Europe/Middle East/Africa

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African Rise: VINCI Energies Wins Contract To Build 8 PV Power Plants In Senegal

VINCI Energies has won a project that could be at the spearhead of many other similar projects for EU, Chinese and US firms. A €26.8m contract for 8 pv power plants with a combined capacity of 17 MW, to be built over a period of only 10 months. Strategically the project will diversify Senegal’s energy mix and electrify the country’s isolated regions. The power plants will use 62,850 panels overall and produce the annual energy consumption for 140,000 people. The project represents a €26.8 million investment, financed by the German bank KFW and Senelec.

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E.ON, CLEVER Create Ultra Fast Charging On Electric Highway From Norway To Italy

Sensing the global shift towards electric vehicles, over the next three years, E.ON and CLEVER will establish a network of 180 ultra-fast charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in seven countries connecting Norway to Italy. The network is appointed as an EU flagship project and has received €10 million in funding from the European Commission. The 180 stations will be spread across seven countries. The majority of the locations will be built in Germany, followed by France, Norway, Sweden, UK, Italy and Denmark. Each of the stations will provide 2-6 charging points and will be rolled out in Europe during the next three years with the first sites being located in Germany and Denmark.

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Winds Of Change: Walney Wind Farm Investment Completed By Legal And General

With over £951bn in total assets management, Legal & General is one of the UK’s leading financial services groups and a major global investor. The company has announced that it has provided close to £300m of long-term acquisition debt in support of Danish pension funds, PKA and PFA consortium’s approx £2bn purchase of 50% of Walney Extension from Ørsted (the former Dong Energy). Walney Extension, which is currently under construction, will be the world’s largest offshore wind farm with a capacity of 660 megawatts (MW), providing enough power for over 590,000 homes. Charles-Henry Lecointe, Senior Investment Manager, LGIM Real Assets stated that the move was part of the company’s commitment of “investing in key UK infrastructure assets which will have a major impact on stimulating economic growth while ensuring long-term cash flow for pension funds.”

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Scaling Heights: Vestas Repowers One Of Europe’s Highest-Located Wind Parks

Vestas is to repower one of Europe’s highest-located wind parks with a customised solution at the Tauernwindpark. Located in Niedere Tauern mountain massif in Styria, Austria, the Tauernwindpark is one of the highest-located wind parks in Europe, operating 1,900 meters above sea-level. ImWind, Tauernwindpark’s owner, was looking to repower the 22.75 MW wind park, which currently consists of 13 V66-1750 kW wind turbines. A wind power project in such an environment is demanding, not only with regard to turbulence caused by the mountains but also with regard to the remote site’s logistical challenges as well. 

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EV Boost: BMW, Porsche, VW, Ford Launch Pan-European High-Power Charging Network

Electric vehicles and e-mobility received a major boost with BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, the Volkswagen Group, Audi and Porsche announcing a joint venture IONITY, that will develop and implement a High-Power Charging (HPC) network for electric vehicles across Europe. Launching approximately 400 HPC stations by 2020, IONITY will make long-distance journeys easier and marks an significant step forward for electric vehicles and the electric highway revolution. The network will use the European charging standard Combined Charging System.

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BNEF: Countries, Rich And Poor, Should Renew Efforts To Fulfil Paris Pledges

The Paris Agreement brought 195 countries together to agree on the urgency of addressing climate change. The accord showed its resilience when world leaders collectively condemned plans by the U.S. to withdraw from the pact. Yet Paris can only be judged a success when its signatories follow through on their promises. For wealthier nations, this means fulfilling the promise first made at Copenhagen to provide financial assistance to lesser developed countries. For non-OECD nations, this means adopting detailed clean energy policy measures shown to build investor confidence.

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EV Infrastructure: Iceland Leads The Way, With Fast Chargers On Main Highway

ON Power, a part of Reykjavik Energy, has signed a contract with ABB for the delivery and installation of 15 Terra multi-standard DC chargers type 53 CJG at various points along Iceland’s main highway. Today there are over 1,400 electric vehicles on the road in Iceland due to a state-financed incentive program, which supports the purchase of electric vehicles. The tender for fast chargers is part of the country’s campaign to promote and expand Iceland’s e-mobility strategy by increasing the availability of flexible and robust charging stations along central locations of the national highway across the entire country.

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CDP Highlights Enel As Global Leader: Meeting Energy, Carbon, Climate Challenges

Enel has been admitted for the second year in a row in the Climate A list of global environmental disclosure platform CDP, which comprises companies from around the world that have been identified as global leaders in corporate response to climate change. CDP recognised Enel’s actions to cut emissions, mitigate climate risks and develop the low-carbon economy. “The inclusion in this prestigious list further confirms our contribution to the fight against climate change, one of the most pressing challenges the world faces today and which requires full engagement from corporate players,” said Francesco Starace, Enel Group CEO.

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100MW PV Project Win For Enel Highlights African Potential And Ethiopian Market

A consortium led by Enel Green Power has been selected as the preferred bidder for a 100 MW solar project in Metehara, Ethiopia. Ethiopia has all the potential to become a key market for Enel’s strategy in Africa due to its plentiful renewable resources, stable regulatory framework and electrification needs. In addition, the Ethiopian Government’s ‘Growth Transformation Plan 2’ is expected to collect nearly 12,000 MW of new hydro, wind, geothermal and solar capacity in partnership with the private sector, with the aim of meeting the country’s electrification needs while diversifying its generation mix in line with the government’s energy plan for the years up to 2020.

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Nordex Consolidates In France. Wins Two Contracts With Joint Capacity Of 37.2MW

The Nordex Group was again awarded orders for the delivery of wind turbines to France in the third quarter. In 2018, it will be supplying fourteen wind power systems with an aggregate capacity of 37.2 MW. Starting in February, Nordex will be delivering six N117/3000 turbines for the “Coesmes” wind farm located around 40 kilometres south-east of Rennes. The turbines will be installed on the top of 120-metre high towers to ensure maximum utilisation of the good local wind conditions. At the same time, the systems permit quiet turbine operation. The customer is the project developer VSB Energies Nouvelles.

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European Independent Energy Retailers Unite And Innovate In The Energy Markets

The role of independent energy retailers and service providers in the energy market were at the centre of a high-level conference on Tuesday at the European Parliament in Brussels. With the conference, EER took a strong stand in the current discussions of the future energy policy of the European Union. The EER is aiming at enhancing cross-border competition in energy markets and achieving fair market conditions for new entrants offering energy and service-related solutions. It’s also calling for effective unbundling and harmonization of market rules. Competition and transparency must be key-principles of any future market design.