Wärtsilä's third quarter net sales increased 11% to €1,103 million as demand stabilises in the manufacturer’s two end-markets, marine and power gen. Demand for energy storage stays strong, the company said with regards to a €100 million order from AGL Australia for a 250 MW/250 MWh system.
Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, has activated a 50 MW lithium-ion energy storage system in Kemsley, Kent, to support the integration of renewable energy into the UK’s National Grid. The device, supplied by Wärtsilä, is the second to go live as part of Pivot Power’s nationwide rollout of Energy Superhubs, following the first activation in June in Cowley.
Gazprom is taking steps to increase capacity and throughput at its Amur Gas Processing Plant (GPP), under construction in the east of Russia. The state-run company said its GPPs are part of an inteagrated process chain to boost the recovery rate of valuable components from ethane-rich gases, as well as the output of products like helium.
Russian gas company Gazprom has repaired pipelines and storages nationwide to ensure reliable winter supplies to domestic and foreign customers as prices for pipeline natural gas and LNG have soared. According to preliminary data, Gazprom produced 399.4 bcm of gas in the first 9.5 months of 2021, a 16.6% rise compared to the pre-year period.
Voith will take over Siemens Energy's 35% stake in the joint venture Voith Hydro for an undisclosed purchase price, with the transaction is still subject to regulatory approval. The move allows Siemens Energy to focus more on its core business of transporting and storing energy, decarbonising industrial processes, and generating electricity with little or no emissions.
Mitsubishi Power Americas and El Paso Electric (EPE) have agreed to jointly develop strategies to attain an 80% carbon-free resource mix by 2035. The two partners will convert EPE’s Newman Power Station’s newest unit from 100% gas generation to running on a blend of up to 30% hydrogen, and then to being 100% fuelled by hydrogen.
Unlike rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, flow batteries use large tanks of liquid to store energy which has made the technology “prohibitively expensive” because it relies on pricey electroactive metal salts. Researchers at the MIT are working on alternative approaches that use less expensive electroactive materials derived from organic compounds.
Britain’s new Net Zero Strategy claims up to £80 billion of additional private green investment needs to be raised to reach the government’s 2030 emission target. “Renewables, particularly offshore wind deployment already reached £100 billion in 2020,” the UK energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng told the BBC this morning, saying it would be “realistic” to raise sufficient funds to meet targets.
Russia’s Gazprom has not booked additional transit capacity through Ukraine above ship-or-pay levels for November to shield Europe from eventual supply shortages this winter. “Daily bookings on both routes are still possible, although unlikely,” Wood Mackenzie said with a view to completion of the gas-in procedure into the first string of Nord Stream 2.
Though an early coal exit helps curb Germany’s power sector emissions, the country remains “clearly off-track from its 2030 climate target,” the government’s 2021 Projection Report finds. Fuel switching, a shift to e-mobility, more renewable energy and rising CO2 prices are seen as ways to achieve the targeted 65% cut in cross-sectoral emissions by 2030.
Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) has given consent for the new coalition government to instate a climate ministry, to be led by the Green Party, while the Social Democrats (SPD) will propose the new Chancellor. The new ministry could centralise competencies currently spread out over several other ministries to ensure Germany will meet its CO2-reduction targets.
Austria-based INNIO Jenbacher is now offering gas engines to help accelerate the rollout of off-grid power charging stations for electric cars. Working with L-Charge, INNIO supplies J312 gas engines (600 kW) as the core of the L-Charge Stationary solution – a stationary mini-power station for EV charging.
Babcock has installed and commissioned a solar-powered cabin at National Grid Hinkley Connection, the feed-in point of Britain’s largest nuclear power project Hinkley Point C where two 3,440 MW reactors are being built. The new device helps reduce carbon emissions during construction by 86%.
Natural gas spot prices at the US benchmark Henry Hub are forecast to average $5.67 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) between October and March, the highest winter price since 2007–2008. Analysts say the price surge has been caused by below-average storage levels going into the winter, hence prices are likely to fall in the first quarter of 2022.
News in Brief
CCUS market to reach nearly $3bn in 2025
Oct 25 – The global carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) market will grow from $1.30 billion in 2020 to $1.46 billion in 2021, according to ResearchAndMarket estimates. The rebound comes as companies return to normal operations and sales, after a pandemic-related slowdown. Analysts expect the market will keep growing at a rate of nearly 20% annually to reach $2.97 billion by 2025.
SDG&E accelerates drive towards Net Zero by 2045
Oct 20 – San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) has set a new sustainability strategy, outlining new and accelerated goals to help meet its pledge to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2045. SDG&E it now seeks to operate a 100% zero emissions vehicle fleet by 2035 – five years earlier than planned.
B&W develops biomass-to-hydrogen plant in Australia
Oct 19 – B&W's Renewable segment and Port Anthony Renewables Ltd have started to develop a biomass-to-hydrogen energy project in Victoria, Australia, based on B&W’s BrightLoop technology. When completed, the plant is expected to be part of the largest green hydrogen hub in south-eastern Australia.
LNG prices rise faster than oil
Oct 18 – Liquefied natural gas and pipeline supplies have experienced an even sharper increase in prices in 2021 than oil, driven by a combination of circumstances that included a strong recovery in demand in North Asia, southeast Asia and Europe, unseasonal weather and planned and unplanned capacity outages.
Wärtsilä shaft gensets to power two LNG carriers
Oct 14 – The Finish technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to supply four shaft generators to provide electricity take-off from the main engines of two LNG carriers. The ships are being built at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Korea on behalf of the Capital Gas Ship Management of Greece.
VoltH2 gets green light for large hydrogen plant
Oct 13 – Vision Hydrogen Corp has announced that its affiliate VoltHe has received building and environmental permits to realise its first large-scale hydrogen plant at the Dutch North Sea Port of Vlissingen. The 5 MW hydrogen plant is located near existing high voltage power and gas infrastructure as well as large wind power assets. Once operational, it will produce around 3,500 tons of green hydrogen per year and will be scalable to 100 MW or 14,000 tons.
Tesla overtakes German e-cars
Oct 12 – Sales of Tesla in Germany has overtaken that of leading German carmakers. In September, more electric Tesla Model 3s were registered in the country than leading domestic models, such as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class combined.
EnerMech spends £500k on crane training tech
Oct 11 – EnerMech has invested £500,000 in new crane simulator training systems at its Luanda (Angola), Doha (Qatar) and Great Yarmouth (UK) facilities. The British company recently formed a joint venture with 3t Energy Group to bring the KraneSIM-6000 equipment to both Qatar and Angola and offer in-country training across client organisations globally.
Germany finances green hydrogen projects abroad
Oct 8 – The German government has agreed to support green hydrogen projects in other countries with up to €350 million by 2024, the economy ministry said when publishing a directive with relevant guidelines. Moreover, financial support is given to projects that produce and process green hydrogen for storage, transport and use in countries outside the EU through investment grants worth up to €15 million each.
UK e-car sales surge 186%
Oct 6 – Sales electric cars in the UK have surged 186% to a total of 108,000 in 2020 during the pandemic, up from just 38,000 in the previous year. Latest statistics show there were nearly 300,000 pure-electric cars on UK roads at the end of August 2021, and more than 600,000 plug-in models if including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
FogHorn deploys AI software at Chugoku Electric Power in Japan
Oct 4 – FogHorn, developer of Edge AI software, has deployed its Internet of Things (IoT) software at the Chugoku Electric Power hydroelectric power plant. The AI solutions will make the power gen process more efficient and enhances workplace safety. Chugoku Electric Power employs nearly 9,200 workers across 114 power units in the western part of Honshū, the largest island of Japan.
Rolls-Royce supplies MTU engines for ferry propulsion
Oct 1 – Rolls-Royce's new MT engines, automation system, and MTU Go! tool for remote service have future-proofed the high-speed catamaran Avemar Dos, run by the Spanish operator Balearia. Four MTU 20V1163 M84 units replaced the previous 1163 units, taking the vessel to a "new level of ecological soundness," the manufacturer says.
GES appoints former Puma Energy Chairman as NED
Sept 30 – Global Energy Storage (GES) has appointed the former Puma Energy Chairman, Graham Sharp, as an NED. Graham will support GES on its ‘new energies’ strategy for the energy transition, focusing on hydrogen fuels and hydrogen carriers space.
Aggreko reaches 2 GW of live power gen capacity
Sept 29 – Aggreko has today announced it has reached 2GW of live global gas power capacity and growth in flare gas to power and stranded gas projects. This new record follows a milestone of exceeding 1GW of delivered flare gas power projects in 2020.
Wärtislä renews O&M agreement with Lafarge Africa
Sept 28 – The Finish technology group Wärtsilä has renewed a long-term Operation & Maintenance (O&M) agreement with Lafarge Africa, a large producer of building materials in Nigeria. The agreement covers the 100 MW Lafarge Ewekoro power plant, which provides a dedicated supply of electricity to the company’s concrete and cement manufacturing processes.
Rolls-Royce supplies MTU engines to Sanlorenzo
Sept 27 – Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems will become one of the leading engine suppliers for Sanlorenzo, delivering MTU 10V, 12V and 16V 2000 yacht engines with a compact IMO 3 solution. A framework contract from 2022 through 2024 has been signed at the Monaco Yacht Show.
Shell exits Permian Basin
Sept 24 – Royal Dutch Shell has sold all its upstream interested in US Permian Basin to ConocoPhillips for $9.5 billion in cash. Shell’s assets in the Permian include around 225,000 net acres with a current production of around 175,000 barrels per day equivalent.
