US coal production at lowest level in 30 years
US coal production in 2015 is expected to be about 900 million tons (MMst), 10% lower than in 2014 and the lowest level since 1986.
Energy Transition
Cluff insists Scottish UCG plans not dead in water
North Sea oil pioneer Algy Cluff insisted yesterday plans for unconventional gas extraction in the Firth of Forth were not dead. He was speaking after his company said it was switching its “primary focus” away from the firth to pursue underground coal gasification (UCG) projects in England, and conventional oil and gas developments in the North Sea. Green groups which recently led a protest against his Scottish UCG plans said it was a “massive victory” for campaigners but the issue would not be buried until his firm handed back its UCG licences.
SSE and partners launch second phase of Irish wind project
SSE and its partners Coilte have started construction of Phase 2 of its Irish onshore wind project following completion of a €176million deal.
React Energy secures £750,000 loan facility
Renewable energy developer React Energy has secured a €750,000 loan from Spanish firm EBIOSS Energy, as it develops its clean energy portfolio in the UK and Ireland.
Rudd “contradicting PM” over Carbon Capture and Storage
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has been accused of contradicting David Cameron over the potential of technology to limit carbon dioxide emissions.
A £10.6millon scheme to cut fuel poverty boosts hundreds of Scottish homes
Hundreds of homes are to benefit from a new £10.6 million energy project aimed at cutting fuel poverty.
GE Power Convention steps up its renewable presence in China
GE Power Convention is stepping up its presence in the renewables sector in China. The company recently signed a deal which will see it equipping Sewind’s offshore wind turbines with its 4MW fully fed LV3 wind converters.
Construction begins on Scotland’s largest solar farm
Construction has begun on Scotland’s largest solar farm on the Errol Estate in Tayside.
Maersk and eDrilling team up for drilling technology offering
Maersk Training and Norway's eDrilling have teamed up to enhance drilling operations and reduce costs for oil and gas firms.
Bioenergies extends collaboration with Audi
Global Bioenergies and Audi have struck a deal to collaborate as they look to broaden the feedstock flexibility of the company’s Isobutene process. The company is currently developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation.
Statoil signs up for new M-I Swaco tank cleaning technology
Statoil has awarded M-I Swaco a four-year NK500 million for new tank cleaning technology for supply vessels that offers a safer, environmentally friendly solution.
Fresh bid for windfarm attracts more than 1,000 objection letters
The developer behind plans to site huge turbines on a Moray landmark is making a fresh bid to win backing for its scheme.
Velocys appoints new chief executive
Gas-to-liquids technology specialist Velocys has appointed David Pummell as its new chief executive.
Rame nets $4.4million from sale of Chilean wind power assets
Power producer and developer Rame Energy has sold its stake in the 15 megawatt Raki and Huajache on-grid wind projects in Chile for $4.4million.
Intelligent Energy gets clearance for Indian acquisition
Fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy's acquisition of energy management business GTL to a significant step forward after receiving clearance from India's competition authority.
Government curbs on renewables subsidies branded ‘irrational’
The Government has been accused of “irrational” curbs to renewables subsidies after official projections revealed lower than expected energy bills by 2020. Ministers have said cuts to support for technology such as onshore wind and solar are necessary to prevent rising costs to consumers and to curb the projected overspend on the £7.6 billion budget by 2020 for a raft of green measures paid for on bills. But emails obtained by climate change analysis website Carbon Brief under Freedom of Information rules reveal Government projections which show that, while the overspend will add £12 to average household bills by 2020, overall bills would be £97 lower.
TRIG invests £42million in French solar rather than UK
Lack of UK Government support for the renewables sector has led UK investment firm TRIG to invest £42million in a French solar project.
Aberdeen engineering group aims to support young people
An Aberdeen-based not-for-profit organisation aims to continue to support young people to pursue a career in engineering through a series of events taking place in 2016.
Japan’s $25billion nuclear recycling quest enters 28th year
It’s designed to recycle spent uranium from Japan’s nuclear power plants, consists of more than three dozen buildings spread over 740 hectares (1,829 acres), costs almost $25 billion and has been under construction for nearly three decades. Amount of fuel successfully reprocessed for commercial use: zero.
Major power generation win for wind farm
The 270-megawatt Hornsdale Wind Farm, under construction about 220km north of Adelaide, has won a contract to deliver an additional 100 megawatts of power to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
2015 a record year for UK wind power
The UK wind power industry enjoyed a record breaking 2015 against the backdrop of Tory Government cuts to green energy subsidies. Onshore and offshore turbines combined forces to generate 11% of the UK’s wind last year, up from 9.5% in 2014, RenewableUK said today, citing National Grid statistics supplied by independent data analysts EnAppSys. A new monthly record was set in December, with wind satisfying 17% of UK energy demand. The previous record of 14% was set in January 2015.
Tech Tuesday: Robots helping to detect pipeline gas leaks
A new generation of pipeline robotics that can extend the life of large diameter cast iron pipeline infrastructure could help save time and money for utility companies.
Statoil to conduct CCS studies in North Sea fields
Statoil has been asked by the Norwegian Government to conduct new studies on carbon storage on the Norwegian continental shelf.
Fossil fuel glut, renewables make EU power cheapest in a decade
Record-low coal prices and increased wind and solar generation that pushed European power prices to their lowest in a decade may cause further declines in 2016. Average day-ahead electricity prices in Germany, Europe’s biggest market, fell 3.2 percent to 31.70 euros ($34.65) per megawatt-hour in 2015, the least since 2004 on the Epex Spot SE exchange in Paris before the last auction later Wednesday. Northwest Europe coal fell 33 percent while the share of Germany’s energy demand met by renewable output increased by four percentage points to 30 percent, according to preliminary figures by utility lobby BDEW.
Scotland’s solar power capacity rose by over a quarter in 2015
Scotland’s solar power capacity went up by more than a quarter over the past year, new figures show. WWF Scotland and the Solar Trade Association, which jointly published the statistics, welcomed the expansion, and called for the Scottish Government to encourage even greater uptake of the technology.