Regulations favourable for free contracting of thermoelectric power plant projects, together with lower potential for new hydropower plants, will boost to the Brazilian natural gas power plant market to reach over $1,200 million by 2017, Frost & Sullivan analysts forecast.
Unison Industries has signed an agreement with Turbine Technics Inc. to act as a worldwide distributor for their marine and stationary land-based gas turbine engine components and services.
Spain's power producers are calling for new regulatory support mechanisms to help cover investment costs of existing fossil plants.
"It is vital to establish a mechanism to reward the backup service of existing gas-fired plants to assure the reliability of the system" says Carmen Vindel, Head of International Regulation, Gas Natural Fenosa.
Enhancing the complementary use between renewables and gas is crucial to achieve Europe's targets on ensuring sustainable, secure and affordable energy supply, Dong Energy, Shell, GE and First Solar have formed an Energy Partnership, Jasper Vis, Head of Regulatory Affairs, DONG Energy said in Brussels today.
Alstrom Grid has set a new record for a High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) circuit breaker by interrupting currents exceeding 3000 amperes in less than 2.5 milliseconds at a testing facility in France. The new circuit breaker helps pave the way for so-called "meshed" smart grids for direct current that will require the interconnection of several points.
A boom in new-built solar capacity Germany, with up to 3,000 MW of new-built capacity in a single month, proves detrimental for gas-fired power generation capacity. "Feed-in tariffs and 'insanely over-funded' renewable energy supply is the fundamental flaw in Germany's energy transition, says Helge-Jürgen Beil, Vice President Asset Origination, Statkraft Markets GmbH.
For power producers to prefer gas over coal as a fuel for power generation the price of carbon emission allowances would have to rise to €40-50/ton, Thijs van Hittersum, Natural Gas Analyst, International Energy Agency said at a conference organised by Gas to Power Journal in Brussels today.
Regulatory interventions such as the proposed backloading of up to 900 billion carbon emission allowances (EUAs) into the third phase of the ETS is, however, in his view "most likely not sufficient to solve the oversupply situation in the carbon market."
Siemens has won a contract to supply a single-shaft power island with a H-Class turbine, with up to 61% operational efficiency, to power Cengiz Enerji's proposed gas-fired combined-cycle power plant (600 MW) in Samsun, Turkey.
In an interview, Mete Maltepe, General Manager at GE Power & Water – Turkey, told Gas to Power Journal that the company has invested approximately $500 million in Turkey to date, with a further $900 million planned over the next three years. This includes the provision of turbines to various gas to power projects such as the new plant in the Erzin district operated by Akenerji, the Egemer Elektrik Uretim A.S. (Egemer), and the cogeneration plant at Bursa, operated by Bis Enerji Elektrik Uretim AS.
The Mississippi Senate has approved two bills (HB 894 and HB 1134) already passed by the state's Lower Chamber which will help Mississippi Power Co. recover costs from its coal gasification power plant project.
Exploitation of the UK's significant shale gas resources is unlikely to result in low natural gas prices, as high costs and slow exploration rates are unlikely to offset the need to import gas for power generation.
Unless Germany introduces measures to curb the costs of renewable feed-in-tariffs, the price tag for its energy transition policy (Energiewende) may amount to up to €1 trillion by the end of the 2030s , German environment minister Peter Altmaier warned.
News in Brief
Operating assets ‘from anywhere’
Oct 29 – GE Digital’s latest software gives electric utilities remote and mobile control over their power stations for remote start-up, external monitoring and operational fine-tuning. The goal is to safe cost through autonomous operation from any location.
Enlit Europe goes digital
Oct 28 – In face of the second wave of the pandemic, Enlit Europe has decided to move its Milan trade show online. A virtual keynote will be held on Thursday, October 29, starting from 9:30 CET.
Singapore sets aside $36m for low-carbon tech
Oct 27 – The Singapore government is supporting low carbon tech by setting aside SG$49 million ($36m) for research into hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and energy storage. Testbeds for blending of low-carbon hydrogen with natural gas in combined cycle gas turbines, will yield insights into low-carbon tech and facilitate future deployment, said Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).
Researchers develop lightweight battery
Oct 26 – Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability (LBF) have developed a lightweight battery pack to reduce the overall weight of e-car batteries. The new pack holding the battery cells is made of fibre-plastic composites, reducing the weight by 40 percent compared to a casing made of aluminium. The new battery is hoped to drive the upward trend for e-car registrations in Germany and help lower emissions in the transport sector.
MAN to maintain power plant in Benin
Oct 23 – PrimeServ, the after-sales brand of MAN Energy Solutions, has signed a service agreement with BWSC for the Maria Gleta power plant near the city of Cotonou, Benin. The 127 MW plant is powered by seven MAN 18V51/60DF engines. The ten-year contract covers the supply of spare parts and the provision of technical services for scheduled maintenance.
Gas saves Virginia over $14bn
Oct 22 – Virginia’s businesses and families saved more than $14.2 billion between 2008 and 2018 thanks to low-cost natural gas and expanded energy infrastructure, according to a new Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) report. Almost 60% of power generation relies on natural gas and a third of its households use gas for home heating.
Energy storage for LNG-powered vessels
Oct 21 – Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf has asked Wärtsilä to retrofit its energy storage system (ESS) on four LNG-fuelled platform support vessels. Once upgraded in early 2022, all vessels will be of full tri-fuel operation.
Mott McDonald starts construction on ALCP6
Oct 20 – US construction firm Mott McDonald has started building the ALCP6 waste to energy project in Krabi province, southern Thailand. The plant will incinerate 144,000 tonnes per year of municipal solid waste, and the heat obtained will be converted into 6 MW of electricity to be exported to the Thai national grid.
Brace for EU sustainable finance rules
Oct 19 – Sustainable finance practices, drawn up by the European Commission, could create a "bureaucratic monster" that smaller companies and energy investors would find overbearing, the Munich-based Institute for Economic Research (ifo) warned. The regulation should hence prioritise closer scrutiny of large and listed companies.
UK could become net power exporter
Oct 16 – Increased interconnection could provide a route for excess offshore wind power in Britain to be consumed elsewhere in Europe. National Grid Interconnector Register shows up to 16 GW of interconnection could be operational by 2025 and up to 25.4 GW by 2030.
Wärtsilä to deploy GridSolv in US city
Oct 15 – AEP OnSite Partners has contracted Wärtsilä to deploy its GridSolv Quantum energy storage in the city of Martinsville, Virginia. The system includes an UL9540A limiting 2-hour battery firewall and will help lower the city’s energy costs.
Rolls-Royce spends $13.9m in Mankato
Oct 14 – Britain’s engine maker Rolls-Royce has decided to invest nearly $14 million in its Power System business to build a new R&D centre at its MTU manufacturing plant in Mankato, Minnesota, US. The expansion will see 28,000 square foot added to the facility’s existing hall, making room for the production of high-power MTU gas gensets, enhanced product testing and the creation of 20 new manufacturing positions.
Clarke commissions Vitalait power unit in Tunisia
Oct 13 – Clarke Energy and INNIO Jenbacher have completed the commissioning of an onsite power plant of a milk producer in Tunisia. The installation of another Jenbacher gas engine has increased the plant’s output to 4 MW of electricity as well as 1,100 kW of hot water and 800 kW of steam.
Secondary battery market to top $55bn
Oct 12 – Technavio expects the secondary battery market to grow by $55.62 billion through 2024, rising at an 11% rate over the forecast period. Falling costs for lithium-ion batteries as well as growing demand in Asia Pacific allowed the market to grow 2.01% this year, despite adverse effects of the pandemic. Top battery suppliers are Tesla, Clarious, Exide, LG Chem, GS Yuasa and Samsung.
Shift to sustainable tech
Oct 9 – Three quarters of utilities, surveyed by EIT InnoEnergy, are considering adopting sustainable technology over the next 12-18 months. However, over one third of the respondents found it hard to recruit the skills they need.
Generator rentals slow
Oct 8 – The rental market for power generators has slowed down due to the pandemic, with genset rentals from the oil and gas industry forecast to grow by just $153.87 million this year. However, Technavio expects the market will return to a 3% annual growth rate by 2024.
GE upgrades Italian CHP
Oct 7 – GE has completed an axial fuel staging upgrade on its 9E gas turbine at an onsite combined heat and power (CHP) plant at the Milazzo refinery in Sicily. The entire electricity needs of the refinery, over 780 GWh in 2019, will soon be supplied by the upgraded and more flexible gas turbine.
