Brazil ponders Boa Vista connection to grid
Brazil's national energy policy council CNPE is discussing strategies to resolve lawsuits against a transmission line that will connect Boa Vista to the country's main power grid.
Boa Vista, in northern Roraima state, is the only state capital in Brazil not connected to the main grid, since a transmission line would need to go through protected indigenous lands. The government would need to reach a settlement with the Waimiri Atroari community, which is responsible for the lawsuits, before proceeding with the project.
The transmission line connecting Boa Vista to the main grid was supposed to be delivered by 2015.
A power surcharge that subsidizes fuel costs for northern Brazil's isolated power grids is expected to raise R10.2bn ($1.97bn) in 2022. Once a region is connected to Brazil's main grid, the surcharge will cease to pay for its fuel costs.
Related news posts
Mitsui makes delayed exit from Paiton power project
Mitsui makes delayed exit from Paiton power project
Tokyo, 1 May (Argus) — Japanese trading house Mitsui completed on 30 April the ¥109bn ($690mn) sale of its stake in Indonesia's 2,045MW Paiton coal-fired power plant in east Java following multiple delays. Mitsui originally tried to complete its exit by the end of March 2022 . It said the procedures with Paiton's offtaker Indonesian state-owned power firm Persero took more time than expected without providing further details. Japanese thermal power producer Jera withdrew from Paiton by selling its 14pc share in 2021. Mitsui sold its 45.515pc share in Paiton Energy, as well as a 45.515pc stake in Netherlands-based subsidiary Minejesa Capital and a 65pc stake in Singapore-based IPM Asia that are related companies of the Paiton project. Mistui sold the stakes to RH International (RHIS), which is a Singapore-based subsidiary of Thai power producer Ratch, and Indonesian power company Medco Daya Abadi Lestari's subsidiary Medco Daya Energi Sentosa (MDES). Paiton Energy is now owned by RHIS, MDES and Qatar-based company Nebras Power. Mitsui did not disclose their ownership ratios. Paiton consists of the 615MW No.7, 615MW No.8 and the 815MW No.3 units, which sell electricity to Persero through an unspecified long-term contract. Mitsui now holds 9.6GW of power capacity assets globally, with 8pc being coal-fired projects. The exit from Paiton cut its coal-fired ratio by 8 percentage points, while raising its renewable ratio by 3 percentage points to 32pc. Growing global pressure against coal-fired power generation likely prompted Mitsui to exit Paiton. Energy ministers from G7 countries this week pledged to accelerate "efforts towards the phase-out of unabated coal power generation". By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Italian April power imports drop on NTC restrictions
Italian April power imports drop on NTC restrictions
London, 30 April (Argus) — Italian net electricity imports fell to their lowest in more than a year in April owing to significant constraints in net transfer capacity (NTC) from France to Italy, supporting an increase in domestic generation. Net imports averaged 4.7GW in April, down from 7GW in March and well below 6.7GW in the same month last year, according to data from Italian transmission system operator Terna. This was the country's tightest net importing position for any month since August. Italian imports from France saw the largest year-on-year decline, averaging 1.5GW compared with 2.7GW in April last year. This was Italy's lowest net imports since August 2022. Imports from Switzerland also fell on the year, declining by 500MW to 2.3GW, the lowest since August last year ( see chart ). The steep drop in imports to Italy's north zone is largely a result of significant reduction in the available NTC on France's eastern borders. Since early March, strong commercial exports through all of France's eastern borders, combined with low availability of the French power grid because of planned and unplanned outages, have led to "an extremely tense situation" for the French transmission system, the country's grid operator RTE has said. These factors have led to soaring physical flows and security issues on some interconnectors on the France-Switzerland and France-Italy borders. RTE on 5 March reduced the day-ahead NTC on the France-Italy border from a scheduled 4.5GW to 1.6GW, but the measure proved "insufficient to mitigate operational issues", RTE said. The overloads, although close to the France-Italy border, were induced by high commercial exports on all of France's eastern borders, including those with Belgium and Germany. RTE consequently applied additional safety measures to guarantee the operational security of the grid, such as lowering the NTC on the France-Switzerland border from 2.5GW to 2GW. Export constraints have resulted in French prices remaining at a significant discount to Italy, with the French spot index delivering at an average discount of €59.13/MWh in April compared with €35.37/MWh in March and €28.61/MWh in April last year. And falling Italian imports have driven a 2GW year-on-year increase in domestic generation to 24.6GW in April, while Italian power demand has remained virtually stable at 28.8GW. Minimum temperatures in Milan averaged 6.6°C on 1-30 April, up from 5.3°C in March and above 5.7°C in April last year. RTE is expecting some NTC curtailments until the beginning of May and from August to mid-October, it said. By Timothy Santonastaso Italian imports by country GW Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
G7 countries put timeframe on 'unabated' coal phase-out
G7 countries put timeframe on 'unabated' coal phase-out
London, 30 April (Argus) — G7 countries today committed to phasing out "unabated coal power generation" by 2035 — putting a timeframe on a coal phase-out for the first time. The communique, from a meeting of G7 climate, energy and environment ministers in Turin, northern Italy, represents "an historic agreement" on coal, Canadian environment minister Steven Guilbeault said. Although most G7 nations have set a deadline for phasing out coal-fired power, the agreement marks a step forward for Japan in particular, which had previously not made the commitment, and is a "milestone moment", senior policy advisor at think-tank E3G Katrine Petersen said. The G7 countries are Italy — this year's host — Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the UK and the US. The EU is a non-enumerated member. But the pledge contains a caveat in its reference to "unabated" coal-fired power — suggesting that abatement technologies such as carbon capture and storage could justify its use, while some of the wording around a deadline is less clear. The communique sets a timeframe of "the first half of [the] 2030s or in a timeline consistent with keeping a limit of 1.5°C temperature rise within reach, in line with countries' net-zero pathways". OECD countries should end coal use by 2030 and the rest of the world by 2040, in order to align with the global warming limit of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels set out in the Paris Agreement, according to research institute Climate Analytics. The countries welcomed the outcomes of the UN Cop 28 climate summit , pledging to "accelerate the phase out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050". It backed the Cop 28 goal to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 and added support for a global target for energy storage in the power sector of 1.5TW by 2030. The group committed to submit climate plans — known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) — with "the highest possible ambition" from late this year or in early 2025. And it also called on the IEA to "provide recommendations" next year on how to implement a transition away from fossil fuels. The G7 also reiterated its commitment to a "fully or predominantly decarbonised power sector by 2035" — first made in May 2022 and highlighted roles for carbon management, carbon markets, hydrogen and biofuels. Simon Stiell, head of UN climate body the UNFCCC, urged the G7 and G20 countries to lead on climate action, in a recent speech . The group noted in today's outcome that "further actions from all countries, especially major economies, are required". The communique broadly reaffirmed existing positions on climate finance, although any concrete steps are not likely to be taken ahead of Cop 29 in November. The group underlined its pledge to end "inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" by 2025 or earlier, but added a new promise to "promote a common definition" of the term, which is likely to increase countries' accountability. The group will report on its progress towards ending those subsidies next year, it added. Fostering energy security The communique placed a strong focus on the need for "diverse, resilient, and responsible energy technology supply chains, including manufacturing and critical minerals". It noted the important of "guarding against possible weaponisation of economic dependencies on critical minerals and critical raw materials" — many of which are mined and processed outside the G7 group. Energy security held sway on the group's take on natural gas. It reiterated its stance that gas investments "can be appropriate… if implemented in a manner consistent with our climate objectives" and noted that increased LNG deliveries could play a key role. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Japan’s Chugoku delays Shimane No.2 reactor restart
Japan’s Chugoku delays Shimane No.2 reactor restart
Tokyo, 30 April (Argus) — Japanese utility Chugoku Electric Power has postponed the restart of its 820MW Shimane No.2 nuclear reactor in western Japan's Shimane prefecture from August to December, as reinforcement works are taking longer than expected. The reinforcement works are taking longer, as the utility is also conducting facility inspections to prepare to reactivate the reactor after an extended closure since January 2012 for stricter nuclear safety inspections, said Chugoku on 30 April. Chugoku previously planned to complete the reinforcement works in May , but has now postponed this to October. The utility had aimed to begin normal operations at the reactor in September , but has now delayed it to January 2025. Chugoku had previously modified the restart schedule multiple times . The return of the Shimane No.2 reactor could have helped Chugoku reduce its reliance on thermal generation fuels including oil, LNG and coal, especially during the peak power demand season of summer. Chugoku is currently building the 1,373MW No.3 reactor at Shimane, aiming to complete its safety-enhanced construction sometime during April-September 2025. The company has filed an application with the Nuclear Regulation Authority for a safety screening of the No.3 reactor. Its 460MW Shimane No.1 reactor was scrapped in April 2015. By Nanami Oki Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Business intelligence reports
Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.
Learn more