in minimising carbon emissions.

In addition, the unit will undergo upgrades such as boiler construction, fuel conveyer systems, turbines and replacement of relevant plant components and other necessary refurbishments.

The biomass power generation plant will be operational for a period of 20 years beginning from January 2023. /

/ The UK Government announced yesterday a financial commitment to nuclear fusion technologies as part of the 2018 Budget, which it claims will ensure the country remains at the forefront of clean energy production.

The government has pledged to provide an additional £20m in 2019-20 to the UK Atomic Energy Agency (UKAEA), the public body responsible for research into nuclear fusion and the management of the country’s largest fusion research laboratory, the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE).

The Budget commitment follows work on the UKAEA’s £50m MAST chamber, a device which is expected to produce temperatures of up to 50 million degrees Celcius, three times hotter than the Sun.

The project, which was visited by the Duke of Cambridge earlier this month, will facilitate research into smaller nuclear reactors, to determine whether they could replicate the power of a body such as the Sun but in a cheaper and more accessible manner.

“We think fusion has a big role to play,” said UKAEA CEO Professor Ian Chapman. “The fuels are abundant around the globe, it doesn’t release greenhouse gases and it doesn’t produce long-lived radioactive waste like the nuclear fission power we have today.

“Building a star on Earth is very difficult, but the research is fascinating and knowing that we could change the world is a big motivation.”

The 2018 Budget reaffirms the government’s commitment to nuclear energy following an absence of new investments into the sector in the 2017 Budget. The last government funding for the UK’s nuclear programme came in 2016, when the Budget pledged £30m towards research and development of “advanced nuclear manufacturing”, and created a competition to build a small modular reactor in the UK.

According to the World Nuclear Association, nuclear power accounted for 21% of UK electricity in September this year, however “almost half” of the country’s 15 reactors are expected to be decommissioned by 2025.

While some facilities will see production extended beyond 2025 – EDF Energy spent £150m extending the lifespan of the Dungeness facility – it is hoped the government’s latest funding could encourage small-scale nuclear production in the UK. /