BP to partner with Oman on renewable energy, green H2
BP said it is partnering with the Omani government to progress "a potential multiple gigawatt, world-class scale renewable energy and green hydrogen development" by 2030.
The strategic partnership will entail BP capturing and evaluating solar and wind data from 8,000km² of land, which will be used by the Omani government to approve future renewable energy hubs. As well as supplying the power grid, this renewable energy could also be used to develop green hydrogen production for domestic use and export markets, BP said.
"These projects will build on our gas business [in Oman], and bring wind, solar and green hydrogen together in a distinctive and integrated way supporting Oman's low-carbon energy goals," said BP chief executive Bernard Looney.
More broadly, the agreement will see BP collaborating with Oman on a renewables strategy, regulation and the reskilling of the local workforce.
"Over the past 50 years, we've advanced our hydrocarbon production. Today's agreement signals the next step in our energy journey — unlocking the potential for Oman as a low-carbon energy hub," Oman's energy minister Mohammed al-Rumhy said.
In May last year, Omani state-owned energy firm OQ announced plans to develop the country's first green hydrogen project alongside Hong Kong-based InterContinental Energy and Kuwait's clean energy investment company Enertech. The project in Oman's central al-Wusta governorate will use 25GW of solar and wind power to produce 1.8mn t/yr of green hydrogen and up to 10mn t/yr of green ammonia. It is expected to start production around 2026.
BP joined Oman's national hydrogen alliance last year and established a net zero taskforce to help develop a "roadmap" for the company in Oman. The firm operates Oman's block 61 concession, which contains the Ghazeer tight gas field. Output at Ghazeer has reached a plateau of 500mn ft³/d (5.15bn m³/yr). With an estimated 10.5 trillion ft³ of recoverable gas resources, the block has the capacity to deliver more than 30pc of Oman's total gas demand, according to BP.
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Hoekstra to face 'tough' EU parliamentary hearings
Hoekstra to face 'tough' EU parliamentary hearings
Brussels, 18 September (Argus) — EU climate commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, who has been nominated again for the role, is expected to face "tough" hearings in the European Parliament, according to a senior European official. The official told Argus that Hoekstra might have a "slight" advantage, as he underwent parliamentary hearings in 2023 when he took over fellow Dutchman Frans Timmermans' climate portfolio. At the time, Hoekstra was questioned extensively about past work with Shell and on climate issues. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen put forward new commissioner candidates on 17 September, assigning Hoekstra the climate, net-zero, and clean growth portfolio. All candidates will undergo hearings before the EU parliament votes on the new commission line-up. Hoekstra has said he is "honoured and humbled", but formal appointment depends on how he performs during the hearings before the European Parliament's energy, environment and other committees. Hoekstra's mandate would include drafting legislation to enshrine a 90pc cut in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2040, from 1990 levels, into European law. The commission's 2040 target, revealed in February, referred to a "net GHG emissions reduction of 90pc". Hoekstra last year made a "personal" commitment to defend a "minimum target of at least 90pc" net GHG cuts. Von der Leyen has tasked Hoekstra with designing climate policies for the post-2030 period and developing an Industrial Decarbonisation Accelerator Act. Other key objectives include channelling investment toward net-zero infrastructure and ensuring revenues from the EU's emissions trading system (ETS) are used "effectively" to drive decarbonisation. Hoekstra's responsibilities extend to advancing a single market for CO2, boosting carbon removals for hard-to-abate sectors, and phasing out fossil fuel subsidies. Hoekstra would work closely with former Danish climate minister Dan Jorgensen, who is nominated for the energy and housing portfolio, if both are appointed. Jorgensen will be responsible for advancing the Electrification Action Plan for industrial transition and overseeing a roadmap to phase out Russian energy imports. He is tasked with ensuring the "full use" of joint procurement mechanisms, with a mandate to extend the current aggregated demand system from gas to include hydrogen and potentially other commodities. Supervising both Hoekstra and Jorgensen, in addition to von der Leyen, will be Teresa Ribera, Spain's former climate minister. Ribera has been nominated as executive vice-president for a clean, just and competitive transition. European Parliament officials expect to receive financial declarations and other procedural documents in the coming days. That will allow parliamentary committees to send written questions to Hoekstra and other nominated commissioners, officially kicking off the hearing process. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EU needs future power grids task force: Ember
EU needs future power grids task force: Ember
London, 18 September (Argus) — The EU must put in place a future grid task force to bring together scattered legislation and directives, so the bloc can better implement its power grid roadmap and integrate renewable capacity, according to UK-based think-tank Ember. Integrating intermittent renewables into the power grid adequately will require substantial upgrades to the power network across the continent. This is a political priority for the EU but responsibility is shared across a number of European governmental bodies, Ember said. Most of the 80 action points laid out in EU policy and legislation are the European Commission's responsibility, but some objectives are overseen by EU distribution system body DSO Entity, European grid operators association Entso-E, energy regulators' agency Acer, the EU's High-Level Forum on European Standardisation, and individual member states. The policy framework is a "positive step", Ember said. But significant grid work and modernisation are needed, which would be best met through a single body that can ensure "timely and effective" delivery, according to Ember. A dedicated task force would centralise policy support and monitoring through a single channel, provide access to financing from the European Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and develop a clear roadmap for all actions that are currently in the commission's remit. The need for a roadmap is significant as several of the commission's targets do not have scheduled completion dates, Ember said. The EU must centralise funding access for member states and grid operators to ensure stakeholders can use as much of the funding available to them as possible, according to Ember. Funding is currently underutilised and spread across several financial instruments. In addition to uniting these instruments, the access mechanisms should be streamlined and administrative burdens reduced so that stakeholders of varying sizes can utilise these funds. The EU should provide targeted funding for pilot projects on grid digitalisation, and then create a "technical toolbox" to support the digitalisation of distribution grids. The toolbox would detail best practice approaches, standardisation guidelines and interoperability technologies to ease digitalising the power network. These innovative grid technologies (IGTs) or grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) use existing infrastructure to improve renewable integration while reducing overall investment needs. IGT and GET technologies could improve renewable integration with costly network upgrades by as much as 40pc, according to a study by Latvian grid operator AST. By Daniel Craig Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Asia-Pacific faces $815bn/yr green financing shortfall
Asia-Pacific faces $815bn/yr green financing shortfall
Singapore, 18 September (Argus) — Asia-Pacific holds significant investment opportunities in the energy transition, but obstacles such as insufficient public funding, lack of regulation and investment risks have resulted in a financing shortfall in the region. The Asia-Pacific region needs at least $1.1 trillion/yr in climate financing, but actual investment falls short by at least $815bn/yr, said Singapore's ambassador for climate action Ravi Menon at a conference in Singapore last week, referencing data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). There is existing green funding in the region such as from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which estimated its investments amounted to $10.7bn in 2023, and bilateral arrangements like the $600mn India-Japan fund, established by India's National Investment and Infrastructure Fund and Japan Bank for International Co-operation in October 2023. But this is insufficient, especially as the region's energy demand is only set to rise further. Energy demand in Asia is growing by 2.9pc/yr, the highest of any region in the world, said Menon. Renewables such as solar and wind are now more cost-competitive than fossil fuels, but the region needs more grid connectivity and capacity to make renewable energy a viable option. Building transmission lines and energy storage in the region alone will cost about $2.4 trillion over the next 10 years, added Menon. Obstacles to capital flows Total energy investment worldwide is expected to exceed $3 trillion in 2024, with about $2 trillion going to clean technologies and slightly over $1 trillion toward fossil fuels, according to the IEA's World Energy Investment 2024 report. Fossil fuel financing by the world's 60 largest banks rose to $705bn in 2023 , up by 4.8pc from $673bn in 2022, with the rise largely driven by LNG financing. The continued investments in fossil fuels and fossil fuel-based technologies will lead to more carbon-intensive infrastructure, divert capital from clean energy alternatives and undermine climate targets, derailing Asia-Pacific from its energy transition goals. Emerging economies typically have "many developmental needs" to take care of, hence public financing in these countries cannot shoulder the overall trajectory of growth of energy transition financing, said the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis' (IEEFA) sustainable finance and climate risk research lead Shantanu Srivastava at the IEEFA Energy Finance 2024 conference earlier this month. Many smaller economies rely on financing from multilateral development banks (MDBs), but this comes in "bits and pieces" and with many strings attached, he added. It is hence essential to bring in private capital, but the region faces challenges in attracting private investments. The lack of a sound climate information architecture hampers accurate assessment and tracking of climate risks, which impedes investors' ability to make decisions and prevents the scale-up of climate finance, according to the IMF. Other measurable risks — such as political risk, credit risk, and foreign exchange risk — often significantly raise the risk premium of investments into the region. Investors tend to expect higher returns on investments with higher risk premiums, but there are limited investment opportunities available which would provide such returns and this prevents foreign capital from scaling, according to Srivastava. Insufficient regulatory and government measures in the region as well as the inconsistency of existing ones also deter private investors, as these increase project execution risks. Policy continuity and long-term visibility of what the country is going to do is essential as a "policy flip-flop" deters investor confidence, Srivastava said. Tools to attract more climate finance Blended finance is necessary to mobilise private capital for Asia's energy transition, according to Menon. Governments and development finance institutions could provide concessional or risk capital in the form of grants and limited guarantees, while MDBs can provide technical assistance in the form of development expertise, capacity building and institutional support, he said. Finance can also be encouraged through sovereign sustainable bonds, which can stimulate local sustainable bond markets by setting long-term price benchmarks, boosting liquidity, and serving as models for private issuers, according to IEEFA. The issuance of these bonds also signal a dedicated government commitment to sustainability goals and can drive the development of a robust and transparent regulatory environment, IEEFA added. This is crucial for the long-term growth and stability of the region's sustainable bond markets, which is essential for boosting investors' confidence. Another method is through revenue generation tools, such as carbon pricing and carbon taxes, according to the Financing Just Transition Through Emission Trading Systems report released earlier this month by think-tank Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). Carbon pricing sends a strong signal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and indicates the government's intent to intensify efforts related to energy transition, which encourages private capital flow, stated the ASPI report. Carbon pricing also has the potential to generate substantial revenue, which can be allocated to climate funds to support low-carbon technology innovation and aid enterprises in making green investments, to aid low-carbon transition efforts, the ASPI report added. By Joey Chan Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Indonesian Sumsel 1 coal-fired unit eyes December start
Indonesian Sumsel 1 coal-fired unit eyes December start
Manila, 18 September (Argus) — The first 300MW unit of the 600MW Sumsel 1 mine-mouth coal-fired power plant in Indonesia's south Sumatra province is scheduled to begin commercial operations in December following several years of delays. The plant, which is located in Muara Enim regency, is being developed by China Shenhua Energy and Lion Power Energy, which have 75pc and 25pc respective stakes in the project. Once fully operational it is expected to consume around 2-3mn t/yr of coal. Lion will be responsible for sourcing the coal. The $750mn plant is part of Indonesia's 35GW power generation roadmap developed by the Indonesian government in 2015. The project was contracted to China Shenhua Energy in 2016. The first unit at the plant was originally scheduled for completion by 2020. But land acquisition delays and the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting restrictions on the movement of people and travel bans delayed construction, Lion said. Construction work on the plant structure is now in the final stages and operational testing is expected to begin soon. But hitting the operational target date also depends on the completion of a 275kV high-voltage line that will connect the plant to the grid, state-owned utility PLN said. The 80km transmission line will pass through four districts in south Sumatra. The local government is pushing for the acceleration of the voltage line construction and has instructed the sub-district head and local government offices to provide support for the power line construction, PLN said. Sumsel 1, once fully operational, will operate on a build-own-operate basis with a 25-year power supply contract with PLN, the utility said. By Antonio delos Reyes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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