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Brazil, China banks sign R9bn green investment deal

  • Market: Electricity
  • 07/06/24

Brazil's Bndes development bank has reached an agreement with the China Development Bank (CDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to finance up to R9.1bn ($1.72bn) in renewable projects in Brazil.

The agreement with the CDB is for up to $800mn over a 10-year period to finance green power, manufacturing, agriculture, mining and other renewable projects. The two banks are also evaluating a ¥5bn ($690mn) short-term line of credit to help the Bndes expand financing.

The line of credit is part of recent efforts by the Brazilian government to expand international trade and financing beyond the US dollar.

Bndes and AIIB agreed to expand cooperation in sustainable development, with the goal of investing $250mn in sectors including green energy and sustainable urban transport. AIIB has also agreed to support efforts to reconstruct areas of Rio Grande do Sul state that were damaged by record floods in late April and early May.

The financing was announced during a Brazilian trade mission to China, led by vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, who is also the trade minister. China is Brazil's largest trade partner, accounting for over 30pc of Brazilian export revenues in 2023.

Petrobras reinforces China ties

Brazil's state-controlled Petrobras and China's export credit agency Sinosure also signed a new memorandum of understanding to study opportunities for investment and cooperation in low-carbon initiatives and green finance.

The agreement also vies to strengthen Petrobras' supply chain, as well as increase and facilitate trades between Petrobras and Chinese companies, the Brazilian firm said today.


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15/05/25

Austrian PV additions fall 100MW on year in 1Q

Austrian PV additions fall 100MW on year in 1Q

London, 15 May (Argus) — Austrian solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity additions fell by around 100MW on the year in the first quarter of 2025, solar association PV Austria told Argus , a decrease of around 20pc. Newly installed PV capacity in January-March stood at 399MW, PV Austria said, compared with 497MW added in the first quarter of last year, according to data from grid regulator E-control. But late reports from Austria's distribution system operators may still cause a slight uptick in capacity addition numbers for the last quarter, PV Austria said. The association largely attributed the fall in solar additions to uncertainty around government policies, which "compromised" planning security and "jeopardised" investments into renewable energy, it told Argus . And it cited the "abrupt" end of the VAT exemption for small PV systems as well as the extension and tightening of the energy crisis contribution as further reasons for the decline. PV Austria called on the government to pass the electricity industry act (ElWG) and the renewable energy expansion acceleration act (EABG) as soon as possible. The government in February pledged to pass the ElWG in the summer of this year. Austria had just under 8.3GW of solar capacity installed as of the start of January, the latest data from transmission system operator APG show. Solar output more than doubled on the year in 2024 and APG has several times highlighted the challenges posed by increased PV capacity for demand forecasting and grid stability during times of solar peaks, when excess power must either be transported abroad or to storage power plants and can also lead to curtailments at wind and hydropower units. By John Horstmann Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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UK establishes public energy company


15/05/25
News
15/05/25

UK establishes public energy company

London, 15 May (Argus) — The UK parliament has passed a bill establishing a publicly owned energy company, Great British Energy (GBE), to support the nation's renewable energy ambitions. The company, funded with £8.3bn ($11.02bn) over the current parliamentary term, aims to accelerate renewable energy projects, enhance energy security, and support job creation, the department for energy security and net zero (Desnz) announced on Thursday. GBE will invest in clean energy initiatives, including technologies such as floating offshore wind, and collaborate with private companies to expand renewable energy capacity. The government states the company will help stabilise energy costs by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The bill includes £200mn for renewable energy projects, such as rooftop solar for schools, hospitals, and communities. It has also committed £300mn to develop the UK's offshore wind supply chain, supporting manufacturing of components such as cables and platforms. The legislation received approval from the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, enabling GBE to operate across the UK. Desnz secretary of state Ed Miliband is expected to outline GBE's strategic priorities "soon", specifying technology focus areas and investment criteria. The government sees GBE as a key part of its plan to transition to clean energy and stimulate economic growth through a "modern industrial strategy", it said. Industry body Energy UK welcomed the bill's passage. "[GBE] can play a vital role in making the government's clean energy ambitions a reality by attracting extra private sector investment," chief executive Dhara Vyas said. By Timothy Santonastaso Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Grids key to boosting SE Asia’s renewable power: Ember


15/05/25
News
15/05/25

Grids key to boosting SE Asia’s renewable power: Ember

Singapore, 15 May (Argus) — Up to 30GW of solar and wind power could be unlocked along planned grid routes in southeast Asia, which would help meet growing power demand in the region, according to a report released today by think-tank Ember. The Asean group of nations is still heavily reliant on fossil fuels, but solar and wind power are expected to constitute 23pc of the energy mix by 2030, up from 4pc currently, according to Ember. Asean as a region targets a 51GW increase in solar, and a 109GW increase in wind, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy combined by 2040. Electricity demand is rising in the region, because of economic growth as well as greater demand from data centres and transport electrification. Expanding and modernising the region's grid infrastructure would help to allow for the development of more clean energy, improve system flexibility and support regional power sharing. Up to 24GW of potential solar power and 5.6GW of wind power are situated in Indonesia's Riau islands and Sumatra, Malaysia's Sarawak, Cambodia and Brunei, where there are existing and planned grid projects. But the electricity generated from these projects needs transmission lines to be transported to demand centres. Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand collectively plan to add 45,078km of transmission lines between 2023-30. But this is slightly less than half of IEA's projections that indicate southeast Asia needs to expand transmission lines by 100,000km between 2021-30 to meet its clean energy targets. Regional variance There is significant disparity between Asean countries in their clean energy potential, with some having abundant wind and solar capacity, and others having hydropower and geothermal resources. These resources also tend to be subject to seasonal variations. Regional grid interconnection is hence "key to using these resources in combination, boosting renewables use and economic growth" states the report. The Asean Power Grid has seen some progress through the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore (LTMS-PIP) project and the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines Power Integration Project (BIMP-PIP). But grid development plans still vary significantly across the region. Only Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore have signed the UN's Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge, which aims to deploy 1,500GW of energy storage and 25mn km of grid infrastructure globally by 2030. Additionally, investment required to expand electricity grids, including regional interconnections, could reach $22bn/yr by 2035, the IEA said. Asean's clean energy future hence depends on cross-border data sharing, addressing infrastructure requirements, momentum in policymaking for regional co-operation, and aligning investments with future energy demand, says Ember. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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Mauritania weaves GTA project into industrial strategy


14/05/25
News
14/05/25

Mauritania weaves GTA project into industrial strategy

Paris, 14 May (Argus) — Offshore gas production could help to meet Mauritania's power demand by 2030 while also supporting mining activity, particularly of iron ore, energy minister Mohammed Ould Khaled told the Invest in African Energy forum today. BP last month loaded the first LNG shipment from its 2.7mn t/yr Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) joint venture in Mauritanian and Senegalese waters. GTA is export-oriented, but Mauritania could still tap the project for power, Khaled said, although he added that infrastructure would need to be built to facilitate this. A tender to build a power plant fired by GTA gas will be launched in the next couple of weeks, he said. Mauritania wants to become a regional power hub within 20 years, Khaled said, and hopes to see construction of a power link "to the north" — in the direction of Western Sahara/Morocco. The Mauritanian power grid is already connected to Senegal and Mali, he said. Future power generation projects will be funded by the private sector and incentivised through tax breaks, Khaled said, with 550MW set to become available to the domestic market through private-sector projects over the next couple of years. Mauritania is also looking for partners to develop the 50 trillion-60 trillion ft³ Bir Allah gas field for export and domestic markets. The area lies 50km north of GTA and exclusively in Mauritanian waters, according to Khaled, with two wells already having been sunk. Bir Allah is "three times bigger than GTA", he said. BP and Kosmos Energy signed an exploration and production-sharing agreement for the site in late 2022 , with BP saying gas from the field will be used to expand GTA to 10mn t/yr. It is unclear whether BP or Kosmos Energy are still partners in the Bir Allah development project. By George Maher-Bonnett Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

News

MCSC confirms 15-minute SDAC power trading delay


14/05/25
News
14/05/25

MCSC confirms 15-minute SDAC power trading delay

London, 14 May (Argus) — The Market Coupling Steering Committee (MCSC) has confirmed that Europe's transition to 15-minute settlement periods in the Single Day-Ahead Coupling (SDAC) market will be delayed to 30 September, citing some parties' lack of "non-technical readiness". The joint committee of nominated electricity market operators (Nemos) and transmission system operators (TSOs) had planned to launch 15-minute settlements on 11 June, and it stressed that most parties are technically ready for this date. But as some parties are not ready, the first delivery date for 15-minute trading will now be 1 October, after market launch a day earlier. The MCSC said it had considered "alternative go-live scenarios", but concluded that these could not be accommodated. Eleven Nemos confirmed their "readiness and commitment" to Argus in April , with only French-based exchange Epex Spot saying it would vote against the 11 June start date, citing "operational concerns" and "too many failures in testing". The Nemos — including Oslo-based Nord Pool, Spain's Omie and Italy's GME — did not "share [Epex Spot's] misgivings", and said the decoupling risk cited by Epex Spot was "not due to a lack of reliability" in the system. Instead, they attributed this to certain parties' internal initial local testing problems. The MCSC confirmed that "performance tests of the joint systems and procedural tests have been successfully completed" and that they "were on a good track". By Daniel Craig Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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