GE announced the company has acquired Calnetix Power Solutions (CPS; Florida), which develops technology for small-scale waste heat to power projects. Waste heat recovery is becoming a significant power generating industry segment, tapping into the previously wasted potential of energy dissipated in industrial processes as heat. According to GE, this acquisition enables the company to enter the estimated USD 1 billion waste heat recovery industry segment.
RWE Innogy is building an 18.7 MW biomass power plant in the Enna province of Sicily, through a joint-venture with Italian Infrastrutture e Gestioni S.p.A. Under the agreement, RWE Innogy will own 90% of the project. Construction of the project should begin by the end of 2010. The facility represents an investment of EUR 61 million.
EDP Renovaveis (EDPR) announced the execution of a project finance structure agreement with a consortium of banks for its 120 MW Margonin wind farm in Poland. The consortium is lead by the European Ivestment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The long-term debt facility for this projects reaches about EUR 135 million. The facility is contracted in local currency (Polish Zlotys), as part of EDPR's strategy for these kinds of financing deals. The Margolin wind farm was the first such project in Poland to have a long-term contract (15 years) for selling the green certificates generated.
[source: EDP Renovaveis]
Tarbela Dam viewed from Earth's orbit.
The Pakistani Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) has appointed Mott McDonald and Coyne et Bellier (as a joint venture) to be the design engineer for the fourth extension project at the Tarbela Dam, about 100 km northwest of Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. The new extension will add 960 MW of power generating capacity to the facility.
Tarbela Dam, built in 1974, is a multi-purpose facility. It is used to control the water coming from River Indus, and store it for irrigation purposes, and flood control, as well as for power generation. With the rising demand for electricity in the country, there is a need to add more capacity to the country's power generating portfolio.
Alstom is to construct a 24 MW wind farm in Turkey. The Senkoy wind farm will be located near the city of Hatay, in the country's south. The wind farm will feature Alstom's ECO 100 3 MW units. The wind farm is expected to enter commercial operation in late 2011, or early 2012. It will generate enough clean electricity during peak generation periods to power about 41,000 average homes in the area. The contract comes from Güriş Construction and Engineering's subsidiary Eolos Wind Energy Generation, a Turkish wind energy company.
Turkey is targetting 20 GW of installed wind capacity by 2023. So far, the country has more than 1.1 GW of wind capacity installed and generating power.
[source: Alstom]
GE and Indonesia's Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) have signed an MoU for joint development of renewable energy, clean coal and energy efficiency projects. A significant part of this collaboration will be the study on key issues for commercialization of renewable energy in Indonesia, such as wind, solar, geothermal (although there had been plenty of developments in this area), biomass and biogas. Additionally, clean coal technologies will also be a topic of collaboration.
First Solar and Enbridge announced the completion of a 60 MW extension on the existing Sarnia solar park, originally having 20 MW of installed capacity, located in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. The solar park, now with 80 MW of capacity, is now among the largest facilities PV power generating facilities in the world.
The upgraded solar park will be (re)opened at a ceremony to be held on October 4, 2010. The event will be attended by First Solar and Enbridge representatives, as well as the Energy Minister of Ontario.
The California Energy Commission has given approval for a total of 959 MW of solar PV capacity for development in California. The capacity is to be developed through two large scale solar projects – the Genesis Solar Energy Project (250 MW) and the Imperial Valley Solar Project (709 MW).
Artistic impression of the new solar park in Arizona.
Arizona Public Service (APS) announced a plan to develop an 18 MW PV solar park, about 70 miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona, in Gila Bend. The solar park will be owned by APS. The permitting process for this location will take only about three months, as opposed to the usual one to two years. This is due to the fact that the park will be located within the Solar Overlay Zone in Arizona. Construction of the project could begin in early 2011, with completion in November 2011.
A-Power Energy Generation Systems has entered into an agreement with Baishan Long Run Water Conserancy Development (China) for a three-phase EPC contract, involving work on a 12.8 MW water control project, a 64 MW hydropower plant in Baishan, and two 16 MW small hydropower plants on the Baijianghe River, also in Baishan.
