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SOLAR GLOBAL NEWS

GE and UK Export Finance agree to support Turkish solar project

GE and UK Export Finance (UKEF), UK’s export credit agency, have announced that an agreement has been reached to finance Kalyon Enerji’s 1.35 GW Karapinar solar project located in the Konya Karapinar province, Turkey. The solar power plant is the country’s largest solar facility, approximately 11 km long and 3 km wide, equivalent to over 4600 football pitches.

GE Energy Financial Services worked with UKEF, who is set to guarantee a US$291 million (£217 million) Buyer Credit Facility, subject to financial close. This will enable GE to deploy its first FLEXINVERTER solar technology outside the US, supporting Turkey’s clean energy goals and facilitating trade for UK suppliers. Financing for the project will be structured on a project finance basis and raised through J.P. Morgan as acting lead arranger and lender supported by the UKEF guarantee.

The integration of the FLEXINVERTER solar technology and the assembly of the solar power station will occur in the UK, supporting approximately 100 UK jobs directly and indirectly in the supply chain. As part of the localisation requirements, GE’s Grid Solutions site in Gebze, Turkey will be producing transformers for integration in the solar inverter system. In addition to GE’s solar technology, the export contract also covers design, engineering, project management, site management, and commissioning.

GE Renewable Energy has already completed the commissioning of the FLEXINVERTER solar power station technology for Kalyon Enerji’s 267 MW Karapinar phase I solar plant. Upon full completion, expected by late 2022, the facility will deliver clean electricity to approximately 2 million Turkish households.

Biggest solar park in Germany without state funding inaugurated

Almost one year ago, the first kWh flowed out of WeesowWillmersdorf and now the solar park has been formally inaugurated. With the construction of the solar park approximately 30 km east of Berlin, Germany, EnBW has opened a new chapter in the story of photovoltaics (PV) in Germany. Its 187 MW can supply up to 50 000 households each year with eco-friendly electricity. This is currently the biggest open-field solar power plant in Germany. Furthermore, EnBW built the solar park with no funding through the Renewable Energies Act (EEG).

This is a new way of ramping up the use of solar energy in Germany, as EnBW board member Georg Stamatelopoulos explained at the official inauguration ceremony. “We must be faster and more digital in order to increase the pace of expansion for renewable energies. Processes must be streamlined and legally sound. The relevant authorities also need additional staff,” he said. Given the German government’s aim of raising the level of gross energy consumption met by renewable energies to 65% by 2030, there would have to be an annual increase in PV capacity of 10 000 MW – twice as high as the figure to date.

Annual generation of approximately 180 million kWh of power will cut carbon emissions by approximately 129 000 tpy. EnBW itself has set a target of achieving net zero emissions by 2035. Between 2021 and 2025, the company invested approximately €4 billion in renewable energies. It is currently building another two major PV projects, each with a capacity of 150 MW, not far from Weesow-Willmersdorf solar park, thereby creating a unique solar cluster in Brandenburg made up of three large solar power plants.

MYTILINEOS announces financial close for Australian solar projects

MYTILINEOS S.A. has reached financial close on the non-recourse financing of the Corowa, Junee, and Wagga solar farms in New South Wales, Australia, with lenders ANZ, Societe Generale, and Westpac.

This 120 MWp portfolio (40 MWp each project) was acquired in 2019 as part of MYTILINEOS’ strategic entry to the Australian market, one of the most demanding and competitive markets in the world, where access to clean energy is still in demand for many large companies. These solar parks will produce 220 GWh/y to power Australia’s electricity system, reducing 180 000 tpy of carbon dioxide emissions.

The majority of the power produced and the large scale generated certificates from the three projects are sold under a 10 year green Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Coles, a major Australian food and grocery retailer.

Despite the adversities and difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, project construction was successfully executed by MYTILINEOS’ Renewables and Storage Development (RSD) Business Unit and was completed in 1H21, proving the company’s ability to carry out demanding projects.

WIND GLOBAL NEWS

Approval in Principle awarded to HHI’s floating wind foundation

Bureau Veritas (BV) has delivered an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. Ltd (HHI) for its design and development of Hi-Float, a floating offshore wind turbine foundation. The certificate was delivered to Seon Mook Lim, Executive Vice President of HHI, by Christophe Capitant, Chief Country Executive of BV Korea.

Based on HHI’s vast experience with offshore projects, the offshore floating wind substructure Hi-Float is designed to support a 10 MW wind turbine with proven semi-submersible and mooring technology. A passive ballast system ensures that risk is kept to a minimum during offshore operations. The good performance of Hi-Float in an offshore environment was verified through numerical analysis and wave basin model testing.

There has been an increase in the number of floating wind projects emerging worldwide. Market projections show that, as new regional markets emerge, offshore wind growth will continue apace and it is also going to diversify. While to date the majority of offshore wind installations are bottom-fixed, in the coming decades the industry will witness an increase in floating wind capacity. While many technologies are still under development, floating wind has the potential to complement bottom-fixed technologies by enabling feasibility and competitiveness in deepwater zones.

Currently, however, the share of floating installations in the offshore wind market remains limited. In 2019, out of Europe’s total offshore wind capacity of 22 GW, the largest regional capacity worldwide, floating wind still only represented 0.2% (45 MW) compared to bottom-fixed installations.

RWE receives environmental permit for its Polish offshore project

RWE Renewables has moved a major step closer to the realisation of its first offshore wind farm in Poland. Via its Polish subsidiary Baltic Trade & Invest Sp. z o.o., the company received a positive decision by the regional Director for Environmental Protection in Szczecin. This decision specifies the environmental conditions for the realisation of the F.E.W. Baltic II offshore wind farm, which will be located in the Polish Baltic Sea, near the city of Ustka, and has a planned capacity of 350 MW. It was the first Environmental Impact Assessment for a Polish offshore wind project, which has been assessed under a cross-border procedure (ESPOO convention), with participation of Danish and Swedish stakeholders.

The whole Environmental Impact Assessment campaign for the offshore wind farm site took two years and was conducted with strong contributions from Polish scientific institutes and companies: among others the University of Gdansk, the Naval Academy, the Polish Geological Institute, the Institute of Oceanology of Polish Academy of Sciences, as well as the research services 3Bird and Tringa.

Receiving the environmental permit is a significant milestone in the development of RWE’s first offshore project off the Polish coast. Subject to the Final Investment Decision, construction works could commence as early as 2024. Once fully operational, the wind farm would be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent needs of approximately 350 000 Polish households.

Through the F.E.W. Baltic II project, RWE will contribute significantly to the local economy as well as to the green energy transition in Poland.

Equinor and EWP collaborate on Korean offshore wind

Equinor has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Korean East-West Power (EWP) to co-operate on 3 GW of offshore wind projects in South Korea. Together the partners will contribute significantly to the country’s ongoing energy transition and development of an offshore wind industry in Korea. The Korean Government has set out an ambition to grow renewables by approximately 60 GW to 2034, of which 12 GW is targeted for offshore wind by 2030.

Equinor’s partnership with EWP, one of Korea’s stateowned power generation companies (Gencos), provides a strong basis for the offshore wind major to take a leading role in developing a pipeline of offshore wind projects needed.

The MoU between Equinor and EWP confirms Equinor’s strategy of accelerating profitable growth in renewables by creating value from early access at scale in attractive markets, in collaboration with partners that share its vision and goals. Given the Korean coastal water depths, floating solutions are required to realise the South Korean Government’s renewables ambitions. Equinor will bring its decades of floating wind experience and offshore technology to the partnership, including O&M expertise.

BIOFUELS GLOBAL NEWS

Gasum and Metsä Fibre co-operate on biogas project

Gasum and Metsä Fibre, part of Metsä Group, have agreed to co-operate on biogas processing at the biogas part of Metsä Fibre’s Äänekoski bioproduct mill. Metsä Fibre will be responsible for the plant’s overall operations, whereas Gasum will be responsible for the daily remote operation and maintenance of biogas processing. Gasum will buy the biogas produced at Metsä Fibre’s plant for use as a road transport fuel in the company’s filling station network.

The Äänekoski biogas plant will use wood-based sludge from the bioproduct mill to produce biogas and biopellets. The biopellets will be used in energy production at Metsä Fibre’s power plant. Gasum will process the biogas from the plant, manage the plant’s operation and maintenance, and sell the biogas for road transport through its filling station network.

“Our biogas plant further processes the sludge originating in pulp production into products of higher added value. Together with Gasum, we will be able to process biogas produced at the plant into a transport fuel, says Kaija PehuLehtonen, Senior Vice President at Metsä Fibre.

Bioenergy Devco secures funding for bioenergy project

Bioenergy Devco, a developer of anaerobic digestion facilities that transform organic waste into renewable energy and healthy soil products, has secured US$100 million in financing from funds managed by Irradiant Partners, LP. This new capital will support the development of multiple anaerobic digestion facilities to drive sustainable organic waste recycling and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in North America. Irradiant joins Bioenergy Devco’s existing investor base that includes Newlight Partners LP and Sagewind Capital LLC.

Bioenergy Devco has constructed more than 240 anaerobic digesters and currently manages 140 facilities worldwide. Since launching in the US in 2019, the company has over 20 anaerobic digesters in development, including two under construction in Delaware and Maryland. Slated to be one of the largest and the first industrial scale food waste digesters in the US, the facility at the Maryland Food Centre Authority will have the capacity to accept more than 115 000 tpy of organic material, offering the same carbon sequestration impact as a forested area 40 times the size of Central Park in New York.

ARENA releases bioenergy roadmap

Bioenergy could play a significant role in reducing emissions, stimulating the Australian economy and creating jobs in regional areas, according to the Australian Renewable Energy Agency’s (ARENA) Bioenergy Roadmap.

The Roadmap lays out a vision for a sustainable bioenergy industry that can help lower emissions, increase fuel security, enhance waste recovery, and deliver economic benefits.

The Roadmap reveals that the bioenergy sector could contribute approximately AUS$10 billion/y to Australia’s GDP and create 26 200 new jobs, reduce emissions by approximately 9%, divert an extra 6% of waste from landfill, and enhance fuel security.

To support the implementation of the Bioenergy Roadmap, ARENA has received AUS$33.5 million in additional funding from the Government to further support and advance Australia’s bioenergy sector through co-funding additional research, development and deployment of advanced sustainable aviation, and marine biofuels.

Over the past eight years, ARENA has provided over AUS$131 million in funding towards bioenergy projects across Australia. ARENA’s investments to date span electricity and biogas production, biofuels, efficient feedstock harvesting technology, and projects that aim to capture energy from a range of waste materials.

THE RENEWABLES REWIND

> Sustainable Marine tidal project on track > UK battery storage facility acquired by

TagEnergy > Strohm and Siemens Gamesa to develop green hydrogen transfer solutions

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HYDROPOWER GLOBAL NEWS

ANDRITZ receives order for Indian hydropower project

ANDRITZ has received an order from the Assam state government-owned utility Assam Power Generation Corp. Ltd (APGCL) to supply the complete electro-mechanical equipment for the Lower Kopili hydropower plant located on the Kopili river in central Assam, India. The start of commercial operation is scheduled for the end of 2024.

ANDRITZ’s scope of supply consists of plant design and engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of the complete electro-mechanical equipment, including all five turbine-generator units, for the Lower Kopili hydroelectric project. As the river has a very high acid content at the location of the Lower Kopili hydropower plant, most underwater parts will be made of stainless steel.

Once completed, the hydropower plant will have a total installed capacity of approximately 120 MW, based on two main units and three environmental flow units and provide 456 GWh/y of electricity. The project will provide strong support in covering the growing demand for electricity in Assam.

This contract will be the fifth project for ANDRITZ from the north-eastern region of India following the contract for rehabilitation work at the Kopili hydroelectric project awarded earlier in 2021.

GE awarded contract for hydroelectric power plant

GE Renewable Energy’s Hydro Solutions has signed a contract to provide full operation and maintenance (O&M) for the Igarapava hydroelectric power plant, located in Rio Grande in the Paraná River Basin, Brazil.

The Igarapava hydroelectric power plant was a pioneer in Brazil in the use of the ‘Bulb’ turbogenerator group, which optimises electricity generation from dams with fast running water and extremely low heads of less than 20 m from the top to the bottom of the dam.

GE Renewable Energy was one of the project’s main suppliers during Igarapava’s construction and installation. Now, under the new contract, the company is responsible for the O&M of all five hydroelectric generating units, each of which can provide 42 MW, for a total of 210 MW of installed capacity. This amount of energy is sufficient to meet the demand for electricity of 225 000 people.

To execute the contracted scope, GE Renewable Energy will operate the plant 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In addition to the day-to-day operation, GE’s team is also responsible for defining and executing the entire plant maintenance plan, from routine activities to predictive and preventive actions, as well as unplanned maintenance.

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