News | Headlines


Leading from the front – dealing with the global energy crisis


Worldwide Energy supply On the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency published commentary and analysis on how things stand concerning the war and the global energy crisis it has precipitated. The first of these, ‘Russia’s war on Ukraine’, analyses how the global energy landscape has changed dramatically owing to Russia’s invasion, in terms of the effect on global energy markets and international energy security. The second ‘Where things stand in the global energy crisis one year on’ assesses the impacts in the energy world and looks ahead to what may happen next. The invasion delivered a huge shock to global energy markets and a crippling blow to Russia’s relationship with its biggest customer, the European Union. In a brief


memorandum published on 23 February that foreshadowed his full report, IEA executive director Fatih Birol assessed what has changed during a tumultuous year for the global energy system – highlighting three key takeaways from the crisis so far. First, Russia played the energy card and didn’t win, with its oil and gas revenues plummeting about 40% over the past year and set to drop even more in the years ahead. Russia now faces a permanent loss of standing in the energy world: it is not only losing major customers but also access to key technologies and financing due to sanctions.


Second, government policies really do matter – especially in times of crisis. Policies incentivising faster deployment of clean energy have been successful, while


governments’ pragmatism and


resourcefulness have helped secure energy supplies to keep the lights on.


Third, the crisis isn’t over yet, but Europe’s strong response and the mild weather this winter has bought it valuable time. This will be key for implementing the bold policies and structural changes needed to insulate energy systems and shield consumers from volatility.


The full analysis can be found by following these links:


IEA Commentary: https://www.iea.org/topics/ russias-war-on-ukraine


IEA analysis: https://www.iea.org/commentaries/ where-things-stand-in-the-global-energy-crisis- one-year-on


Creation of ‘world’s largest offshore cable systems’ The Netherlands T & D


NKT and Prysmian are to install 525 kV XLPE HVDC cable connections for five 2GW projects, located off The Netherlands, to be completed between 2028 and 2030. In the Esbjerg Declaration in May 2022 at the North Sea Energy Summit, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Belgium agreed to jointly install at least 65 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030. Transmission system operator TenneT will account for almost two-thirds of this with 40 GW, 20 GW in each of the German and Dutch North Seas. Recent geopolitical developments have underlined the need to invest in electricity transmission, to ensure energy security by accelerating the energy transition. TenneT’s


innovative 2GW programme plays a crucial role in managing the energy transition from offshore and ‘will help Europe become the world’s first climate-neutral continent’. This new standard combines TenneT’s expertise in offshore grid connections with a unique transnational approach that could provide a blueprint for future offshore grid connection systems and enables faster deployment. The awarding of the world’s first 525 kV XLPE HVDC offshore cable connections systems for five Dutch 2 GW projects is the next step in realising the new 2 GW standard. In the next months, TenneT expects to announce the partners for the Framework agreements for suppliers for the projects and partners for the Framework


agreement for cable connections of other 2 GW projects.


NKT will realise the cable connections for IJmuiden Ver Beta, IJmuiden Ver Gamma and Nederwiek 2, landing onshore at Maasvlakte (Port of Rotterdam). Prysmian has been awarded a contract for the cable connections of IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1, landing onshore at Sloegebied (Zeeland). The scope of work in the contracts includes design, engineering, production, delivery, project management, offshore-, nearshore- and inshore installation of 525 kV HVDC cables and all jointing works in submarine and land sections. The selected parties expect to start activities this year.


Fervo Energy to develop geothermal + DAC facility


USA Carbon sequestration Houston based Fervo Energy is to design and engineer a fully integrated geothermal and direct air capture facility, with support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). At this stage, the aimed-at capacity of the plant has not been disclosed.


According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, limiting warming to 1.5 degC will require the net removal of 100-1000 gigatons of carbon dioxide by 2100, creating significant demand for carbon removal solutions, including DAC solutions, ideally using ‘clean’ power.


In a DAC facility, large fans move air over CO2


capture materials. The carbon dioxide is heated, concentrated, and then, in many instances, pumped underground. To operate economically and sustainably, DAC requires a reliable source of carbon-free electricity and heat. Fervo says its designs for a combined geothermal and direct air capture facility can provide ‘an innovative solution to these challenges that will lower the cost of carbon removal’.


In pioneering next-generation geothermal technology, Fervo has adapted existing innovations, such as horizontal drilling and distributed fibre optic sensing, to turn reservoirs of hot rock beneath the earth’s


4 | March 2023 | www.modernpowersystems.com


surface into economically viable sources of clean energy. The new funding helps Fervo leverage geothermal resources to provide 24/7 carbon-free power and heat to DAC systems and explore geothermal reservoirs’ potential for local subsurface carbon sequestration.


This funding builds on CZI’s support for organisations that are advancing promising climate change solutions, including carbon dioxide removal. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges – from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our communities.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45