The 1518.5MW plant is owned by Cairo Electricity Production Company and consists of an open cycle and a combined cycle phase. Each of the two phases is equipped with four AE 94.2 gas turbines built at the Ansaldo Energia site in Genoa.

The new turnkey long term service agreement will cover all eight turbines and will replace the expiring frame service agreements currently in place.

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“Service is a strategic asset for Ansaldo Energia, strengthening long term relationships with key customers and paving the road to keep enhancing our products,” said Giuseppe Marino, CEO of Ansaldo Energia.

The new service agreement will provide for parts supply, maintenance activities, repair of vanes, spare parts, and instrumentation, as well as staff training.

“Achieving this objective has a strategic value for us: indeed, it represents a concrete appreciation of our work by Cairo Electricity Production Company, so much so that we have been confirmed for the maintenance of the ‘heart’ of their plant,” said Stefano Gianatti, Executive Vice President for Global Service of Ansaldo Energia.

Gianatti added: “The ability to be chosen as a long-term partner for the maintenance of critical assets such as gas turbines, is an evident recognition of our professionalism and skills, in an extremely competitive sector. We
are pleased to have met their expectations”.

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Two ground-breaking projects are aiming to decarbonise the energy-intensive cement industry.

This week saw the launch of a government, industry and academia alliance in Dubai, while in Spain a trial used solar power for cement production.

The Dubai collaboration is being led by the UK’s Heriot-Watt University and wants to bring the cement sector in the UAE to net zero emissions by 2040. If achieved, it plans to roll out its emissions-busting blueprint globally.

The research is based at the Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction (CESC) at Heriot-Watt’s Dubai campus and will focus on four key areas: materials and waste management; building permits and regulations; new technologies; and education.

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Cement is the source of about 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, according to think tank Chatham House. The majority of this CO2 is produced as a result of decomposition of limestone, while the remainder comes from the combustion of fuel and indirect emissions from electricity consumption.

Dr Anas Bataw, director of the Centre of Excellence in Smart Construction at Heriot-Watt, said construction and the wider built environment “accounts for around 40% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions”.

“Yet, the global construction market is expected to grow by $4.5 trillion up to 2030 to reach $15.2 trillion, with China, India, US, and Indonesia expected to account for 60% of this growth.

“During the global transition to net zero, the construction sector needs to dramatically reduce the amount of carbon embedded in new infrastructure and buildings, ultimately reducing its wider impact on the environment.

“As we develop advanced material, technological solutions and educational initiatives that will support the cement decarbonisation journey for the UAE, we’ll be sharing these insights on a global scale to support worldwide decarbonisation efforts.

“As a university with a global footprint, collaborating with global industry partners, we are perfectly placed to share this research.”

Dr Gillian Murray is deputy principal of business and enterprise at Heriot-Watt and says the cement initiative is the latest step in the university research in sustainable construction.

She highlighted Heriot-Watt’s spin-out company Kenoteq, which has launched a revolutionary brick made of recycled construction and demolition waste. The multi award-winning K-Briq is made from over 90% recycled waste materials and produces a tenth of the CO2 emissions of a traditional-fired brick.

“By re-using valuable recycled materials from construction and demolition waste, Kenoteq has achieved a circular-economy exemplar and we are confident it will lead to a circular economy revolution for the construction sector,” said Murray.

Meanwhile in Spain this week, cement producer CEMEX announced that by working with Swiss solar firm Synhelion, it had used solar power to manufacture clinker.

Clinker is an essential component in cement making and is produced by fusing limestone, clay, and other materials in a rotary kiln at temperatures nearing 1500°C.

Usually, fossil fuels are used to heat the kiln, however, CEMEX has used solar power.

 

“The production of the first solar clinker is an exciting milestone for this transformational technology,” said CEMEX chief executive Fernando Gonzalez.

Synhelion and CEMEX set up a pilot batch production unit to produce clinker from concentrated solar radiation by connecting the clinker production process with a Synhelion solar receiver.

The pilot took place at the Very High Concentration Solar Tower of Spanish research institute IMDEA Energy, where Synhelion’s solar receiver delivers temperatures reaching beyond 1500°C.
The receiver heats a gaseous heat transfer fluid and in turn provides the necessary process heat for clinker production.

The clinker was used to produce cement and was then further processed to produce concrete.
In the next phase of their joint research and development project, CEMEX and Synhelion aim to produce solar clinker in larger quantities as they work towards an industrial scale pilot at a cement plant.

“Our technology converts concentrated sunlight into the hottest existing solar process heat,” said Synhelion chief executive Dr Gianluca Ambrosetti.

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The transaction aims to create a global steam turbine equipment and services provider within EDF Group and will include teams across fifteen countries with nearly 70% of the workforce in France.

The agreement includes GE Steam Power’s conventional island equipment for new nuclear power plants, maintenance and upgrades for existing nuclear power plants, steam turbine technology for future nuclear plants, like the next generation of European pressurized reactors (EPR2) and small modular reactors (SMR).

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Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of EDF, said: “This plan to acquire part of GE Steam Power’s nuclear activities including the Arabelle turbine will enable EDF to strengthen its key technologies and skills for the nuclear fleet in operation and for new nuclear projects in France and worldwide.”

GE would retain a services-focused Steam Power business and continue to provide services for more than 100GW of nuclear turbine islands in the Americas region, and it also retains GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a lifecycle provider for reactor island which will deploy Canada’s first commercial, grid-scale SMR.

GE Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., said: “This plan supports GE’s efforts to focus our portfolio to be a best-in-class services partner to our Steam Power customers through the energy transition. Nuclear plays an important role in the energy transition, and GE will continue to support the industry through servicing our nuclear steam turbine fleet in the Americas as well as through GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s nuclear reactors, fuels, and services, including our SMR technology.”

According to GE Steam Power, their nuclear steam turbines are installed in half of the world’s nuclear power plants, including in all of EDF’s nuclear plants in France.

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The announcement forms part of the DOE’s award of $45 million in funding for 12 projects to advance point-source carbon capture and storage technologies. The aim of the project is to capture at least 95% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and other harmful gases generated from natural gas power and industrial facilities.

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“In order to dramatically reduce carbon pollution in our fight against climate change, we must deploy all of the tools at our disposal, including the innovative technologies that capture CO2 emissions before they reach the atmosphere,” said Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm.

“What’s truly exciting about these projects is that not only do they put us on a path to decarbonize existing infrastructure, but they also pave the way for good-paying, union jobs—in the communities that have been impacted the most from our dependence on fossil fuels,” added Granholm.

Cormetech’s CEO Mike Mattes, said: “Cormetech is very excited about this award, which will allow us to continue developing our CO2 capture technology for Natural Gas Combined Cycle Plants (NGCC). With Cormetech’s long history of technology leadership in emission controls, we are uniquely positioned to confirm the value proposition of our new lower-cost technology.”

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The joint venture intends to bid on licenses in both the Utsira Nord and Sørlige Nordsjø II areas in the North Sea and represents Vattenfall’s entry into the Norwegian wind market.

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According to Vattenfall, the Norwegian government recently announced plans to build up to 4.5GW of both floating and bottom-fixed wind turbines, and the licensing rounds are expected to take place within 2022.

Helene Biström Head of BA Wind Vattenfall said: “Norway is an attractive market to us with huge wind resources and we are delighted to see the growing support from the Norwegian government. This joint venture offers us a great chance to deliver affordable energy to industry and customers in line with our goal to enable a fossil-free living within one generation”.

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Simen Elvestad, CEO of Seagust, said: “We are thrilled to co-operate with Vattenfall, one of Europe’s largest operators of offshore wind. They have experience in leading every phase of a project, from consenting, construction and through to operation. Their track record of successful offshore wind projects is truly impressive. Our joint venture is now positioned as a top contender in the initial round of licensing of Norwegian offshore wind resources”.

Offshore wind is seen as a key pillar in supporting Norway’s energy transition away from oil and gas-related activities, using offshore skills and knowledge to drive renewable energy deployment.

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The 350MW wind energy project being built by RWE will produce enough electricity to power 350,000 Polish households.

RWE will use the substations being installed to collect clean electricity generated from the project and transport it via high voltage submarine cables to meet the growing demand for energy in Poland.

Digital tools will be installed to ensure remote control and monitoring of both the wind energy farm and substations.

Chantiers de l’Atlantique says it is partnering with both French and Polish companies to deliver the project. The company will start delivering the equipment and technologies for the project from this year and full installation is expected by 2025.

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After the successful delivery of the Arkona offshore substation in 2018, this is the second time that Chantiers de l’Atlantique and RWE have joined forces on an offshore wind project.

RWE says it is using the project to expand its business within the renewable energy segment, as well as to enable Poland to accelerate its retirement of fossil fuels by expanding its portfolio of clean capacity.

RWE already has a well-established onshore wind business in the country and is continuously diversifying its renewables portfolio by investing in solar projects in Poland.

RWE currently operates 17 offshore wind farms in five countries and plans to increase its wind capacity from 2.4GW to 8GW by 2030.

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The 130MW project will be owned by utilities Eversource and Orsted as part of efforts to help New York state achieve its energy transition and greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets through the deployment of renewable energy capacity.

New York has set a target to deploy 9,000MW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, approximately 30% of the state’s total electricity and enough energy to power up to 6 million households. The goal is also expected to help the state create 10,000 jobs.

Offshore wind energy capacity is expected to play a key role in helping New York to achieve a zero-carbon grid by 2040.

South Fork Wind is being built 35 miles east of Montauk Point and will comprise twelve 11MW turbines developed by Siemens Gamesa.

Once operational, the project will produce enough electricity to power 70,000 homes. A transmission network developed for the project will transport energy to meet demand in the Town of East Hampton.

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Over a 25-year period, the plant is expected to avoid the emissions of 6 million tonnes of carbon, the equivalent of removing 60,000 cars from the road for a year.

The project is one of the initiatives selected under a 2015 Long Island Power Authority request for proposals to address growing power needs on the east end of Long Island.

New York state governor, Kathy Hochul, said: “The harsh impacts and costly realities of climate change are all too familiar on Long Island, but today as we break ground on New York’s first offshore wind project we are delivering on the promise of a cleaner, greener path forward that will benefit generations to come.

“This project will also create hundreds of good-paying jobs, helping spur economic growth across the region as we continue to recover from COVID-19.”  

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The Gondosolar project is a joint project by the municipality of Gondo-Zwischbergen, the local grid operator, Energie Electrique du Simplon (EES), and the project initiator, Renato Jordan.

It will be located over 2000 meters above sea level and will produce around 23.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

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Project planners are planning to install 4,500 bifacial solar elements on an area of around 100,000 square meters, with each solar element consisting of 8 PV modules.

According to Gondosolar, the altitude of the planned project will ensure the production of about twice as much electricity per square meter compared with a facility in the Swiss Plateau.

The project will be commissioned within three years, once approvals and financing are finalised.

Industry and academic partners, such as Alpiq and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), are supporting the project.

EES currently produces around 250 million kWh of electricity from hydropower at its Gondo, Gabi, and Tannuwald power plants and plans to continue investing in future solar projects with local partners.

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Its latest step is a memorandum of understanding with Colombia’s ministries of Mines and Energy and Transport.

This is the second from Latin America following a March 2021 agreement with Chile’s ministry of energy and effectively the third supply point in the region following the September 2021 announcement of a green hydrogen plant development in Pecém Industrial and Port Complex in northeast Brazil, in which the Port of Rotterdam Authority is a partner.

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As major users of energy for multiple uses, ports have a key role to play in the energy transition. As the largest seaport in Europe, it is no surprise that the Port of Rotterdam should be at the forefront of innovation.

While Chile was the first country in the region with a hydrogen strategy, Colombia was not far behind and the MoU forms part of its roadmap to advance its hydrogen production and export capability and position the country as a player in the global market.

Under the MoU Colombia’s ministries and the Port of Rotterdam will establish dialogues to create a hydrogen export and import corridor between the two countries.

“The development of zero and low emission hydrogen will allow Colombia to reduce between 2.5 and 3 million tons of CO2 in the next decade, as well as position itself as a potential exporter of this energy, necessary to decarbonize energy-intensive industries and meet the goals of COP21,” said Minister of Mines and Energy, Diego Mesa.

Colombia’s hydrogen strategy anticipates the development of up to 3GW of electrolyser capacity for green hydrogen production by 2050, accompanied by the installation of up to 4.5GW of dedicated renewable energies.

The ministry considers that Colombia’s green hydrogen could be cost-competitive before 2030 and as early as 2027. With its location and in addition to direct export via the Atlantic, the country also has direct access to the Pacific for export to Asia.

Australia and South Africa

Other recent green hydrogen MoUs by the Port of Rotterdam include one with the Tasmanian government to investigate the feasibility of future exports from Bell Bay to the port and another with the South Australian government.

A study has found that the first exports of hydrogen from South Australia to Rotterdam are feasible this decade and that the state could provide up to 10% of Rotterdam’s forecast 18Mt/year demand requirements by 2050.

Discussions also have been held with South African government authorities and the Port is giving input to the development of an export hub at Boegoebaai on the country’s west coast close to the border with Namibia.

The Port envisages the first imports in 2025 and primarily in the form of ammonia, methanol and other liquid carriers. By 2030, the technology is expected to be in place to transport cooled liquid hydrogen in large volumes.

In addition to its import options, Rotterdam is becoming a hub for local hydrogen production with half of all Dutch projects located there, according to a July 2021 Port of Rotterdam statement.

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The initiative is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Global Power System Transformation Consortium (G-PST).

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“As countries transform their power systems by bringing significantly larger shares of renewables onto the grid, there is a risk many women will be left out of the clean energy transition, resulting in women benefitting less, socially and economically, from the opportunities offered by power system decarbonization,” said Sadie Cox, the initiative’s lead at NREL.

Women in Power System Transformation was launched by the US Department of Energy at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and aims to tackle barriers through academic and workforce training.

One of the G-PST’s core partners, Imperial College London, is developing a gender-informed university-level engineering training curriculum for the initiative. The course content will soon be made freely available to university professors and students around the world.

The initiative also includes:

• University internship and professional fellowship components targeted to women and other underrepresented groups in developing countries.
• Providing professional upskilling opportunities to women practitioners through its professional fellowship programme.
• Strengthening the academic and workforce training initiatives by providing comprehensive gender empowerment, negotiation, and leadership training to participating students, professionals, and hosting institutions.

“I hope that the tools we provide through this initiative will shift the power system operators field to be more amenable to women so we can unleash the full potential of this segment of the workforce,” said Sarah Lawson, one of the initiative’s agreement officers representatives at USAID. “We need the full participation of women to truly take on the enormous challenge of shifting the world’s power supply to clean energy sources as soon as possible to counter the threat of climate change.”

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