STUFF

TOP STUFF

US increased import duties on wind turbine towers from China, Vietnam. Chinese, Viet imports ~25% of US mart. ~$202M worth from China, $79M from Vietnam.

WTO ruled Ontario's subsidies for clean energy producers that use Canadian-made equipment is in breach of rules. Supports EU, Japan complaints.

Plans submitted for world's largest offshore wind farm. 1.2Gw off Anglia (Brit) coast. 325 turbines, 3 offshore collector stations, 2 offshore converter stations. Construction start possible in '16.

Iberdrola (SP) chose Areva (FR) to supply turbines for 400Mw wind farm offshore Germany. 5Mw turbines. Build start in '16.

Sandia Lab: US could produce 75B gal/yr (134B gal of all fuels consumed in '11) of cellulosic biofuels without displacing food and feed crops.

1st time ever, state-owned (SC) utility Santee Cooper to shut down 4 coal units at 2 plants at year end. Among their oldest, smallest power plants. Santee and SCE&G also building $10B expansion of nuke power plant north of Columbia. 2 new reactors due online in '17 and '18.

Dutch fund raised $614M from investors for clean/renewable energy, other infra projects.

OTHER STUFF

Energy efficiency programs in 6 New England states proved so effective the regional grid can put off building $250M of upgrades to transmission towers, lines. From '15-'20 the 6 states to spend $5.7B on E efficiency.

"Clean coal" facility opened in Australia.

Calif taking steps toward fracking regulation with draft rules.

NRC said it will probably be months for decision to restart San Onofre nuke unit 2 in Cal or not.

NY Times said DC should accelerate approval process for LNG exporting. Any "modestly negative impact" worth the risk.

Gazprom set to reduce NG prices for Europe. Euro sales ~80% of Gazprom revs. Set to sell NG for ~$370/1K cu meter. Been charging over $400 this year. They expect exports to increase from ~140B cu meter this year to 152B next.

Exelon to retire 58-yr-old 166Mw oil-fired power plant in Philly at year end. Used once in last year. Among 7 peaking units for area. 2 smaller oil units on site will stay available.

JV to build 655Mw NG-fired combined cycle power plant at Newark Energy Center. GE turbines. Online in '15.

DTE Energy subsid sued residents for removing smart meters. Customers replaced them with devices they bought. Possible felony.

NV Bureau of Consumer Protection allowing customers to keep existing analog meters. But costs $53 up front and $8/mo.

Toronto comp had a train haul biodiesel back and forth over US border without unloading it. Why? To make several million dollars generating Renewable Energy Credits under EPA program.

Japan-funded Green Future Innovations began ethanol production @ $146M, 50M liters/yr plant in Philippines. 19Mw of el power also to be produced.

Kibos Sugar (Kenya) investing $55.7M for 10M liters/yr of ethanol production, co-gen of power and paper production capacity. Eth to be exported to regional countries.

S Africa Dept of Energy expects ethanol prices to be set by mid-'13. Will be determined by break-even price for sorghum-based ethanol production at efficiently-sized plant. 2 sorghum-based eth projects in development.

Montana officials approved easements for Keystone XL pipeline to cross state-owned land and Missouri, Yellowstone Rivers.

"Strange substance" leaking near BP Gulf spill site.