Shell confirmed today it signed a final agreement to form a joint venture (JV) in Iraq with Basrah Gas Company to gather raw gas from three major oil fields. The gas production from these field (Rumaila, Zubair and West Qurna 1) is currently flared in Basrah, a Shell spokesperson told 'Gas-to-Power Journal' today.
Matteo de Zan, head of Enel's industrial development, generation and energy management division said the operational start-up of a gas-fired power plant in Belgium is expected in early 2012. "We are waiting for the plant to start operations in the coming months; the plant is currently in its commissioning stage," he told 'Gas-to-Power Journal' in an interview.
Enel, Italy's largest power company, said today the operational start-up of a 400-MW gas-fired power plant in Belgium is expected in early 2012. "We are waiting for the plant to start operations in the coming months; the plant is currently in its commissioning stage," Matteo de Zan, head of Enel's industrial development, generation and energy management division told 'Gas-to-Power Journal' in an interview today.
Siemens has inaugurated a new gas turbine factory in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a view to expanding its worldwide network of gas turbine manufacturing facilities. The German company has invested more than $350 million in a 42,000 square metre plant in Charlotte, creating 700 new jobs.
"Charlotte is the only Siemens plant that produces gas and steam turbines, as well as generators,” a company representative said. The facility also plays a key role in Siemens’ profitable power plant service business.
Bernard Anne, managing director of Bureau Veritas' (BV) Marine Division has signalled out LNG as one of the shipping sectors where the indicators are good and positive. "I do not see any good markets except for gas markets and consequentially LNG tankers. There are simply too many ships around," Anne said at the annual BV Beaujolais Party in London on Thursday evening.
Alstom, the French engineering giant, did neither confirm nor deny a statement from the Iraqi energy ministry that it has won a $540m contract to construct a 182-MW gas-fired power plant in Iraq. "We are expecting to sign the contract with the Iraqi energy ministry any time soon", an Astom spokesman told Gas-to-Power Journal.
Minera Mexico, a unit of Grupo Mexico, has awarded a contract to Siemens Energy to supply of a 250 MW combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant. Siemens Energy is signing responsible for the full turnkey supply of the plant, named 'La Caridad II', which includes plant engineering, procurement and construction.
Siemens Energy told Gas-to-Power Journal that the main equipment to be installed at the plant includes an SGT6-5000F gas turbine, an SST-900 steam turbine, an SGEN6-1000A generator, a heat-recovery steam generator, and the complete electrical and SPPA-T3000 in-strumentation & control equipment.
E.ON said it plans to "systematically grow its power generation business" while Q3 results show that net debt stood at EUR34.5 billion at the end of September 2011. Russia remains an important focus of the German energy major.
In Germany, E.ON is planning to start operations of its Datteln-4 power plant in 2013 while the pilot project Irsching-4 is already fully operational, E.ON spokesman Dr. Sebastian Heindrichs, told Gas-to-Power Journal.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing $170 million in financing to support the construction of a new 1,600 megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power plant in Thailand. Commercial operation of the plant, located in the Nong Saeng district north of Bangkok, is slated to start by 2014.
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.
