Belgium's CMI Energy and its Indian licensee, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) have signed an agreement for the extension of L&T's licence territory to manufacture and supply small Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) installed behind gas turbines below 80 MW to South East Asia and the Middle East.
The owners of the 840 megawatt Irsching 5 power plant in Bavaria – E.ON, N-Ergie, Mainova and HSE – will convene on April 30 to decide whether to mothball the plant. "We are sticking to our agreement to keep the plant operational until the end of March, but operating the plant is not profitable at current low wholesale power prices and reduced run-time hours," an E.ON spokeswoman told Gas to Power Journal.
Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company, in 2012 managed to reduce its SO2 and NOx emissions by almost a third, due to a reduction in coal-fired power generation, a subsequent increase in the use of natural gas and years of emission-control investments.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has admitted that her Liberal party had made a "political decision" to cancel two under construction gas-fired power plants in Oakville and Mississauga before the 2011 provincial election. The Oakville and Mississauga plants were to have an installed capacity of 900MW and 280MW, respectively.
Siemens Energy Service Fossil in Newcastle today announced a new multi-million pound order win from Drax Power Ltd to supply and install of three intermediate pressure (IP) steam turbine modules at the UK's largest power plant.
Economic profitability of the Enecogen gas-fired power plant in the Netherland has been hit by imports of cheap electricity from Germany, produced at coal plants or from wind energy.
Capstone Turbine Corp has installed two C30 LNG MicroTurbines to provide onboard power to the MTS Argonon, a dual fuel Type-C Tanker commissioned by Dean Shipping. The Capstone microturbines have an output of 30kW each and fulfil all onboard electricity needs for the ship.
Energy intensity in the US will continue its steady decline since the 1970s through 2040 mainly due to greater efficiency and structural changes in the economy, projections from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) show.
Operating results for RWE Generation are in the doldrums but CEO Peter Terium painted an even darker picture for the time after 2013. He based his estimates on German forward prices for 2014 and 2015 which currently stand at €42 per megawatt hour – well below the prices achieved in 2012.
India's GMR Group has sold its 70 percent interest in GMR Energy (GMRE), the biggest stakeholder in Island Power Project, a gas-fired power plant on Jorung Island, to FPM Power Holdings for S$660 million ($530 million).
Genalta Power CEO Graham Illingworth told Gas to Power Journal that its new produced-gas-to-power plant in Alberta which help reduce gas flaring by making use of the gas associated with Shell's bitumen production in its Peace River oil sands leases.
Minnesota Power, a subsidiary of ALLETE Inc., has released plans calling for a decrease in coal and an increase in natural gas and renewable energy sources in its future power plant portfolio. The company currently generates about 80 percent of its power from coal but envisions a long term target of one third coal, one third renewable, and one third natural gas and other power generating capacity.
News in Brief
Supercapcitors to replace batteries
Sept 25 – The global market for supercapacitors was valued at over $487 million last year and is forecast to top $1,570 millio by 2025, growing at an annual rate of 21.8%. Supercapacitor, an emerging technology for energy storage systems, can offer higher power density than batteries was may soon replace the latter.
Atos, Siemens expand digital partnership
Sept 24 – Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, has expanded its strategic partnership with Siemens AG for five years, helping the latter with data driven digital, cloud transformation and cybersecurity. The extension comes in the context of 5-year total €3 billion agreements which were separately signed with Siemens AG, Siemens Energy and Siemens Healthineers.
Rotterdam Port to store CO2 beneath the North Sea
Sept 23 – The Porthos project, a joint venture between the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Gasunie and EBN, seeks to transport CO2 from industry in the port to empty gas fields beneath the North Sea. In its early years, the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) will be able to store approximately 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 per year with plans to be operational by 2024.
German power sector to reach net zero in 2040s
Sept 22 – Revisions to Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (EEG) stipulate the power sector should become greenhouse-gas neutral in the early 2040s. Despite the gradual electrification of heating and transport, the German energy ministry is so far sticking to its estimate of 580 terawatt-hours (TWh) of power consumption in 2030 – close to current levels.
B&W to supply superheaters to Lumiant
Sept 21 – Babcock & Wilcox’s thermal segment has been contracted to design, manufacture and supply new superheater components for a high-efficiency boiler at Luminant’s Oak Grove Power Plant near Franklin, Texas. Material delivery to Oak Grove is scheduled for February 2021.
EC targets 55% emission cut by 2030
Sept 17 – The European Commission’s latest 2030 Target Plan stipulates a 55% cut in emissions by 2030, compared to 1990-levels. The lobby group COGEN Europe stressed the importance of combined heat and power generation (CHP) to reach that goal, calling for more stable policies and supportive regulation.
Rolls-Royce may sell ITP Areo
Sept 17 – Britain’s prime manufacturer Rolls-Royce confirmed it is looking to strengthen its balance sheet, possibly by disposing of ITP Aero which his hoped to generate proceeds of more than £2bn over the next 18 months. Further cost cutting is meant to deliver £1 billion and revamping of the company’s Civil Areospace business should save another £1.3 billion.
China’s GDP may grow 1.8%
Sept 16 – China’s GDP is forecast to grow 1.8% this year as the economy recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. The government slashed electricity tariffs to support manufacturing but the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warns of mounting credit risk for banks. Fiscal revenue pressure also intensifies as 1.5% of China’s GDP growth in the first half of 2020 was based on bond-funded investment by local governments.
Zeebrugge goes for green hydrogen
Sept 15 – Colruyt Group (Eoly), Parkwind and Fluxys aim to spend up to 35 million Euros to develop a green hydrogen plant in Zeebrugge, Belgium, by 2023. The plan is to convert off-shore wind energy into green hydrogen which can then be injected in the high-pressure natural gas transmission grid.
Shale gas market to top $41bn
Sept 14 – Global markets for unconventional gas, mostly developed by shale fracking, is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 7% to reach $ 41.76 billion by 2024. According to Technavio, the Americas region will remain dominant with an 87% market share as hydraulic fracturing technologies evolve. Top players in the market are BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, PetroChina, Gazprom, Shell, Santos, Saudi Arabian Oil Co., and YPF.
SNAM, Saipem join forces on hydrogen
Sept 11 – Two Italian energy companies, SNAM and Saipem, have agreed to develop initiatives for green hydrogen production and transport, as well as for carbon dioxide capture, transport and reuse or storage (CCRS). The move supports the European Commission’s Hydrogen Strategy to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
MAN, Wasco to drive Power-to-Gas Tech in Asia
Sept 10 – MAN Energy Solutions and Wasco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote and commercialize Power-to-X (PtX) projects in South-East Asia. The technology in question converts electricity into carbon-neutral synthetic fuels, gas or liquid, for use as a clean, carbon-neutral energy source.
Romgaz, GSP to realise 200 MW gas and solar project
Sept 9 – Romania’s state gas company Romgaz has agreed to build 200 MW power generation capacity with the privately-owned Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) which is controlled by the local businessman Gabriel Comanescu. The project entails a 150 MW gas-fired power plant and a 50 MW solar photovoltaic park, to be built on the site of a disused coal power plant in southern Romania.
Alaska uses twice as much energy for transport as NY
Sept 8 – More energy is used per person for transportation in U.S. states with low population density. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA), people in geographically large states with small populations, such as Alaska, Wyoming and North Dakota, are useing twice as much energy for transportation than the U.S. average on a per capita basis. That’s in stark contrast to states with higher population density, such as Rhode Island and New York.
Hydrogen Council launched in Kobe/Kansai area
Sept 7 – Mitsubishi Power, part of MHI, and various Japanese energy companies have set up the so-called ‘Kobe/Kansai Hydrogen Utilization Council’ to develop new utilization methods and establish a regional hydrogen supply chain. The aim is to help Japan shift to a carbon-free, hydrogen-powered society by 2030.
B&W sets up Asia-Pacific HQ in Perth
Sept 4 – Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) has setup new Asia-Pacific headquarters in Perth, Australia, and named Nick Carter as managing director of the region. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, the engineering company is also establishing or expanding operations in Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, China and India.
Germany boosts RES targets
Sept 3 – Striving to meet 2030 emission targets, the Germany government is increasing its renewable energy targets while adjusting the grid to accommodate a greater influx of fluctuating power supply. The draft reform of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) stipulates raising the solar photovoltaic capacity to 100 GW (up from 52 GW today), onshore wind capacity to 71 GW (from 55 GW), offshore wind to 20 GW and biomass to 8.4 GW.
