cop28 – Renewable Brief

Greece wants to provide energy security with renewable energy

Header image courtesy of Reuters

Greece is a country with ambitions. According to the Prime Minister, the European country wants to provide energy security to other countries on the continent by expanding its clean energy capacity, as reported by Bloomberg.

PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis revealed this ambition on the sidelines of the ongoing COP28 in Dubai. He said Greece “can significantly expand our green production capacity. We’re going to be a provider of energy security for many European countries.

“We want to be an exporter of green power in the medium to long term. We want to make sure that we can cover the needs of our neighbouring countries in terms of offering them access to natural gas.”

Greece produced 7,047 GWh of solar energy in 2022, 400 percent more than a decade ago, according to BNEF. The country also achieved meeting 100 percent of its energy demand by renewable energy for hours on some days. More renewable projects will come online, including offshore wind farms in the Aegean Sea, set to supply Athens with more than 1.9 GW by the end of the decade.

Greece already exports energy to Bulgaria and Moldova. It is constructing gas pipelines to Europe.

Major renewable energy news this week

Nigeria completes 700 MW hydro plant

The Nigerian government has announced the completion of the $1.3 billion hydro plant on the Kaduna River near Zungeru. The new facility has an output of 700 MW. Mainstream Energy has won a 30-year concession to operate the plant, with $70 million to be remitted annually to the government.

France approves winners for 1.1 GW of onshore wind energy tenders

The French government has given out contracts for more than 1.1 GW of tenders for its latest round of onshore wind energy bids. Seventy-three proposals got the nod, representing an average price of EUR 85.29 per MWh.

The latest bids will bolster France’s bid to meet its 2030 renewables targets.

UAE to triple renewable energy production with $54 billion in investments

The UAE, the host of COP28, has announced it is tripling its renewable energy production before 2030. The oil-rich nation will invest up to $54 billion to achieve this target and meet its growing electricity demand.

First power from Iberdrola’s first French offshore wind farm in Brittany

Iberdrola’s Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm in France has sent the first to the grid. The farm will supply 9% of Brittany’s electricity consumption, or about 1,820 GWh/year.

Production will increase as 62 wind turbines are added and commissioned.

Renewables account for 61% of Portugal’s electricity in H1 2023

According to the National Energetic Networks, most of Portugal’s electricity needs were met with renewable energy, representing 61%. Photovoltaic production took 7%, natural gas supplied 19%, and biomass took 6%.

US DoE to invest $1 billion in demand-side hydrogen initiative

The US Department of Energy is to invest $1 billion in a demand-side scheme to help meet the demand for hydrogen at regional clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) in the future. This will provide market certainty for the producers and the consumers in the H2Hubs, thereby encouraging more private-sector investments.

UAE pledges to triple renewable energy production ahead of COP28

Header image courtesy of C40 Cities

COP28 will be held in UAE, and the host is already making sustainability pledges. The oil-rich nation has announced it will triple renewable energy production, in addition to other environmental initiatives, as reported by France24.

While the UAE did not reveal many details about the new policies, which are coming about five months before COP28 in Dubai, the updated national energy strategy will triple the contribution of renewable energy over the next seven years.

The UAE is one of the world’s biggest exporters of crude oil but has now put in place strategies for hydrogen and electric cars. It aims to “consolidate the country’s position as a producer and exporter of low-emission hydrogen over the next eight years” by strengthening supply chains and infrastructure and establishing a research and development center. Also in the works is a national network of charging stations for electric vehicles.

Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum revealed that up to 200 billion dirhams (US$54 billion) will be invested to meet growing electricity demand.

COP28 will come up in November, with about 200 nations discussing tackling global warming and its impacts.