Utility Week

4 | 6TH - 12TH JULY 2018 | UTILITY WEEK Seven days... Chinese-US reactor online as tariffs loom A nuclear reactor at the centre of an $8 billion (£6 billion) US-Chinese partnership and technology transfer agreement has delivered its first electricity to the Chinese grid. The Sanmen nuclear power plant, designed by Westinghouse, is the first in a series of AP1000 re- actors that China agreed to license and build in a deal signed in 2006. Nuclear reactor parts are now among the Chinese exports threat- ened by US tariffs, which could derail future co-operation between the two countries. Financial Times, 2 July Ivory Coast plans power from cocoa waste Ivory Coast will produce the "world's first" energy from cocoa shells by 2020 aer receiving back- ing from the US. The US Trade and Development Agency will fund a feasibility study for a plant producing as much as 70MW from cocoa waste. Recast Energy LLC will conduct the study based on earlier work completed by Societe des Energies Nouvelles. The project is expected to cost approximately $270 million (£204 million). Bloomberg, 2 July India plans tender for 100GW solar project The Indian government has announced that it will launch a tender for 100GW of solar power, ten times the size of the current largest solar tender in the world – another Indian project scheduled to open for bids next month. It is one of several green prom- ises made by Delhi last month as renewables prices continue to fall. However, analysts have raised concerns that the country has neither the infrastructure nor the energy demand to warrant installing so much solar capacity in one go. The Guardian, 30 June STORY BY NUMBERS National media SSE urges shareholders to back Npower merger S SE chairman Richard Gill- ingwater has urged share- holders to vote through its deal to merge with fellow big six energy supplier Npower. In a shareholder circular, he said the move has "strong strategic logic". The document included a notice of a general meeting about the planned demerger of SSE Energy Services and the subsequent combination of the business with Npower Group Limited, which is subject to regulatory approval. The new company will be an independent energy supply and services business that will "create a new market model". It will combine the "resources and experience of two estab- lished players with the focus and agility of an independent sup- plier", according to the circular. Shareholders will be asked to approve two ordinary resolu- tions at the general meeting on 19 July, which will follow SSE's annual general meeting. Gillingwater said: "The board believes that a standalone household energy and services business will benefit from its own dedicated board of direc- tors and specialist management team, supported by skilled employees and focused entirely on strategic and operational developments in the energy retail sector." SSE shareholders will retain their existing SSE shares and will also hold one share in the new company for every existing SSE plc share they hold at the demerger record time. The new company will be owned up to 65.58 per cent by SSE sharehold- ers. Innogy will hold 34.42 per cent of the shares. The chief executive desig- nate of the new company, Katie Bickerstaffe (pictured), is to take up her post on 24 September. Gordon Boyd, the chief financial officer designate, was due to take up his role on 4 July. Last month the Competition and Markets Authority released a timetable for the second phase of its investigation into the planned merger. A provisional decision, including any required remedies, is expected to be revealed in mid-August. KP Young people and energy The Energy Insti- tute (EI) asked 7 to 19-year-olds at the Big Bang science and engineering fair about energy and climate change. 1,300 young people were surveyed. 95% think adults could do more to tackle climate change. 70% think about climate change and take action to prevent it. 80% want renewables to be the largest component in the electricity mix. 70% would like an electric car when they can drive. 38% want a job in which they can make a difference in energy or climate science. "The value in storage is not necessarily in the energy you can store, but how you optimise, control and offer smarter energy solutions." Sebastian Bringsvaerd, Hywind development manager at Equinor, as the world's first floating windfarm was upgraded with a 1MW battery storage system dubbed "Batwind".

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