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19th February 2010
Toshiba International has signed a contract to supply three 324MVA hydro power generators to Colombian power company Isagen in partnership with Mitsui & Company Plant Systems, which will be installed at the Sogamoso hydro power plant in Santander state, Colombia.
12th February 2010
The implementation of the EU’s Water Framework Directive, despite its positive goal to improve the environmental status of water bodies, is limiting the hydro sector’s future growth, since the interpretation of the directive at national level is having direct consequences on the approval of new projects and allocation of concessions and permissions, according to the European Small Hydropower Association (ESHA).
11th February 2010
NYSEL-listed energy company FirstEnergy and listed electricity utility Allegheny Energy have agreed a company merger in a stock-for-stock transaction.
10th February 2010
Following a recent agreement reached between the Canadian governments of New Brunswick and Quebec, state-owned electricity distributer Hydro-Quebec has paid $1.8bn for the production assets of electric utility NB Power, including seven hydro and two diesel power plants connected to the network used to meet peak demand in New Brunswick.
13th January 2010
New Zealand energy investment firm World Energy Research (WER) has secured an agreement to build hydroelectric turbines in Central America’s Guatemala.
22nd December 2009
An indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Fort Chicago Energy Partners has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire a 100 per cent interest in Northbrook New York, which owns a 33MW hydro power generation facility, for around $80m.
11th December 2009
UK’s development finance institution CDC Group has today committed €10m to an investment fund that will back renewable energy projects in India and other developing countries in Asia.
25th November 2009
Aqua Resources Asia Holdings, the wholly owned subsidiary of close-ended investment scheme Aqua Resources Fund, has completed its $20m investment in Series C convertible preferred shares of hydropower plant operator China Hydroelectric Corporation.
24th November 2009
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond has launched the Oyster hydroelectric wave energy device at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney.
30th October 2009
Government-owned public utility company Hydro-Québec is set to acquire most of the assets of New Brunswick electricity supplier, NB Power, including its hydro facilities, peaking power plants and Point Lepreau nuclear facility.
28th October 2009
Alstom Hydro has been awarded a €178m contract to provide four 250MW variable speed pump turbine and motor generator units for a new pumped storage installation in Switzerland.
27th October 2009
Hydrogen manufacturer Hydrogenics Corporation has closed the previously announced non-dilutive financing transaction with energy investment trust Algonquin Power Income Fund, which is part of Algonquin Power, with gross cash proceeds of approximately CAN$10.8m.
20th October 2009
PNOC-RC, the renewable energy development arm of state power utility Philippine National Oil (PNOC) is seeking partners to develop at least 11 hydro projects, according to reports.
14th October 2009
A study by the US-based National Hydropower Association (NHA) has revealed that the American hydropower industry can add 60,000MW to the nation’s grid by 2025 and create 700,000 jobs, which is enough to serve 17 million households.
7th October 2009
Solar photovoltaic developer Ascent Solar Technologies Inc has closed its previously announced public offering of approximately 4.6 million shares of common stock, as well as its concurrent private placement of approximately 769,000 shares of common stock to energy and metals company Norsk Hydro Produksjon, its largest shareholder, both at a price of $6.50 per share.
6th October 2009
Chinese construction and industrial group Sinohydro has signed an agreement with Ecuador to construct the $1.97bn Coca Codo Sinclair hydropower plant, according to reports.
1st October 2009
Renewable energy sources provided 11.37 per cent of domestic US energy production in June 2009, according to the latest issue of the US Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Energy Review.
29th September 2009
Canadian renewable energy company Plutonic Power Corporation has appointed Phil Fontaine and David O’Brien to the company’s board of directors.
9th September 2009
Electricity generation company Ontario Power Generation is to close four coal-fueled power units in 2010, as part of the province’s transition to electricity generated from green energy. It is hoped the move will open investment and opportunities in Ontario’s green economy.
11th August 2009
Significant increase in M&A activity is expected in the Indian renewable energy sector, as wave of consolidation hits the industry, according to Ernst & Young’s Renewable energy in India - the evolving dynamics report.
10th August 2009
The Environment Agency is ready to step up its support for an increase in the development of hydropower across England and Wales.
5th August 2009
European hydroelectric developer Reservoir Capital Corp. has opened a branch office for its wholly-owned subsidiary Renewable Energy Ventures (REV) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the autonomous region of the Republic of Srpska.
31st July 2009
Renewable energy developer GreenHunter Energy has seen the lawsuit brought against it by Orion Ethanol, Inc. dismissed by the United States District Court in Kansas.
24th July 2009
Private equity firm Darby Overseas Investments, through its Brazil Mezzanine Infrastructure Fund (BMIF), has invested $30m in Brazilian clean energy producer Electrogóes.
21st July 2009
European renewable energy developer Reservoir Capital Corp. is to arrange a non-brokered private placement financing of $5m, by the issuance of 8,333,333 units at $0.60 per unit.
16th July 2009
Green Star Alternative Energy, Inc. has signed non-disclosure agreements between the Green Star/Notos joint venture and Gamesa Eolica, as well as between the Green Star/Notos JV and Elektrawinds. The non-disclosure agreements reflect the company’s efforts to complete discussions with both Gamesa and with Elektrawinds.
15th July 2009
Mid-market private equity firm Olympus Capital has invested $47.5m in Chinese hydroenergy company Zhaoheng Hydropower, according to reports.
8th July 2009
Brookfield Renewable Power, Inc. has approved the sale to Great Lakes Hydro Income Fund of substantially all of its Canadian renewable power generation business.
30th June 2009
US Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced up to $32m in Recovery Act funding to modernise the existing hydropower infrastructure in the US, increase efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
22nd June 2009
The Asian Development Bank’s board of directors has approved a new energy policy to help Asia and Pacific countries secure adequate energy supplies while cutting levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
17th June 2009
Renewable energy resources in the US are sufficient to meet a significant portion of the nation’s electricity needs, according to a new report from the National Research Council.
17th June 2009
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is to substantially increase its clean energy investments to $2bn a year from a previous target of $1bn, in a bid to accelerate low carbon growth and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
16th June 2009
Green Star Alternative Energy, Inc. has installed a wind measurement tower at the 20MW Belo Blato site. The data gathered will provide Green Star the ability to optimise the wind farm design and efficiency, the company said.
9th June 2009
Reservoir Capital Corp. has appointed Alain Dumont as a consultant and advisor to the company. Dumont has over 20 years experience in the development and management of conventional and renewable power projects around Europe, primarily for Belgium-based Electrobel (part of the Suez Group).
9th June 2009
Axis Private Equity, a division of the Indian private bank, has invested INR540m ($11.4m) in Shalivahana Green Energy Limited (SGEL), a renewables company which focuses on the biomass and small hydro power projects, according to reports.
8th June 2009
The Environment Agency and Partnerships for Renewables has urged public sector organisations in the UK to consider using their land and property to generate renewable energy.
8th June 2009
GreenHunter Energy, Inc., a diversified renewable energy company focused on wind development projects, biomass power generation and biodiesel production has appointed Ronald D Ormand to the company’s board of directors.
4th June 2009
Hitting the European 2020 renewable energy targets is expected to create 2.8 million jobs in the sector and generate a total value of around 1.1 per cent of GDP, according to the European Commission’s study on the impact of renewable energy policy on economic growth and employment.
4th June 2009
In 2008, $155bn was invested in clean energy companies and projects worldwide, not including large hydro, according to a new report from the UN.
29th May 2009
The World Bank board of executive directors has approved financing of $600m for Turkey’s Private Sector Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project. The main objective of the project is to help increase privately owned and operated energy production from indigenous renewable sources within the market-based framework of the Turkish Electricity Market Law, thereby helping to enhance energy efficiency and curb greenhouse gas emissions as a result.
18th May 2009
The growth of renewable energy around the world, the need for utilities to capture and store electricity for later use is becoming increasingly important. The demand for energy storage is driven by several trends, including the proliferation of intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the move toward smart grids, and the coming rise of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles, to name just three. While storing electricity was once thought a practical impossibility, a variety of technologies have now emerged to disprove that theory, and the global energy storage market is poised to grow from $329m in 2008 to $4.1bn by 2018, according to a new report from Pike Research.
28th April 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act recently passed by Congress contains an array of energy initiatives that seeks to overhaul the American energy landscape. With a renewed and purposeful focus on energy research and development, climate change, and tax policy, the Act aims to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, increase our renewable energy production and efficiency, accelerate deployment of smart grid technology, and provide funding and support to those involved in tackling the nation’s energy challenges, according to Rahoul Roy, Paul G Afonso and Anil P Ranganath of law firm Brown Rudnick.
9th April 2009
The US Department of Energy has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement for up to $12m to support R&D activities within water power technologies, including marine and hydrokinetic.
7th April 2009
US energy utility Tennessee Valley Authority Board has authorised the purchase of as much as 2,000MW of renewable and clean energy by 2011 as part of TVA’s plan to have 50 per cent of its power supply from clean and renewable energy sources by 2020.
1st April 2009
Grasslands Entertainment, a US television programme producer, has signed subscription agreements with Caldera Geothermal and Enerasia Renewable Corporation, providing for the acquisition of Caldera and Enerasia’s assets.
1st April 2009
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has given PPL Montana’s request to double the output at its Rainbow hydroelectric plant the go-ahead.
27th March 2009
3TIER, a provider of renewable energy assessment services, has branched out with new offices in Germany, Australia and India.
26th March 2009
Non-hydro renewable sources of electricity enjoyed double-digit growth during the past year while coal, natural gas, and petroleum experienced notable declines and nuclear power remained stagnant, according to the latest figures published by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
25th March 2009
Northbrook Wisconsin, an electric power facilities development company, and NewPage Corporation, a coated paper manufacturer, have finalised the sale of the NewPage Little Quinnesec hydroelectric facility in Wisconson to Northbrook Wisconsin. The financial terms were not disclosed.
18th March 2009
Anglo-dutch oil major Royal Shell has shelved plans to invest in solar, wind and hydropower due to economic reasons, according to reports.
James Hall-Smith of HSBC discusses the drivers behind the growth of the European renewable energy scene and the opportunities this affords to infrastructure investors and project financiers alike.
‘I think there is an increased interest from a corporate governance and sustainability perspective. This makes many institutions focus on this area. There is also a recognition of the drivers behind environmental infrastructure, from the fundamentals of creating the best opportunity to tackling climate change, whilst also looking to gain energy security and satisfy the social and political drivers.'