South Field Energy, a combined-cycle gas plant run by Advanced Power, has started operations in Wellsville, Ohio, adding 1,182 MW power gen capacity to the grid. GE supplied a H-class solution – from project finance support to full plant equipment to controls and after-sales services.
Aggreko has reached a record 2 Gigawatt (GW) of live gas-fired generation capacity, largely due to rising demand for flare-gas-to-power projects that help upstream companies monetise stranded assets. The latest project was an offshore unit in Indonesia that harnessed flare gas to generate 27 weeks of reliable electricity for an offshore microgrid, run by local oil company.
US-based engine maker Cummins has decided to locate its New Power China headquarters and R&D center in Shanghai’s Lingang New Area, a free trade zone. The R&D hub will initially house manufacturing for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, electrolyser and fuel cell stacks, while Phase-2 will add various aspects of the hydrogen industrial chain.
The second of eight M701JAC gas turbines has been installed and fired up at a combined-cycle power plant in Thailand’s Chomburi Province, owned by Gulf SRC. Mitsubishi commissioned the first turbine in late March and gradual start up of all eight units will bring the plant’s capacity to 5.3 GW.
To avert an energy crisis, the Chinese government had to impose large-scale restrictions on electricity use during the final two weeks of September. Wood Mackenzie believes Chinese authorities will allow customs clearance of stranded Australian coal, easing import restriction to avert the risk of further power crunches this winter.
Raloy Lubricantes, one of Mexico’s top four lubricant manufacturers and main supplier for the country’s car industry, has ordered mtu Series 500 gensets to provide heat and power for its manufacturing plant in Santiago Tianguistenco. The 12V500 gas engine is capable of delivering 550kWe electricity and peak efficiencies of up to 42.6%. Start-up of the new genset at Raloy is scheduled for April 2022.
German’s largest utility Uniper has secured an additional 1 Bcm/y of LNG regas capacity at Gate LNG terminal in the Netherlands. With this move, Uniper now owns the largest share of import capacity at the Dutch terminal, though the company’s business focusses on LNG trading in Asia-Pacific, and not its European home market.
Territory Generation, Northern Australia’s largest utility, has ordered a hydrogen capable TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbine from GE for its Channel Island Power Station near the city of Darwin. The move supports the Government’s goal of building a hydrogen industry and Northern Territory’s green energy policy, which targets 50% renewables by 2030.
Canadian-based utility Capitol Power, together with EPC contractor Burns & McDonnell, are halfway through design works on a repowering project to convert coal-fired units at Genesee power plant in Alberta to natural gas. At Units 1 and 2, the coal-fired steam generators will be replaced with gas combined-cycle technology.
The British Steel industry is urging the government to take swift, decisive action and halt soaring energy prices as the industry claims it cannot absorb current record-high energy costs. The price of natural gas surged 250% since January, pushing up wholesale power prices which in turn impacts on production costs for steel and other energy-intensive materials.
German election winner Social Democrats (SPD) wants to fast-track coalition talks with the Green Party and the Liberals (FDP). Though FDP leader Christian Linder said there would be “no parallel talks with the Conservatives,” negotiations could take months and are hard-fought on climate action; so Angela Merkel might still be in office by Christmas.
Lebanon is grappling with an energy crisis after two of the country’s main power plants were shut down after running out of fuel. Fire broke out in a storage tank at the Zahrani fuel facility on Monday and Electricite Du Liban said shuttering the two plants reduced the country's total electricity supply to below 270 MW, destabilizing the grid.
If Gazprom will use all its existing capacity – Nord Stream, Yamal-Europe, Turkstream and Ukraine – up to the ship-or-pay agreements, Europe still needs 58 Bcm of gas in storage to meet peak winter demand. An exceptionally cold winter could boost Europe’s heating demand by 20 Bcm and incur serious shortages, analysts warn, unless more Russian gas becomes available via Nord Stream-2.
Germany needs to ensure 20-30 Gigawatt (GW) of new gas-fired power plants will be built as the country exits nuclear and coal, warns RWE CEO Klaus Krebber. “At the moment, our security of supply is based entirely on nuclear energy, lignite and hard coal. We have few gas plants,” he said, adding fossil gas can only be a bridge fuel towards hydrogen.
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.
