SPAIN HYDRO, IRRIGATION RESERVES UP AFTER WET WEATHER
MADRID, March 22 (Reuters) - Spain is better able to ease its hefty dependence on gas and grain than a week ago due to rain boosting its hydropower and irrigation reserves, official data in the drought-prone country showed on Tuesday.
Water stocks rose during an unusually wet 2010 and are now 31 percent above average levels for the past 10 years, the Ministry for the Environment and Rural Affairs said.
GERMANY GOVT TO DISCUSS PAPER ON BOOSTING RENEWABLES
BERLIN, March 18 (Reuters) - Germany's government will discuss plans to raise the size of its renewable energy fund to 1 billion euros from a current 300 million, according to a draft paper seen by Reuters on Friday.
In its effort to make up a shortfall of nuclear power due to a three month moratorium imposed this week, the government aims to boost renewable power and energy saving. It will focus on off-shore wind energy and making buildings more energy efficient.
MONTENEGRO POWER OUTPUT TO DROP ON LOW WATER LEVELS
PODGORICA, March 22 (Reuters) - Montenegro's Elektroprivreda Crne Gore (EPCG) expects to produce 3,107 gigawatt-hours of electricity in 2011, a 22 percent drop from a year ago due to expected lower water levels, the utility said on Tuesday.
EPCG posted a 2010 net profit of 16.5 million euros ($23.41 million), up four fold from 2009 when strong hydro power helped generate revenue, said Srdjan Kovacevic, president of EPCG Board of Directors. Italy's A2A utility holds a 43.7 percent stake in EPCG.
RWANDA TO SPEND $935 MLN ON GEOTHERMAL POWER
KIGALI, March 22 (Reuters) - Rwanda plans to spend $935 million on the development of 310 megawatts of electricity from geothermal sources in the next seven years to tackle severe electricity shortages, a government statement said on Tuesday.
Rwanda is one of East Africa's fastest growing economies, with an expansion rate of 7.5 percent in 2010, but faster growth is hampered by major energy challenges.
TATA POWER, SUNENGY IN PACT FOR SOLAR PLANT IN INDIA
MUMBAI, March 22 (Reuters) - Indian utility Tata Power and Australia's Sunengy have entered into a partnership to build the first floating solar power plant in India, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday.
Construction of the pilot plant will start in August.
NAIKUN'S OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT GETS NOD AFTER 2 YEARS; SHARES SOAR
March 18 (Reuters) - Canada's NaiKun Wind Energy Group said its proposed offshore wind power project got environmental approval after more than two years, sending its shares up as much as 90 percent.
British Columbia authorities said the project, which will be the country's first, had passed the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
FUNDVIEW-UK SOLAR CAPACITY SEEN RISING DESPITE SUPPORT CUT
LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Asset management firm Foresight Group expects Britain's installed solar capacity to rise sharply this year despite a government proposal to reduce support tariffs for large-scale solar projects.
Britain proposed on Friday cutting financial support for new solar plants with a capacity over 50 kilowatts (KW) from Aug. 1 because it wants to focus instead on supporting smaller household and community-level projects.
SEAENERGY GETS GOVT BACKING FOR TWO SITES, SHARES RISE
LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Britain's SeaEnergy said two of its sites were among those identified by the Scottish Government as suitable for developing offshore wind, sending its shares up on Friday.
The study to determine the most appropriate locations for wind energy devices around the Scottish coast, identified SeaEnergy's Beatrice and Inch Cape sites as suitable under the short term option, the company said.
VESTAS NAMED SUPPLIER FOR MEXICO WIND POWER PROJECT
COPENHAGEN, March 18 (Reuters) - Vestas, the world's largest wind turbine maker, is to supply turbines to a Mexican wind energy development with total capacity of 396 megawatts, the customers said on Friday.
The project is owned by a consortium made up of two units of Australian investment bank Macquarie Group and Mexican beverage and retail company FEMSA.
UK TO CUT SUPPORT FOR LARGE SOLAR PLANTS
LONDON, March 18 (Reuters) - Britain proposed on Friday cutting financial support for new solar plants from Aug. 1, following an approval process, saying it wants to focus instead on supporting household and community-level projects.
A public consultation will run from Friday until May 6 on the proposal, and it will then go to parliament for final approval.
FIRST SOLAR BUILDING SOLAR PANEL FACTORY IN ARIZONA
LOS ANGELES, March 17 (Reuters) - First Solar Inc on Thursday said it will build a new solar panel factory in Mesa, Arizona, that will create about 600 jobs.
The company will invest $300 million in the facility, which will produce 250 megawatts of photovoltaic modules per year. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2011 and will take one year, the company said in a statement.
S.AFRICA CABINET APPROVES 20-YR ENERGY MASTERPLAN
CAPE TOWN, March 17 (Reuters) - South Africa sees renewable and nuclear energy accounting for two-thirds of new power stations built over the next 20 years as it seeks to cut its reliance on coal, an energy masterplan showed on Thursday.
Africa's biggest economy committed to nuclear expansion as other countries are rethinking their atomic-power plans, following the nuclear crisis in Japan.
PHILIPPINES' AYALA BUYS 50 PCT OF WIND FARM OPERATOR
MANILA, March 17 (Reuters) - Philippine conglomerate Ayala Corp said on Thursday it bought a 50 percent stake in a company that operates a 33-megawatt wind farm in northern Ilocos Norte province and is eyeing investments in hydropower projects.
The country's oldest conglomerate said the group plans to expand its power assets after it started exploring renewable energy ventures under a partnership with a unit of Japan's Mitsubishi Corp last year.
CANADIAN SOLAR TO BUILD THIRD SOLAR PARK IN ONTARIO
March 16 (Reuters) - China-focused Canadian Solar Inc and SkyPower Ltd have signed a third agreement to build a 10.5 MW solar park in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The companies had agreed in December to build a 10.5 MW solar park in Napanee and an 8.5MW solar park located on Thunder Bay International Airport Authority land.
ABB BUYS STAKE IN GERMAN SOLAR POWER GROUP
ZURICH, March 16 (Reuters) - Swiss engineering group ABB Ltd is buying a 35 percent stake in German solar power group Novatec Solar, saying it saw potential for its technology particularly in emerging markets.
The move underscores interest in solar at a time when many countries are asking how they can lower carbon emissions in the fight against climate change and meet energy demands as the future of nuclear power starts to look more uncertain.
KENYA WIND PROJECT START DELAYED TO END-2013
CAPE TOWN, March 16 (Reuters) - First power from Kenya's 300 megawatt Lake Turkana wind project has been pushed back slightly because of delays in obtaining government guarantees, the project's chairman said on Tuesday.
In January the Kenyan government provided letters of support from the ministry of finance, giving succour to lenders for the 560 million euro ($783 million) project.
CHINA RIVALS NARROW GAP ON WIND LEADER VESTAS
COPENHAGEN, March 15 (Reuters) - Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas retained its world-leading market position in 2010 despite fierce competition from Chinese rivals rising up the ranks, a report published on Tuesday showed.
"Vestas maintained its leading market position in 2010 based on the strength of its global install activity," MAKE Consulting, a specialist in the wind energy industry, said in an extract from the report.
GERMANY'S PNE WIND TEAMS WITH VESTAS FOR OFFSHORE
COPENHAGEN, March 15 (Reuters) - German wind park developer PNE Wind AG has agreed to cooperate exclusively with Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas in offshore wind farms in the North Sea, the companies said on Tuesday.
Vestas will be supplier for PNE Wind's Gode Wind I project, requiring up to 77 turbines, and its Gode Wind III project which is still in the early planning phase but is foreseen with about 15 of Vestas's huge 6-megawatt turbines, they said.
SUNPOWER SAYS JAPAN QUAKE DAMAGE WON'T HURT OUTPUT
NEW YORK, March 15 (Reuters) - SunPower Corp does not expect any change in its 2011 output of solar modules because of the massive earthquake in Japan, the company said on Tuesday.
It said its Japanese suppliers have seen some operations disrupted because of the disaster but have not sustained major damage to facilities.
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