Eager to avert crippling power shortages, the Egyptian electricity ministry aims to add 1,300 MW of gas-fired capacity by the end of October through the commissioning of two new 650 MW units at the Ain Sokhna power station.
U.S. energy major Exxon Mobil has been given the go ahead by the Vietnamese government to develop a mega power plant that will generate output of up to 6,500 MW and cost an estimated $20 billion. Initial planning work is already underway to decide the site for the plant.
Japanese turbine manufacturer Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has won an order to supply one M701F4 gas and steam turbine for the 410 MW Bheramara power plant in the Khulna District of Bangladesh. Delivery is scheduled for September 2015.
German government-owned development bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) has approved $265 million in loan financing for the construction of the planned 414 MW San Gabriel gas-fired power plant in Batangas in the Philippines. Construction is already underway with a commissioning date of 2016.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) in consortium with Mitsubishi Electric Corp is to build a 427 MW gas turbine combined cycle power plant in Toyama Shinko on the west-coast of Japan. The plant will be operated by Hokuriku Electric Power and is scheduled to be commissioned by March 2019.
Swedish engineering firm Nederman has won an order to supply two complete gas turbine inlet air filtration systems for a U.S. power plant. The order is valued at $3.24 milllion and is expected to be delivered in late 2015. "The Nederman solution includes a self-cleaning cartridge filter system, evaporative cooling, and silencer," a company spokesman said, suggesting the design "will reduce ambient outdoor dust to a level sufficient to protect the turbine compressor and internal components."
Introducing capacity payments in Britain is expected to curb operators' revenue from energy-only markets by reducing the occurrence and amplitude of price spikes. "The risk profile has changed, as the bidding strategy at capacity auctions depends on wholesale power price forecasts, as well as optimized running regimes so that the plant is available in the delivery year," said SEE's EMR commercial project director, Deirdre Powers.
Mapping out four scenarios of the UK energy sector over the next 20 years, National Grid is evaluating the future demand/supply balance and investment needs in gas and power transmission networks. Stress tests on the system contribution of wind power and interconnectors have helped DECC to decide what volume to procure in the upcoming capacity auctions, said Richard Smith, Head of Energy Strategy and Policy, National Grid.
U.S. power producer Navasota Energy has announced plans to build three 543 MW peaking stations in Texas to help balance rising intermittent renewable capacity in the state. The new plants will feed into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) network and are expected to be commissioned by spring 2017.
Eager to advance a mega project that has fallen several months behind schedule, state-owned Oman Power and Water Procurement (OPWP) aims to commission the 2,000 MW Sur Independent Power Project (IPP) in Q3 of this year.
Rising natural gas prices at Henry Hub are seen contribute to a 1.1% decline of gas consumption in the U.S. power sector in 2014, taking the total down to 22.1 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast. The agency also revised down annual coal-to-power consumption by 10 million tonnes compared with June estimates, but still predicts a strong year for coal with 2.8% growth in consumption overall in 2014.
News in Brief
Fatih Birol on Time 100 list
Sept 20 – The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol has been named as one of the 100 most influential people by Time Magazine in its annual list. ““In a world where facts are assaulted, Fatih Birol combines the best of high-tech data, optimistic know-how and old-school rhetorical finesse,” US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry commented, suggesting the IEA head would use his authority to “slash carbon emissions and save our planet.”
Chevron lack Net Zero target
Sept 17 – US oil major Chevron is plans to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions along its oil and gas value chain, but lacks a clear Net Zero target. CEO Mike Wirth told investors and shareholders “an ultimate pathway to net zero will require technology advancements, more ambitious government policy, and development of large offset markets.” Concrete steps will be revealed in next month’s update to Chevron’s climate change resilience report.
Paul Browning to lead MHI’s energy transition team
Sept 15 – Mitsubishi has appointed Paul Browning as deputy head of Energy Transition & Power Headquarters, Energy Systems at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Browning is currently CEO of Mitsubishi Power Americas and will move to the new position on October 1, 2021.
Linde to help build liquefaction plant in Russia
Sept 14 – Gazprom has handed an EPC contract to Linde, Renaissance Heavy Industries and RusKhimAlyans, to build a gas liquefaction plant within the Gas Processing Complex (GPC) at the port of Ust-Luga, west of St Petersburg. The GPC will process ethane-containing gas into various fuels, and the two-Train liquefaction plant will have a design capacity for 13 million tons of LNG per year.
Santos completes Oil Search takeover
Sept 13 – Australian LNG exporter Santos has completed the takeover of Oil Search in a deal worth A$8.40 billion (US$6.25 billion). The all-share transaction brings together upstream oil and gas and LNG export assets in the Timor Sea, the Australian state of Queensland and in Papua New Guinea. Under the deal, Santos holds a 61.5% share of the merged company and Oil Search the remaining 38.5%.
Rolls-Royce goes green at DSEI trade show
Sept 10 – Rolls-Royce Energy Solutions is showcasing a range of sustainable power solutions at the DSEI trade show in London this week. The company’s is currently exploring how its Defence business can contribute to wider corporate objectives such as sustainability, electrification, and the development of digital technologies
Wärtsilä develops mobile battery for inland vessels
Sept 8 – Wärtsilä has developed and delivered a mobile battery container to enable inland waterway vessels to operate with zero emissions to ZES, a Dutch company founded in 2020 by ING Bank, the French utility Engie and the Port of Rotterdam. The two containers were delivered in June and the batteries are in continues operation since then.
EU-funds project for energy efficiency
Sept 7 – Today, the European Union (EU) funded HEATLEAP project has been launched to demonstrate the benefits of waste heat recovery systems such as large heat pumps for industries and gas expanders for electric utilities. Turboden will coordinate the project whereby heat pumps and gas expanders are tested at real scale.
EnerMech signs new deals in Americas
Sept 6 – Integrated solutions specialist EnerMech has secured several multi-sector contracts in the Americas. The multiple sector awards span the oil and gas, petrochemicals, maritime, and power generation industries. The largest contract is for nitrogen and leak testing of installations for an E&P operator in offshore Gulf of Mexico. As a result of these new awards EnerMech doubled its electrical team, and increased the number of mechanical pipefitters.
ACWA Power to hold IPO
Sept 3 – ACWA Power International has launched an initial public offering (IPO) to list its shares on the Saudi stock exchange, the Tadawul. The ACWA Power share sale will be the biggest in the Kingdom since the 2019 floatation of Saudi Aramco, which sold 1.5% of its shares and the trading debut valued the oil and gas business at $1.88 trillion.
Iran braces for winter gas shortage
Sept 2 – Iran’s Thermal Power Plant Holding (TPPH) has urged the energy ministry to take precaution to avoid fuel shortages in the coming winter. “We have faced serious problems last year due to the lack of gas and liquid fuel required by the power plants, and there is a concern that we will not be able to fully meet the country’s electricity needs this winter either,” said TPPH’s managing director Mohsen Tarztalab. Since households customers are prioritised and significantly increase their gas consumption in the coal season, power generators often have to resort to burning liquid fuels instead.
LYTT technology monitors carbon capture
Sept 1 – LYTT, a provider of real-time insights to oil and gas operators through a fiber optic sensor, LYTT is testing novel technology to monitor CO2 transport and migration in storage reservoirs together with SINTEF, an institute for applied research. Tracking dynamic multiphase flow is essential when monitoring the long-term effectiveness of carbon capture storage (CCS).
Gazprom invests in Russian gas grid
Sept 1 – Gazprom’s board of directors has approved 2.9 times more financing for new gas supply and infrastructure in 2021-2025 than in the previous five-year period. Over two-thirds of the investments will be made in rural areas, Gazprom explained, and by 2026, the gas grid expansion is planned to be “completed to the fullest extent possible in 35 regions of Russia.”
Woodside pioneers MAN’s Factory LNG solution
Aug 30 – Australian LNG pioneer Woodside is working with MAN to commercialise a solution for small-to-mid scale LNG production. Known as Factory LNG, concept involves a nominal 0.05 mtpa unit, the size of 40-foot ISO shipping container that can be transported via standard heavy-lift ships and trucks. The compact design shortens construction timeframes compared to traditional stick-built or modular LNG trains.
Seismic nodes enhance gas exploration
Aug 18 – Omani-based Africa Geophysical Services has agreed a deal with STRYDE to secure 154,000 seismic nodes for oil and gas exploration projects in Oman and Africa. Seismic nodes have become the preferred system to make high-definition images of subsurface structures, enabling upstream companies to maximise the output of reservoirs with targeted and cost-effective drilling.
Emission monitoring market surges
Aug 16 – Global market for Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) is forecast to grow at a rate of 7.8% from $2.2 billion in 2020 to reach $3.8 billion by 2027, according to MarketandMarkets. The power gen segment is likely to surge 8.3% and reach $1.3 billion over the forecast period.
Nokia deploys LTE to Western Power Distributions
Aug 13 – Nokia has provided a private wireless network to Western Power Distribution (WDP) in the UK. The 4.9G/LTE network will enable smart grid trials and support daily operations of WPD, which distributes electricity to the Midlands, South West and Wales.
