According to media sources, and unnamed officials from the French Energy Ministry, France seems to be planning a huge array of offshore wind farms totalling in 3 GW of installed capacity. The whole endeavor will require an estimated EUR 10 billion in investments. The planned projects will involve the installation of some 600 wind turbines, for which tenders will be announced by the French Energy Minister in September this year.
Scottish Minister Alex Salmond met with Statoil representatives, during his ongoing visit to Norway, to discuss the possibility of developing the world's first commercial flaoting wind farm in Scotland. Statoil has already showed us the concept is feasible with its Hywind project, located off the coast of Norway, floating over the seabed 200 meters below.
Italian renewable energy developer Bondcom Renewable Energy (BGE) is developing a wind farm near the town of Boljevac, Serbia. The project represents a EUR 100 million investment, and will feature 40 2.5 MW wind turbines.
Under the development contract, BGE is to pay 1.5% of the price of generated power to the local municipality, over the duration of the land lease period of thirty years. This represents about EUR 1 million in profit for the municipality annually.
[source: Investicioni Fondovi]
Bulgarian steel manufacturer Radomir Metal Industries unveiled plans to Bulgarian media for building a 50 MW solar power plant in Radomir, in the southwest of the country. The solar park will cover some 140 hectares of land located on the company's facility grounds.
The company will support its main production line with power generated at the plant, while being able to keep its workforce in employment. Radomir Metal Industries has layed off a significant portion of its employes due to the economic downturn.
The project will be developed in cooperation with two German companies, together with funding from loans to be obtained from German banks. A subsidiary company will be registered to take care of all the business related to the development and operation of the new solar park. Produced electrical energy will be sold to the state power grid operator NEK. The first solar panels will be mounted near the end of this year, while the deadling for the entire project has not been officially set.
[source: SEENews]
The Lebanese government has recently unveiled plans to make big investments into the country's power generating system. The country is currently, and has been for years, experiencing energy supply shortages, resulting in constant energy rationing throughout the country. If the government's plans are executed, Lebanon could end its energy crisis in just four years.
Lebanese Energy Minister, Gebran Bassil, unveiled a USD 5 billion plan to revatilize the country's energy sector to the local newspaper Daily Star. This could result in the country having about 4 GW of power generation capacity by 2014, and 5 GW after 2015. The investments would cover power generation capacities, but also the transmission and distribution networks to ensure stable and reliable power supply.
The plant includes wind and biomass energy as far as renewables are concerned. According to the minister, Lebanon should have about 12% of renewables in its power generating portfolio by 2014.
[via: UPI, source: Daily Star]
The OPEC has decided to invest in renewable energy project development around the world. A total of USD 170 million will be invested in 14 projects in countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Central America Data, about 20% of the total amount is to be invested in Latin American countries. Some of the countries are Colombia (USD 30 million), Cuba (USD 12 million), the Dominican Republic (USD 5 million) and Nicaragua (USD 4 million).
There are no details about which renewable energy technologies will be developed, but judging from the recent developments in Latin American countries, wind and hydro are the most likely. We couldn't verify this bit of news with OPEC yet, so take this with a little salt (that's why we have the Rumors category 
).
[source: Central America Data]
The Panamanian Public Services Authority is reviewing 25 applications for wind energy development, which if accepted, could total in 3144 MW of installed wind energy capacity in this Central American country, effectively doubling the amount of power produced from wind energy.
Two major projects under review are 600 MW Donoso wind farm (also the largest of the group), proposed by Fersa Panamá, and the 500 MW Eólico Bocas Bay wind farm in Bocas del Toro.
[source: Central America Data, image: Merriam-Webster]
Scenery from the Great Bend on the Tsangpo River, where it turns towards India to become Brahmaputra.
The Guardian caused quite a stir with its report on China's plans to construct the biggest hydropower project in the world in the Tibetan region on the Tsangpo River (known as Brahmaputra later on on its flow path through India and further). Chinese scientists and engineers have made assessments and estimations which resulted in the possibility of some 38 Gw of hydropower potential that could be harnessed for electricity production. This would require building a huge dam in the Tibetan part of the river flow. sounds pretty straight forward, except for the issue with significant disruption of downward river flow in India and Bangladesh which both use the river for water supply and power generation. Chinese academicians have however stated that the project would cause very little if any river flow problems for the two countries.
PNE Wind, the German renewable energy company, seems to be planning a major investment activity in the UK in the vicinity of GBP 500 million. The company has recently opened a London based venture, and there are plans to open offices in Scotland as well by the end of the year. PNE Wind is aiming to become a major player in the UK wind energy market.
PNE Wind UK will be developing a portfolio of wind projects in England, Scotland and Wales totalling in more than 300 MW of capacity.
The company has thus far been involved in onshore and offshore wind energy project development in several countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Turkey, Germany, but also in North America in Canada and the US.
PNE Wind UK will concentrate on onshore wind power generation sites across the UK.
[source: Scotsman]
The Finnish government seems to be planning major investments in the renewable energy sector, according to a recent statement made by the country's Prime Minister to national boradcaster YLE. Finland is aiming to cut carbon emissions, and some of the planned activities include the creation of a stimulating environment for renwewable energy development, resulting in hundreds of millions of euros in funding for this energy sector.
The Finnish government is to make a decision soon on whether to proceed with proposed nuclear power capacity development. So far there have been three applicants for nuclear power plant development, although the government has stated there is no need for three projects.
[source: Reuters]
