International news
Obama looks to clean energy in State of the Union 2011 address
US President Barack Obama has called for radical energy goals for the country in his 2011 State of the Union address, including a target of producing 80% of US electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. To break its oil dependency, Obama also
stated that the US should aim to be the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 and to provide access to high-speed rail to 80% of US citizens within 25 years. Obama said that the US needs to reach a
level of research and development (R&D) not seen since the height of the space race. ‘We’ll invest in biomedical research, infor- mation technology, and especially clean energy technology –an investment that will strengthen our security, protect our planet, and create countless new jobs for our peo- ple,’ he said. Obama has proposed increasing clean energy technology funding by a third com-
The Pacific Orca, an installation vessel capable of operating in water depths of up to 75 m, will transport and install 80 wind turbines for the DanTysk offshore wind farm, a planned 400MWwind farm north of Germany in the North Sea. The vessel is being built by Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea to be delivered in 2012. Vattenfall and Stadtwerke München will
build the DanTysk offshore wind farmas a joint project managed by a team based in Hamburg. The consortium has signed a deal with the Danish shipping company Swire Blue Ocean (SBO) for use of the Pacific Orca. The vessel has a specification focusing on safety, efficiency and reliabili- ty, and offers operational flexibility in the
pared to 2010. This will expand the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) advanced research programme, and double (from three to six) the number of DOE energy innovation hubs in operation. The hubs’ aimis to advance promising areas of energy science and engineering from the early stage of research to the point where the technology can be harnessed by the private sector. Obama urged a diverse approach in order
to meet the 80% target by 2035, including renewables, nuclear, clean coal and natural gas. As well as focusing on R&D, the budg- et also proposes more than a doubling of investments in energy efficiency and a more than 85% increase in renewable energy investment. The White House said such expenditures will include support for the ‘$1 a Watt’ initiative to make solar energy cost competitive; an increase in funding for geothermal renewable energy; and more
installation of the offshore wind farms, says Vattenfall. ‘Since there is limited availability of suit-
able offshore vessels on the market,weare especially glad to obtain this large vessel to DanTysk,’ said Georg Friedrichs, Head of Offshore Projects at Vattenfall. SBO is part of Swire Pacific Offshore,
which holds 30 years’ experience in off- shore marine operations and operates one of the largest fleets of dynamically posi- tioned vessels in the world. The Pacific Orca will be certified by GL-Group Germanischer Lloyd in line with European environmental standards. Commencing in 2013, the Pacific Orca will load the wind turbines at Esbjerg
emphasis on industrial efficiency to keep US manufacturing competitive. Coinciding with the arrival of the Chevy
Volt hybrid and the Nissan Leaf electric vehicle (EV) in showrooms, Obama said the US should aim to have one million advanced-technology vehicles on its roads in four years. To reach that goal, the US Administration will propose new measures to support EVmanufacturing and adoption through improved consumer returns, investments in R&D, and competitive pro- grammes to encourage communities to invest in EV infrastructure. This effort will also tap into ongoing work to set strong fuel economy standards for cars and trucks as well as biofuel exploration. Obama will also continue to push for
high-speed rail as another efficient trans- portation option, noting that, in the Midwest and California, such systems are already underway.
before being transported to the DanTysk construction site 69 km west of the island of Sylt in the German North Sea.
New gas-fired power for Middle East countries
A new 2.4GWcombined cycle power plant with an associated desalination facility is to be constructed in Saudi Arabia, 75 km northwest of Jubail. Siemens will supply 12 gas turbines, ten heat-recovery steam gen- erators, five steam turbines and the associated auxiliary and ancillary systems for the Ras Az Zawr power plant. The order volume for Siemens is more than £1bn, making it one the largest orders posted by Siemens Energy in the Middle East. The plant, which will start commercial operation in early 2014, will supply elec- tricity to an aluminium smelting plant as well as approximately 225mn gallons per day of drinking water for the capital city
Energy World April 2011
Riyadh’s 5mn inhabitants. Elsewhere, in Pakistan, the government
has launched a policy to replace aging power plants with more efficient, modern facilities. A 750 MW combined cycle plant in Guddu is the first project expected under that initiative, which will feature advanced technology F-class gas turbines from GE. Developed by the Pakistan Electric Power Company, the new facility is expected to be Pakistan’s most efficient and largest combined cycle plant. GE will supply two Frame 9FA gas turbines and associated generators, which are expected to be shipped to the project site by the end of 2011 and installed by September
2012, with full plant commercial opera- tion expected by mid-2013. Last, in Turkey, Wärtsilä is to supply the
world’s largest gas engines for a new power plant with a combined output of 135 MW. The order has been placed by Odas Elektrik Uretim, an independent power producer, for its new plant at Urfa in south-eastern Turkey. The plant is scheduled for completion later this year, and will supply power to the country’s grid. The scope of supply covers seven Wärtsilä 18V50SG natural gas-fuelled engines, said to be the largest gas pow- ered combustion engine generating set in the world.
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