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Dominion subsidiary Dominion Virginia Power has started work on its 1,588MW Greensville County Power Station in Virginia, USA.Construction on the new $1.3bn facility follows the plant's air permit approval by the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board. According to the company, the air permit, issued on June 17, was the last regulatory hurdle the power plant had to clear before proceeding. Dominion's Generation Group CEO Paul Koonce said: "This is terrific news for Dominion, its customers, the Commonwealth, Greensville County and all of Southside Virginia."We are excited about the task ahead and are looking forward to getting this state-of-the art power station operating and providing energy to more than 400,000 customers by 2019."The new plant will be the company's second major generation project in Southside, being the first Brunswick County Power Station, which started generating electricity in April.
Dubai Municipality plans to build a $544M waste-to-energy plant in Dubai.The plant, set to become the largest plant in the Middle East to convert solid waste into energy, will be located in Warsan district 2.According to Eng. Hussain Nasser Lootah, director-general of Dubai Municipality, the project will be implemented over three years.In its first phase, the plant will receive 2,000t of municipal waste per day to produce 60MW of power.Essa Al Maidoor, deputy-director of Dubai Municipality, said the waste incineration project is the first of four projects to produce green energy and that the municipality aims to produce 7% of Dubai’s total energy from clean energy sources by 2020.The plant will be operational in the second quarter of 2020.
EDF Energies Nouvelles subsidiary EDF EN Canada and MD1 Wind have dedicated the 74MW Mont Rothery wind project in Quebec, Canada.The project includes 37 wind turbines, which will generate clean electricity to meet the needs of about 15,000 Quebec homes. The $175M wind farm has created over 200 jobs during the peak construction period and approximately seven permanent operation and maintenance jobs.Construction on the project started in October 2014 and reached commercial operation in December 2015.EDF EN Canada’s director of generation Alex Couture said: “In addition to the $11M of local economic impact generated by the project during construction, the two MRCs concerned by the project and the city of Murdochville will share a total contribution of over $4M during the operational phase.”* For more information on the Canada construction market, visit the Construction Intelligence Center Report Store.
Larsen & Toubro subsidiary L&T Hydrocarbon Engineering Limited (LTHE) has secured contracts worth INR11.7bn ($174M) across its various business segments.The business has won a lump-sum turnkey contract valued at INR3.55bn ($53M) from Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) for a coke drum system package including a 1.7M metric tonnes per annum delayed coker unit at its Haldia Refinery in West Bengal, India. Reliance Industries Limited has awarded another contract worth INR5bn ($74.4M) to L&T Hydrocarbon for its MEG, LDPE and CO shift & AGR shift of DTA units.LTHE has won an INR2bn ($29.7M) contract from Hindustan Mittal Energy Limited (HMEL) for composite mechanical works of its Low Cost Expansion Project and services for capacity expansion at Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, Bathinda. The scope of work involves the structural fabrication and erection, piping for multiple process units, tankage works, equipment erection, E&I works and shutdown works.The business has secured an order worth INR1.15bn ($17.1M) for an on-going project in Kuwait, which includes the fabrication of piping spools, to be supplied from L&T’s Kattupalli Yard near Chennai, and supply of static equipment to an Indian client from L&T’s Hazira Yard located in Gujarat.
POSCO E&C has started construction on a 380MW combined cycle power (CCPP) plant in Colon, Panama.The project will include the construction of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) CCPP plant, along with an 180,000cb m LNG storage tank to supply fuel at Colon — located near the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal — entailing an investment of $650M.The facility, set to be the largest of its kind in Panama, will generate enough electricity to power about 300,000 homes.Upon completion, the power plant will provide a stable supply of electricity to the industrial complex near Panama Canal and the Colon area.POSCO E&C CEO Han Chan-kun said: "The project is the result of efforts to establish trust with the ordering parties in Latin America over the past decade."It will be a great chance for us to showcase the high-quality construction technology of E&C across the world."The power plant will be completed in July 2018 and the LNG tank in May 2019.
A2Sea has signed a contract for the installation of Horns Reef 3, which is an extension to the current Horns Reef 1 and 2 offshore wind farms in Denmark.The project owner is Vattenfall and the total capacity of the wind farm is 400MW. A2Sea’s purpose-built offshore installation vessel Sea Installer will be deployed to install the 49 MHI Vestas 8MW turbines. Load out port will be Esbjerg.“I am confident that our team of experienced employees both onshore and offshore will deliver on time, on budget and most importantly in a safe manner,” says Jens Frederik Hansen, CEO at A2SEA.When fully commissioned, the 400MW offshore wind farm will provide green energy for over 400,000 homes in Denmark.
LACC, the joint venture between Axiall Corporation and Lotte Chemical, has started construction on a $3bn project to build an ethane cracker facility in Louisiana, USA.The cracker facility, to be located adjacent to Axiall’s existing Lake Charles complex, is expected to produce 1M tonnes of ethylene annually. Lotte Chemical will also build an adjacent plant to produce 700,000t of ethylene glycol (EG) annually. The facilities are expected to create over 200 new direct jobs and more than 1,800 indirect jobs in the region. Further, about 2,000 temporary construction jobs are expected to be created during construction work.Lotte Chemical’s president and CEO Soo Young Huh said: “Among Korean petrochemical companies, Lotte Chemical is the first to locate a project in the United States; as such, this project represents a significant investment by Lotte Chemical.”Axiall’s president and CEO Tim Mann said: “For Axiall this commitment marks the next phase of our continued investment in the Lake Charles area. Our construction site is just west of our largest chemicals plant, where we have operated for nearly 70 years.”
A selection of current construction work and studies shows hydropower’s wide range, says Patrick Reynolds. Numerous hydropower and pumped storage projects are in construction or planning across the globe, and International Water Power & Dam Construction (IWP&DC) briefly notes progress and developments on a selection in Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and also the Middle East.A major hydropower scheme that is well advanced is the Ulu Jelai project, in Malaysia. Being constructed by Salini Impregilo, the project involves significant surface and underground works.Both surface and underground works feature in the Foz Tua pumped storage project, in Portugal, and which is also at an advanced stage. The project involves construction of a 108m-high double-curvature arch dam.Developing hydropower where a new dam is not needed, efforts are pushing ahead in the US to exploit existing lock and dams structures, such as the run-of-river projects being undertaken by power company American Municipal Power (AMP) on the Ohio River. The plants under construction include 72MW Smithland.Statkraft may give the go-ahead this year for two run-of-river projects in Chile, following an acquisition in 2015. However, following a recent review of its investment programme it has yet to decide what action it will take.Many further projects are coming, and a few among those include recent awards for consultants MWH Global and ÅF, respectively, in South America, Europe and the Middle East.Malaysia: Ulu JelaiConstruction of the 383MW Ulu Jelai hydropower project, in Malaysia, has been underway since 2011 and is well advanced, including the recent milestone completion of the Susu roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam.Ulu Jelai is being developed by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) in Pahang state, approximately 200km north of the capital Kuala Lumpur. It is one of five hydro projects being built at present to help stabilise the power grid.The project is located on Bertam River, and involves major dam and tunnel works. The rated net head of the scheme is approximately 360m.Key features of the project include the Susu reservoir on Bertam River, and to which water is conveyed by transfer tunnels from the Lemoi and Telom rivers, running on opposite sides of the main river. Lemoi and Telom are tributaries of Bertam and naturally join the main river downstream of the project location but are being tapped with offtake weirs at higher elevations. The tunnels have lengths of 7.5km and 8.5km, respectively.Water flows from Susu reservoir down a 9.5m-diameter unlined headrace tunnel to the underground powerhouse complex, holding a pair of 191MW Francis turbines. Ulu Jelai is expected to generate approximately 326GWh of electricity annually.Salini Impregilo is main contractor on the scheme, which is nearing completion.The Susu RCC dam is more than 80m-high with a crest length of 512.5m. Its volume is approximately 750,000m3, the contractor said.The volume of other concrete works on the project is approximately 190,000m3. Surface excavations and earth moving has involved more than 3M m3 of material.Underground construction has been performed by both TBM boring and drill and blast excavation. In total, the project has called for excavation of 26km of tunnels and also the powerhouse cavern complex. The TBMs were used to bore 15km of tunnels, and 11km of excavation of undertaken by drill and blast.Salini Impregilo notes that the total underground rock excavation is approximately 800,000m3.
A deteriorating section of the fluming carrying water to Tarraleah power station has been repaired on time and in budget, improving the safety and condition of this important infrastructure. Generating energy from water over the long term requires significant on-going investment in the safety and performance of more than dams and turbines. Water conveyance infrastructure also needs regular attention to keep the water flowing across the many, often rugged, kilometres from storages to power stations."Across a century of hydropower development, Hydro Tasmania has constructed 55 major dams, 30 power stations, and hundreds of kilometres of waterways," said Hydro Tasmania's civil portfolio manager Neil Smith."Many of these assets were world firsts when they were built and continue to provide outstanding service to this day. But, like any valuable infrastructure, our hydroelectricity and water assets require on-going maintenance to perform well into the future."A timely and successful repair of a rapidly deteriorating section of the flume carrying water to Hydro Tasmania's Tarraleah Power Station has greatly improved the safety and condition of this important piece of water conveyance infrastructure, and ensured its reliable service in Tasmania's power system for at least another 50 years.And if that isn't cause enough for celebration, this repair has also been achieved within schedule and budget, using safe and innovative design and construction methods, and carefully considering the flume's heritage values.
Spectra Energy subsidiary Valley Crossing Pipeline has secured a contract from the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) to build the $1.5bn Nueces-to-Brownsville natural gas pipeline.The 168-mile intrastate natural gas pipeline project will be used to transport natural gas — starting in 2018 — to meet Mexico's growing power generation needs.Under the contract, Valley Crossing will build and operate a header system of more than 5bn cb ft per day near the Agua Dulce Hub in Nueces County, Texas, as well as a 2.6bn cb ft per day pipeline originating at that header and extending to Brownsville, Texas. There, the pipeline will connect with the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline, which will extend into Mexico.Spectra Energy’s president of US Transmission and Storage Bill Yardley said: "Spectra Energy is pleased to have secured the bid to build and operate this critical infrastructure, which will provide clean-burning and reliable natural gas to support Mexico as its electric generators shift away from fuel oil and imported LNG."Successfully securing this project adds to our already-strong asset portfolio, connects us to another key demand-pull market, and brings us closer to our goal of securing $35bn in capital expansion projects by the end of this decade, with approximately $20bn either in execution or in service since 2013."
The Infraestructura Marina del Golfo (IMG) joint venture has secured a contract to design and build a $2.1bn natural gas pipeline in Mexico.Under the 25-year contract — awarded by the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE) — the JV between Infraestructura Energética Nova (IEnova) and TransCanada will build, own and operate an approximately 800km gas pipeline.IMG will be responsible for implementing the project, including permitting, acquiring land and rights of way, engineering, procurement, construction, financing, operation and maintenance. The 42-inch diameter ‘Sur de Texas-Tuxpan’ pipeline will have a daily capacity of 2.6bn cb ft. The pipeline will be used to transport natural gas from a point near Brownsville, Texas, to Tuxpan, Veracruz, and will provide natural gas to new and existing CFE power plants that currently use fuel oil. TransCanada’s president and CEO Russ Girling said: "We are extremely pleased to further our growth plans in Mexico with one of the most important natural gas infrastructure projects for that country's future."This new project brings our footprint of existing assets and projects in development in Mexico to more than $5bn, all underpinned by 25-year agreements with Mexico's state power company."The pipeline is expected to be operational in late 2018.
Granite Construction subsidiary Kenny Construction has won four sewer renewal contracts worth $119M from the City of Chicago.Under the contracts, Kenny will be responsible for the cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining, and CIPP structure lining for two years with an option to extend by one year.The contracts are part of a multi-year programme to replace Chicago’s aging brick sewers, financed by the City of Chicago and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. Granite Construction said that CIPP lining and structure lining extends the life of hydraulically adequate sewers at lower cost than excavating and replacing sewers in the streets, and is less disruptive to vehicular and pedestrian traffic during construction.Construction is set to commence in the second quarter of 2016 and is expected to be complete in May 2019.
Hydro projects of all stages continue to make Asia a growth sector, says Patrick Reynolds. Among the many hydropower projects in development in Asia, expansions are underway at the Baglihar scheme in India, the Tarbela dam in Pakistan, and Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana pumped storage plant in Thailand.Also in Pakistan milestone progress has been achieved recently at Neelum Jhelum, and studies are advancing plans for Thakot and other projects in the Indus basin.A range of further supporting studies for hydro projects are underway in Nepal and Bhutan, respectively, and also Vietnam — including Lai Chai where works are advanced. A refurbishment project is in preparation for a key hydro scheme in Tajikistan.Nepal also has a focus on irrigation needs, including a wider examination of flood hazard risk.Himalayas/Central AsiaIndia: Baglihar-II The 450MW Baglihar-II project in Jammu & Kashmir, India, was inaugurated recently by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Developed on the Chenab River, the project is the second stage of the Baglihar scheme and doubles the installed capacity at the site to 900MW. The Stage I plant was built over 2000-2008. Their joint output is expected to be approximately 4180GWh of electricity annually.Project developer is the Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation. Lahmeyer International — part of Tractebel Engineering, a division of ENGIE previously GDF Suez — is the Engineer-in-Charge of the Baglihar site, and since 1999 has had engineering responsibilities on both stages of the development.Contractor on both stages is Jaiprakash Associates. E&M supplier on Stage II are Voith Hydro and Andritz Hydro, and for Stage I were Voith Siemens and VATECH, respectively.Both stages are served by a 144.5m-high concrete gravity dam with an integrated overflow spillway. Each stage also features significant underground infrastructure. The intakes to both are located in the bank, immediately upstream of the dam.The stages have parallel diversion tunnels at the dam. The headrace tunnels also run together for most of their distance, and each has a 77m high surge shaft.The underground powerhouses of the two stages, each with 3 x 150MW Francis units, are close together — Stage II complex is located immediately upstream of the Stage I caverns. The cavern complexes are approximately 180m apart.Each powerhouse cavern is 50m high x 24m wide x 121m long; and, the transformer caverns are 24m high x 15m wide x 112m long. The caverns were excavated over 2011-2013.Downstream of each powerhouse complex are further underground works, located before the tailrace tunnels: the underground structures are ‘Collection Galleries’. For Stage I, the collection gallery is a single cavern; for Stage II, the system includes a lower gallery 20.6m high x 14m wide x 95m long, three 14m-wide riser shafts and a gate operating top gallery 9m high x 16m wide x 57m long.The tailrace tunnels are different, too — Stage I is short (130m), high (29m) and flow is free-flowing; Stage II is a 350m-long, 10m-diameter pressurised tunnel.Other projects on the Chenab that Lahmeyer has worked on include Sawalkote, Ratle and Pakal Dul.Separately, in Himachal Pradesh, Lahmeyer recently provided consultancy services for the Thana Plaun project being developed on the Beas River by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation. The 187MW scheme involves dam works and an underground powerhouse, and is expected to generate about 530GWh annually.Pakistan: Thakot Investigations are underway to prepare a feasibility study for the Thakot hydro scheme being developed on the Indus River by Pakistan's Water & Power Development Authority (WAPDA).Thakot is being developed as a project of at least 2GW, and is located immediately upstream of the existing Tarbela reservoir. It is part of a cascade of large hydro schemes planned to be built on the river, and upstream projects include 2.4GW Patan and 4.5GW Daimer-Basha.Lahmeyer is working with local partners on studies for the three WAPDA projects — Thakot, Patan and Daimer-Basha, respectively.The next project upstream from Thakot in the Indus cascade is Patan, and others being planned include Dasu and Daimler-Basha, which is 315km upstream of Tarbela dam.For the Thakot project, WAPDA is seeking to exploit a head of approximately 180m between Patan and Tarbela. Planning studies for Thakot are investigating options for either a single project or a few created as a small, intermediate cascade, says Lahmeyer. Thakot dam site is at a narrow section of the river, just downstream of Besham.At Tarbela itself, WAPDA is currently constructing the 4th Extension Project at the site to add 1410MW by June 2017 — an earlier deadline to an accelerated programme, announced in January. The extension will increase the installed capacity at Tarbela to 4888MW.Civils works on the 4th Extension Project are being executed by SinoHydro, and the E&M package is being supplied by Voith Hydro. Consultants working on the project are Mott MacDonald and Coyne et Bellier with subconsultants MM Pakistan and ACE Pakistan. The consulting team has also undertaken studies for the 5th Extension project.Tarbela was completed in the 1970s, and generating units have been added in phases up to the early 1990s.An earlier project for Lahmeyer was a feasibility study review for the high-head, 34MW Harpo scheme, on a tributary on the Indus. Separately from Indus developments, WAPDA noted the milestone progress achieved in underground works in February, with a key tunnel breakthrough on the 969MW Neelum Jhelum scheme. The project is to be commissioned over the second half of 2017. Contractor is Chinese consortium CGGC-CMEC. Consultants are Neelum Jhelum Consultants, which is a joint venture of MWH, Norplan, Nespak, ACE and NDC.Tajikistan: Qairokkum rehab ILF is providing consultancy services to national utility Barqi Tojik for the rehabilitation, uprating and safety improvements at Qairokkum hydro plant, in Tajikistan.The 66-year old plant on the Syr-Darya River is to have its capacity increased from 126MW to 174MW, and various E&M and civil engineering packages of works undertaken for the rehabilitation.The project is also to deliver dam safety improvements, the quality of electricity supply, and climate change resilience.ILF will provide services during procurement and construction phases, and commissioning.Funding support for the scheme has been given by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).The bank also — along with the World Bank and European Investment Bank (EIB) — has given funding support to the related CASA-1000 transmission line project, which will help Tajikistan export hydropower to the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Mott MacDonald has also carried out climate resilience studies on Tajikistan's water sector for the Asian Development Bank (ADB).Nepal Consultants Lahmeyer, Total Management Services (TMS), Entura and Manitoba Hydro International (MHI) are working across a number of water studies and projects in Nepal. The different contracts range from flood hazard studies and providing consultancy services to the Nagmati irrigation scheme and development of Tanahu hydro project, respectively.Lahmeyer is working with local partner TMS on flood hazard studies in 25 key river basins — including a focus of mitigation measures in six catchments — for the Ministry of Irrigation. The studies were due for completion in the first quarter of this year.The client division managing the task is the ministry's Water Resources Project Preparation Facility (WRPPF), which has ADB funding support to focus on urgent projects to mitigate both climate change impacts and ensure sustainability of food supply.Separately, the ministry and ADB have commissioned Entura as lead consultant for the initial services of investigations and updating the feasibility study of the Nagmati dam, near Kathmandu.Following consultancy services will include detailed design of the dam and reservoir operation regime, and assistance with procurement for the construction stage of the project to be built in the Bagmati river basin.In hydropower, development services for the 140MW Tanahu hydro project — the country's first large storage reservoir — are being provided by Lahmeyer with the support of MHI.The consultants were appointed to the project last year by the developer, Tanahu Power Ltd, a special project company established by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to build and operate the scheme.Tanahu is located on the Upper Seti River, and key infrastructure includes a 140m high gravity dam, chute spillway, underground powerhouse and associated tunnels. The reservoir will have a sediment flushing capability to help maintain the active storage volume.Bhutan The World Bank has appointed ÅF — a Swedish engineering and consulting company — to undertake an environmental and sustainability study of the 720MW Mangdechhu hydro project, currently under construction in Bhutan.ÅF is more than half way through the assignment on the Mangdechhu project being built in Trongsa Dzongkhag district in the centre of Bhutan.The run-of-river scheme is designed to operate under a minimum gross head of 344m, and includes significant dam and underground works: a 101.5m high concrete gravity dam, diversion tunnel, 13.5km long headrace, and powerhouse caverns.The consultant is due to report its findings to the bank and Bhutanese authorities before the middle of this year. The work is being conducted in accordance with the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, which covers a wide range of areas, including climate change and human rights.The Mangdechhu scheme is being developed by Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority — a joint venture of the governments of Bhutan and India, the latter providing most of the finance. The project is due for completion in 2018, generating more than 2900GWh/year, and supplying power domestically and to India.In fiscal year 2006-7, India's NHPC entered into an agreement with the Government of Bhutan to prepare a detailed project report of the proposed scheme, then envisaged with a capacity of 672MW. Feasibilities studies for the scheme were supported by Japan and Norway.SE AsiaThailand: Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana PS, Phase 2 ÅF is supporting the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) on the extension project to double the capacity of the 500MW Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana pumped storage plant.The underground plant has two pump-turbines in operation, and was initially commissioned in 2002. The 500MW expansion project at Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana is due for completion in late 2018.Lamtakong Jolabha Vadhana is located in Nakhon Ratchasima province, was the first underground plant hydro facility in Thailand and remains the principal plant supplying power in the northeast provinces, says Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). Its upper reservoir is on Yai Tieng Mountain, and the powerhouse in 350m underground.Phase 2 of the project will add two further 250MW units, taking the total capacity of the PS plant to 1GW. Work at the plant is also to include installation of two circuits of 95km-long high-voltage transmission lines to connect with the Tha Lan 3 substation, in Saraburi province.ÅF signed a contract with EGAT to provide a range of services while the extension project is executed under by an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.The consultant's services include design review, project management, engineering and field services through all stages of execution, including commissioning.Vietnam: Lai Chau HEP ÅF is also active in neighbouring Vietnam, where the consultant most recent began work on the supporting the implementation of the environmental and social action plan for the Lai Chau hydro project.The 1200MW Lai Chau project is under development on the Da River, in Lai Chau province, in the northwest of the country close to the border with China. Construction of the 131m high roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam at Lai Chau was completed in mid-2015.Lai Chau is being development by Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN). ÅF has already been working on the project as sub-consultant to Power Engineering Consulting JSC No1 (PECC1), a former subsidiary of EVN, and the assignment continues to 2017.ÅF was awarded the environmental and social action plan contract by Son La Hydropower Management Board (SLaMB). The board and ÅF worked together previously on the 2400MW Son La project, on the same river and also featuring a major, 138m high RCC dam. Son La was completed in early 2011.The environmental and social action plan contract for Lai Chau is funded by KfW, and ÅF is already working on another contract in Vietnam funded by the German development bank — gap analysis on environmental aspects of a smart grid transmission project. ÅF says the contract is similar to the objectives at Lai Chau by checking environmental and social due diligence, in this case for 6 x 220kV transmission lines.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has agreed to provide a €125M loan to the National Power Company of Iceland Landsvirkjun to build a new geothermal power plant at Theistareykir, Iceland.The funding will be used to support the design, construction and operation of a new 90MWe geothermal power station and its geothermal wells.The project will be located near Húsavik, in the northeast of the country, where nine wells with more than 50MWe capacity have already been drilled and tested.EIB’s vice president Cristian Popa said: “Iceland is in a very special position when it comes to renewable energy and it’s great to see how Landsvirkjun is making the most of it.“The EIB is glad that it can support this important energy project, which also highlights how the bank supports the energy sector around Europe.“The Icelandic expertise in this area is state of the art and serves as a blue print for geothermal projects around the globe."
EDF Energy Renewables has announced the start of construction work on a new offshore wind farm off the coast of Blyth in Northumberland, UK. The Blyth Offshore wind project will be wholly owned by EDF Energies Nouvelles and will be constructed by a UK joint venture between EDF Energies Nouvelles and EDF Energy. The project, with a maximum total generating capacity of about 100MW, will generate enough electricity to power 33,000 homes in the region. The power produced from the wind farm will be supplied to an electricity substation at Blyth, which will be constructed by Balfour Beatty, for transmission to the National Grid. Offshore work will start in 2017 with the installation of five 41.5MW turbines and will be completed in the same year. The project will create about 200 jobs during peak construction.The project will use the latest generation of offshore wind turbines, to be manufactured and installed by MHI Vestas Offshore Wind, and will be the first project to use 66kV cable technology, which will be installed by VMBS — specialist in subsea power cable installation. The wind farm will use a new type of foundations developed by BAM for offshore wind turbines, representing the first time the technology will have been used.EDF Energy Renewables CEO Matthieu Hue said: “As a company, we already have a strong presence in the North East, in low carbon electricity generation and serving customers including our first offshore wind farm at Teesside so we’re pleased to be able to add another project to our portfolio in the region.“We are delighted that the gravity based foundations will be made in Newcastle. The Port of Blyth will be used for operations and maintenance and the blades for the turbines will be made on the Isle of Wight."
Swiber Holdings has won three new contracts for projects worth $215M in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.Swiber, an offshore construction services provider to the oil and gas industry, has been awarded an engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract by a major oil company in Europe to replace pipeline in Qatar.The Group has started on the engineering phase of the development, which is its first offshore construction project in the Middle East, and is set to be complete in the third quarter of 2017. Recently, Swiber has also secured new contracts for two projects in Myanmar and Vietnam.The company is participating in a consortium that will carry out EPCI of two wellhead platforms, associated pipelines and tie-ins for a project off the coast of Myanmar. The customer has options to award an additional two wellhead platforms. Work on the project has already started and is anticipated to be complete by the first quarter of 2018. The third contract involves the provision of transport and installation services for a full field development project in the waters of Vietnam. The company has just started work on the contract, which is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2016.Swiber’s deputy Group CEO Darren Yeo said: “Despite the ongoing oil market volatility and challenging conditions in the offshore oil and gas industry, Swiber continues to demonstrate our ability to successfully secure new projects. In fact, one of these new projects represents an important breakthrough for Swiber into the lucrative Middle East market.”
Swedish energy firm Vattenfall is set to commence construction on the €1bn offshore wind farm Horns Rev 3 off the west coast of Denmark.In February 2015, Vattenfall won the bid to build the wind farm, which will generate enough electricity to power 400,000 Danish homes. Vattenfall’s president and CEO Magnus Hall said: "Horns Rev 3 is an important part of Vattenfall’s ambitions in the field of wind and particularly on our focus on offshore wind farms."Horns Rev 3 also gives a clear signal to the world around us that Vattenfall’s strategy is to make new investments in renewable electricity generation and to grow in wind. "Vattenfall supports the transition to a totally renewable energy system and takes up the challenge, in spite of current low electricity prices and excess capacity."The wind farm will be commissioned in 2018.
Sener and Acciona have begun the turnkey construction of the €500M Kathu Solar Park Complex in South Africa.Located in the town of Kathu, in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province, the 100MW plant will be able to generate enough electricity to supply 80,000 homes.Both firms will carry out the engineering, construction management and commissioning of the plant until its turnkey delivery. The project, part of the 2010 Integrated Resource Program (IRP) National Electricity Plan, will provide an increase in the country's generation capacity until it reaches 86.8GW in 2030.The project, which uses Sener’s ‘SENERtrough’ technology and a molten salt storage system, is scheduled to commence operations in 2018. It represents the second solar thermal project in South Africa on which both companies are working together, the first being the recently-opened 50MW Bokpoort plant.
The Government of Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development have signed a loan agreement of $98.6M for the construction of five desalination plants in Southern Sinai, Egypt.The project will aim to meet the demand for potable water in some towns in the South of Sinai, as well as in existing residential settlements, and other settlements due to be established, in the Sinai Peninsula.The five plants will process water from the Red Sea and other related works.One of the plants, to be located in the town of El Tor, will have a daily capacity of 20,000cb m, while the other four plants, to be located in Ras Sidr, Abu Zenima, Dahab and Nuwaiba, will each have a capacity of 10,000cb m per day.The development includes the supply of electricity to the plants and the installation of pipelines with a total length of about 42km and diameters ranging between 500–800mm for transmission of the desalinated water to storage tanks, and pipelines with a total length of about 183km and diameters ranging between 200–500mm for transmission of water from the tanks to the nearby settlements.Additionally, it will also involve the construction of eight pumping stations and the necessary networks for distribution of water inside the settlements. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2019.
Three companies have started construction on the 224.25MW Nicolas-Riou wind project in Canada.EDF EN Canada, Énergie Éolienne Bas-St-Laurent (EEBSL), and Régie intermunicipale de l'énergie Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine (RIEGÎM) are working on the CAD500M ($381.4M) project, which is located in the RCM of Les Basques and Rimouski-Neigette.The project is anticipated to be operational at the end of 2017. It will create up to 400 jobs during the construction phase, and up to 10 permanent operation and maintenance jobs.EDF EN Canada’s vice president of development Cory Basil said: “EDF EN Canada welcomes the decree authorizing the construction and operation of the Nicolas-Riou Wind Project and offers our sincere thanks to the government of Québec for its permission to proceed with this important community project.“We are very excited to have formed a strong partnership between EDF EN, EEBSL and RIEGÎM. This project is the result of a partnership that pairs the experience and expertise of EDF EN Canada with the understanding of local expectations brought by our public partners.”65 V117-3.45 MW wind turbines to be used on the wind farm will be supplied by Danish manufacturer Vestas.
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