Chinese solar panel manufacturer Yingli Green Energy is planning to participate in Dubai’s 100MW solar park project, as part of the company’s expansion plans in the Middle East and Africa in 2014.

The company is looking to expand its business in emerging markets such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan, Nigeria and others.

The National cited Yingli Green Energy managing director Dimitirios Bachadakis as saying that the company will bid on Dubai’s independent power plant (IPP) project.

“There is a huge move towards solar energy in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE to name just a few,” Bachadakis said.

As part of the plan to diversify its energy mix by 2030 in the UAE, the state utility Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has issued a tender for the solar park project, with the deadline on 5 July 2014.

The tender for the solar part forms part of the AED1bn 1,000MW Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park project.

Yingli executive director Middle East Evangelos Lianos was quoted by Reuters as saying, “It is either we will partner with other companies together and then will submit our bid, or it might be that our strategy is we will support this project with services to the participating companies.”

Currently, DEWA is negotiating with other partners and governments to equip large-scale solar installations in the region.

Rural off-grid renewables specialist Sunlabob Renewable Energy and sustainable energy firm Relitec have announced a partnership agreement aimed at Myanmar’s growing on-site solar market.

Laos-based Sunlabob and Yangon, Myanmar-based Relitec said they plan to collaborate on addressing Myanmar’s growing demand for renewable energy.

According to estimates, less than 30% of the nation’s 60 million people have access to grid-connected electricity, and only 4% of the rural population has electricity.

Sunlabob offers on- and off-grid products and services ranging from hybrid mini-grids and solar home systems to energy efficiency consulting. Relitec specialises in the engineering, installation, and operation and maintenance of solar projects, and has implemented a number of solar projects in Myanmar.

Andy Schroeter, Sunlabob’s CEO, said, ‘Sunlabob’s experience implementing rural, off-grid renewable energy throughout the developing world will complement Relitec’s on-the-ground knowledge of the local Myanmar market.’

‘Myanmar is just seeing the tip of the iceberg for solar energy’s potential,’ said Than Aye, Relitec’s managing director. ‘We are excited to be well-positioned to meet the upsurge of solar activity.’

The world’s largest fund governance firm DMS Offshore Investment Services is to create 50 new jobs in Dublin at its new European operations centre.

Westinghouse Electric Co has been selected by Vattenfall Nuclear Fuel in Sweden to provide replacement nuclear fuel deliveries and engineering services for three of its reactors.

The contract is for yearly deliveries between 2016 and 2019 to Forsmark 3, Ringhals 3 and Ringhals 4 (pictured)

The contract includes yearly deliveries of fuel for the threereactors during a four-year period (2016 to 2019).

Johan Hallén, Westinghouse vice-president and managing director for northern Europe, said. “The market for nuclear fuel assemblies is very competitive with suppliers from Germany, the US, Korea, Japan and Spain providing finished fuel to similar reactors. Vattenfall’s commitment to Swedish engineering and manufacturing helps Westinghouse compete on a global scale, ensuring a strong domestic industry employing thousands in Sweden.”

Forsmark 3 is a boiling water reactor designed and built by ASEA-ATOM, which was acquired by Westinghouse in 2000. Ringhals 3 and 4 both are pressurized water reactors, designed and built by Westinghouse.

Russia-based Gazprom has signed a contract worth $400bn (€292bn) with China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) to supply natural gas.

Under the contract, Gazprom will supply 38 billion cubic metres of gas annually to CNPC for a period of 30 years.

The gas will be supplied through a pipeline from Russia to China via the eastern route, which is estimated to start in 2018.

Gazprom will be responsible for gas field development and construction of the gas processing plants and pipeline sections in Russia.

Meanwhile, CNPC will be responsible for the building pipeline sections, gas storages and other supporting facilities in China.

CNPC said that the major gas sources will be Kovyktinskoye in the Irkutsk region and Chayandinskoye in Yakutia.

Gazprom management committee chairman Alexey Miller said Russia and China have signed the biggest contract in the entire history of the USSR and Gazprom – more than 1 trillion cubic meters of gas will be supplied during a whole contractual period.Russian gas will be sold at a brand new market with a huge potential.

Miller said, “The arrangement of Russian pipeline gas supplies is the biggest investment project on a global scale. $55bn will be invested in the construction of production and transmission facilities in Russia.

“An extensive gas infrastructure network will be set up in Russia’s East, which will drive the local economy forward. Great impetus will be given to entire economic sectors, namely metallurgy, pipe and machine building.”

Gazprom and CNPC have signed the agreement that came after more than a decade of negotiations, which were repeatedly stalled over the price.

The contract was signed in the presence of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping.

The U.K. Green Investment Bank aims to boost the capital it commits to carbon-cutting projects to 700 million pounds ($1.2 billion) this year as it chases deals in offshore wind, waste and energy efficiency.

Duke Energy Carolinas will build and operate a natural gas-fired combined cycle plant in South Carolina, US.

The 750MW power plant will be built at the existing Lee Steam Station site in Anderson County.

The North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation will own 100MW of the project.

Recently, the Public Service Commission of South Carolina approved the plant and the company has now decided to move ahead with construction activities.

The decision to move forward with this project is part of a comprehensive, long-term plan to add new generation, modernise the fleet, maintain a diverse fuel portfolio and manage customer costs while delivering a high-quality, reliable power supply.

Duke Energy South Carolina state president Clark Gillespy said that natural gas-fired combined cycle plants are a good match to meet the significant energy needs of the company’s customers over the next 15 years, and are expected to be an important part of the future Duke Energy Carolinas generation portfolio.

“They are very efficient in the production of electricity using natural gas as fuel and have very low plant emissions, Gillespy said.

Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and will come online in November 2017. Currently, the company is in the process of procuring equipment.

“The Lee site is a great location for a combined cycle plant. Duke Energy will be able to leverage existing site infrastructure to minimise new generation project costs and impacts to the community and environment,” Gillespy added.

The project will create around 500 jobs during the construction period, with approximately 25 full-time employees to operate the plant once it is online.

Anderson County Council Chairman Tommy Dunn said: “Anderson County has a long, successful history with Duke Energy. Today we celebrate Duke Energy’s latest investment in our community, which will bring quality jobs for our residents. We are grateful to Duke Energy’s leadership for choosing our county for this project and for continually shaping the future of the Upstate.”

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada is investing $27 million in a cogeneration power system in its motor manufacturing plant in Ontario.

They expect the development will significantly reduce its energy use and demand on the power grid once completed in 2015, the company announced midweek.

Ian Miles, president at Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro, the utility that Toyota worked with in planning the project, described it as “one of the largest energy-saving initiatives inOntario.”

Toyota said it also will build a greenhouse that will use heat produced by the cogeneration project to grow vegetables for local non-profit organizations.

The auto maker has been producing vegetables along with cars for a number of years now through a Giving Garden project that was inspired by a Toyota worker in Japan who was also a gardener.

It is estimated that the cogeneration project will reduce emissions and save enough energy to power more than 7,400 homes every year.