focus:Project Global energy projects • monthly status report Turbine manufacturer Vestas fared particularly well in the US in November, securing a handful of deals during the month. Shown is a project in Macho Springs, Texas.
Areas of interest: Brazil, Canada, US
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HIS MONTHLY column, penned by the Energy Industries Council, reports on the latest new project developments in the global renewable energy marketplace. Here we look at developments from November and December 2013.
In November and December, 40 projects were added to EICDataStream across the global renewable energy sector — a decrease of 63% on the previous two months from 109 projects in September and October 2013; the total potential investment value was US$9.9 billion.
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January/February 2014 | Renewable Energy Focus
EICDataStream tracks nearly 10,000 major projects proposed or under development across the global energy industry. There are currently 1,249 active renewables projects and a further 1,204 projects proposed for future development in the database. It should be noted that there will always
be a proportion of proposed projects that do not gain planning consent and the requisite finance. In November, 22 renewable energy projects were added to EICDataStream, with a total potential investment value of US$6 billion. Onshore wind was the strongest performing renewable sector, with 14 projects added to the database for a total potential investment of US$3.8billion. This accounts for more than half of all projects for the month. The remaining activity was in the solar sector (three projects, US$683 million); hydropower (three projects, US$1.2 billion); and geothermal sectors (two projects, US$350 million). The hotspots of activity this month were Brazil, where seven projects (696MW) have been added totalling US$1.2 billion; the USA, with six projects (1.1GW) added totalling US$1.7 billion; and Canada, with three projects (535MW) added totalling US$1.3 billion. In Brazil there has been a rise on onshore wind projects following the Brazilian Government’s A3 power auction in November 2013. Of the seven new onshore wind projects proposed in Brazil this month, five projects concentrated in the north-eastern coastal states of Piaui (3), Pernambuco (1) and Ceara (1), and one project in Rio Grande do Sul, were awarded 20-year Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in the auction. As a result of the PPAs, developers Eletrosul and Renobrax plan to build the Verace Wind Farms (Phase 2) in Santa Vitoria do Palmar, a series of 11 farms with a total capacity of 182MW; ContourGlobal and CHESF have put forward plans to build the Ventos de Santa Joana Wind Farms (Phase 2) in Caldeirão, a series of five farms with a total capacity of 30MW, and also the Ventos de Santo Augusto Wind Farms in Simões, a series of three wind farms with a total capacity of 90MW. Rio Energy has proposed to build the Itarema Wind Farms in Itarema, a series of four wind farms with a total capacity of 98MW; CHESF in partnership with PEC Energia plans to build the Serra das Vacas Wind Farms in Paranatama, a series of four wind farms with a total capacity of 30MW; and Zeta Energia has
About: Lizzie Lunn is Sector Analyst (Renewables) at the Energy Industries Council (EIC)
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put forward plans to build the Porto das Barcas Wind Farm, with a total capacity of 28.8MW, in Parnaíba. The remaining onshore wind project in Brazil is the Xangri-lá Wind Farm in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Developer Honda is planning to build a 27MW wind farm featuring nine 3MW Vestas turbines to supply Honda’s local production plant in Xangri-lá.
North American activity Activity in the US is also dominated by onshore wind, with a total of five such projects worth a cumulative potential investment of US$1.6 billion. The largest project is the 300MW Kay Onshore Wind Farm near Arkansas, Oklahoma, where developer Apex Clean Energy plans to install 130 turbines across a 48.6sq km site. Turbine manufacturer Vestas fared particularly well in the US in November, securing turbine orders for two of three onshore wind farms planned for the state of Texas. EDF Renewable Energy has ordered 220MW of wind turbine generators for its Longhorn North Onshore Wind project, located in Floyd and Briscoe Counties, northeast of Dallas. To the north-west of Dallas, in Jack County, developer Enbridge has ordered 55 Vestas V100-2.0MW turbines for its 110MW Keechi Onshore Wind Farm, which is expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2015. Vestas will also provide operations and maintenance services under a five-year contract. The same theme continues in Canada with onshore wind dominating activity through two projects accounting for 473MW capacity. A hydropower project is also planned for British Colombia, the US$300 million Jimmie Creek Hydroelectric project, with a capacity of 62MW. Developer Alterra Power has contracted SNC Lavalin to carry out the EPC contract for the project, scheduled to begin in the first half of 2014. Solar power continues to attract interest in Chile where the country has fostered the development of the non-conventional renewable energy sources (NCRE), which includes wind farms, solar power plants, small hydro and biomass facilities. In October 2013, installed capacity of NCRE
sources reached over 1GW. Two solar projects located in Copiapó in the Atacama region were added in November: a joint venture between Saferay and CATV Electronica has proposed to build the 135MW Carrera Pinto Solar Power Plant and SunEdison plans to build the 51MW San Andrés Solar Power Plant.
December announcements In December, 18 renewable energy projects were added to EICDataStream with a total potential investment value of US$3.9 billion. Again, onshore wind led activity in the renewables sector this month with 15 projects proposed worth a total potential investment of US$2.4 billion, again accounting for more than half of all projects this month. The remaining activity was in the solar (two projects, US$370 million) and hydropower sectors (one project, US$1.1 billion). The hotspots of activity this month were Brazil where four projects (1.2GW) were added totalling US$1.8 billion and the USA with four projects (269MW) added totalling US$660 million. Activity in Brazil is again dominated by proposals for onshore wind farms, with three onshore wind projects planned worth a total potential investment of US$680 million. Developer Queiroz Galvão Energias Renováveis has put forward plans for the Caldeirão I and II Wind Farms in Brazil’s north-eastern Piaui State, totalling 386MW capacity. Alstom has been awarded two contracts worth US$548 million to supply the wind turbines for the Caldeirao Grande I and II wind farms. Under the scope of the contract, Alstom will deliver, erect and commission ECO 122 turbines, which will be manufactured at Alstom’s production unit in Camaçari. Also in north-east Brazil, Gestamp Corporation plans to build the Serra de Santana Wind Farms, a series of three wind farms totalling 80MW capacity. The wind turbine supply contract has been awarded to Gamesa, who will supply, install and commission 40 G97-2MW turbines, as well as providing maintenance services over a 10-year period. The largest project proposed in December is the US$1.1 billion São
Manoel Hydro Power Plant on the Teles Pires River, between the states of Mata Grosso and Pará. Developers Energias de Portugal and Furnas have been awarded a 30-year concession to build and operate the plant following the government’s A5 auction in December 2013. The plant will feature a 30-metre high concrete dam and its powerhouse will be equipped with five Kaplan turbines with a capacity of 140MW each. Onshore wind continues its domination in the US with four projects across Kansas, New Hampshire, Maine and Texas. Developer RPM Access plans to build the 74MW Marshall Wind Farm in Marshall County, Kansas; Iberdrola Renewables has put forward plans to build the 76MW Wild Meadows Wind Farm at a site covering Merrimack and Grafton Counties in New Hampshire; First Wind has proposed the 51MW Hancock Wind Farm in Hancock County, Maine; and OwnEnergy and BlackRock plan to build the 68MW Windthorst 2 Wind Farm in Archer County, Texas. In Ethiopia, the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Energy has awarded US-based Energy Ventures and Global Trade & Development a contract to build, operate and transfer three 100MW solar photovoltaic power projects in eastern Ethiopia. The US$185 million project is due for completion in 2014. Meanwhile, UK commitments made by the Government on pricing and support mechanisms for offshore wind in the final quarter of 2013 mean that activity in the UK is expected to pick up in 2014.
Online: renewableenergyfocus.com Renewable Energy project monitor (May/June 2013) http://tinyurl.com/lpotqrw Renewable Energy project monitor (March/April 2013) http://tinyurl.com/msuv3nf Renewable Energy project monitor (January/February 2013) http://tinyurl.com/qglzxdq Renewable Energy project monitor (November/December 2012) http://tinyurl.com/c83hpv7
January/February 2014 | Renewable Energy Focus
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