Schneider Electric, U.K. & Ireland, has been chosen as the preferred bidder for a contract to supply its medium-voltage PIX switchgear range for the £24.5bn (€33bn)Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in the UK, EDF Energy said last week.

Final contract terms for the nuclear power project had been agreed with a number of suppliers including Areva, Alstom, Bouygues TP/Laing O’Rourke and BAM Nuttal/Kier Infrastructure.

Schneider’s UK operations will be responsible for the design, engineering and deployment of the equipment, which is expected to ensure safe operations and reliable energy management at the site.

The firm’s operations in France will be assisting the UK team for the project.

While Areva is to deliver nuclear steam supply system, instrumentation and control for the power facility, Alstom France will be supplying the turbines and Alstom UK is to deliver the services during operations.

EDF has selected Bouygues TP/Laing O’Rourke for the main civil works of the project and BAM Nuttal/Kier Infrastructure for the earthworks at the site.

Hinkley Point C commercial director Ken Owen commented :

“Schneider UK & Ireland is the latest addition to the industrial partnership that will build Hinkley Point C.”

In October, EDF and the China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) had completed a strategic investment agreement to facilitate the Hinkley Point construction and operations. Following the deal, CGN holds a 33.5% stake in the project with the rest being owned by EDF.

The French giant had said that approximately 7 percent of the U.K.’s anticipated electricity demand would be met by the Hinkley Point C facility.

Terna Energy, member of large Greek conglomerate GEK Terna, has acquired a 380MW wind energy project from Tri Global Energy in Texas, US.

If terms of the deal have not been disclosed, the facility is due to power around 110,200 homes once completed.

Comprising nearly 32,000 leased acres of privately owned farm and ranch land, the Fluvanna Wind Energy farm will be constructed in phases with the first one expected to be operational in 2017.

As part of the contract, Tri Global will work with Terna during the construction phase, up to the time when the project reaches commercial operation.

The project was designed under Tri Global’s proprietary business model, wind force plan, which enables local landowners and community investors to partner with and have a substantial ownership in the wind project development that leased their land.

Terna Energy S.A., based in Athens, Greece, is a developer, owner and operator of 885 MW of renewable energy projects in operation or under construction in Europe and the U.S.

Occurring once a year in a major European city, the EWEA Annual Event is a major showcase for Europe and the world’s widest array of wind industry actors.

It is currently unfolding in Paris at Porte de Versailles, from today until the 20th of November, two weeks before world leaders meet to discuss climate negotiations at the UN Summit in the French capital.

The conference programme features hundreds of high-quality presentations covering the length and breadth of the wind energy sector, so that participants can learn about the latest technology trends and find out about the opportunities and challenges facing the industry.

Attracting thousands of wind energy professionals every year, the exhibition provides the ideal international platform to showcase products and services.

But the comprehensive conference programme not only delivers cutting-edge technological knowledge, but also lively debates on European policy, markets and financial issues.

It is still possible to register by clicking here.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea Southern Power Company (KOSPO) for exchange of technology for thermal power generation.

The aim of these exchanges is to promote technical collaboration and joint research between MHPS and KOSPO. The MOU also calls for technological liaison with Korea’s Yonsei University, an academic institution with which KOSPO already enjoys a relationship of exchange.

In future, MHPS will work with both KOSPO and Yonsei University on thermal power generation technology.

The technology will be helpful in effective use of resources and reduce environmental footprint of thermal power facilities.

Korea Southern Power is a subsidiary of South Korea’s state-owned power utility Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). It generates electricity through bituminous coal and LNG.

The company also provides power plant development, EPC management, operation and maintenance, commissioning, performance monitoring, remote monitoring, and diagnosis services.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world’s leading heavy machinery manufacturers. MHI’s diverse lineup of products and services encompasses shipbuilding, power plants, chemical plants, environmental equipment, steel structures, industrial and general machinery, aircraft, space rocketry and air-conditioning systems.

In July, MHPS secured an order from KOSPO to supply a 47MW natural-gas-fired gas turbine combined-cycle (GTCC) power generation system to Youngnam Natural Gas Power Plant.

Italian energy company Enel’s subsidiary Enel Produzione, has signed a deal to sell its entire 49% stake in Hydro Dolomiti Enel to Fedaia Holdings for €335m.

Fedaia Holdings is a subsidiary of Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 4, managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets.

HDE operates hydropower plants, mainly located in the Province of Trento, Italy, with a total installed capacity of about 1,280 MW. More specifically, the assets comprise 26 large hydro power plants, for a total of 1,277.3 MW, and 2 small hydro power plants, totalling 2.4 MW.

HDE generated 4.2 TWh of electricity in 2014, and the same year the company reported EBITDA of 247 million euros.

However, the closing of the sale is conditional on Dolomiti Energia S.p.A. (which holds the remaining 51% of HDE), waiving or not exercising its right of pre-emption and on the buyer receiving clearance from the EU antitrust authority.

The transaction will enable the Enel Group to reduce its consolidated net financial debt by an amount equal to, approximately, the total consideration noted above.

Following the deal, Dolomiti Energia will continue to own the remaining stake.

The sale is part of Enel Group’s plan to sell minority stakes companies and invest in other growth opportunities outlined by the company last March.

EDF Energy’s renewable arm has bought the Dorenell onshore wind farm project in Scotland which could provide electricity for up to 138,000 homes, the company said on Thursday.

The plant could generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity and is expected to begin operation in 2018 at a bid price of £82.50 per megawatt-hour.

EDF Energy, the British subsidiary of French utility EDF, will develop and construct the project alongside renewable energy company Infinergy which was previously developing the project, EDF Energy said in a statement.

EDF Energy chief executive Vincent de Rivaz said:

“Today’s announcement, just weeks before the international conference on climate change in Paris, confirms EDF Energy’s commitment to lead in UK investment in low carbon electricity. That means investment in wind and nuclear electricity generation with an increasing focus on the development of Scottish renewables.”

For his part, Infinergy managing director Esbjorn Wilmar commented :

“Our focus now is on bringing new technology through the planning process to make Dorenell the best wind farm it can be, maximising output at the site which will make an extremely important contribution to the renewable energy targets set by the Scottish government as part of policy to ensure greater diversity and security of electricity supplies.”

Dorenell, which will be built in the heart of whisky country near Dufftown in Moray, was consented in 2011 as a 177MW project featuring 59 turbines of 3MW each. The original developer is awaiting ministerial consent for a revised 60-unit layout featuring up to 3.3MW hardware.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) signed on Tuesday €285 million of loans to support various energy projects in Greece, improving the electricity transmission and interconnection network across the country, while at the same time bolstering environmental-friendly energy security and efficiency.

EIB president Werner Hoyer said:

“We are determined to enhance our cooperation with the Hellenic Republic, other European development finance institutions and private investors in further assisting recovery in Greece.”

A loan of €110m, which has been granted to the Greek utility Public Power (PPC), is the second tranche of an EIB €190m loan intended to develop power projects on Greek islands.

The project is expected to install fossil fuel fired engines on 18 Greek islands, which are not interconnected to the mainland grid in the North and East Aegean, Dodecanese, Cyclades, and the Diapontia island complex. It also aims at upgrading auxiliary infrastructure for the projects.

EIB has also signed a €70m deal with Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) in the country, with power transmission and the interconnection of the Cyclades islands to the mainland network are expected to be improved under it.

This deal marks the second phase of an EIB €140m loan, which was signed to support IPTO’s power transmission investment programme within the period covering 2012-17.

An additional €65m financing aid has also been allowed by EIB, as a second tranche of an EIB €130m loan intended for the interconnection of the Cyclades islands.

Another €40m loan was offered to the Hellenic National Gas System Operator (DESFA), extending EIB’s support for the natural gas system in Greece.

Lightsource has announced refinancing of £284m of its portfolio of UK solar projects.

The portfolio comprises 33 operational, ground-mounted solar projects, which fall under 20-25 year fixed income tariffs under the UK government’s Feed in Tariff subsidy regime.

The refinancing was completed with the Royal Bank of Scotland as Lightsource’s financial partner and takes the amount of project finance debt raised by Lighthouse in 2015 to £1.1bn.

The £284m refinancing represents the first ever sterling, benchmark-size solar bond and the largest sterling renewables bond.

The deal saw M&G Investments provide £247 million of 22-year inflation linked finance with AMP Capital providing a £37 million 8-year mezzanine facility.

Lightsource finance director Paul McCartie said:

“We are delighted to have closed this deal which represents a significant milestone for Lightsource. We would like to thank M&G and AMP Capital for their continued support on the transaction and hope that we can maintain those partnerships with future deals in the pipeline.”

Canadian energy company Enbridge has acquired a 24.9% interest in the 400MW Rampion offshore wind farm, to be located 13 kilometres off the Sussex coast south of Brighton, England.

Enbridge will become a shareholders in Rampion Offshore Wind Limited, joining existing partners Eon, which will remain the controlling shareholder at 50.1%, and the UK Green Investment Bank.

The project received the final investment decision in May 2015, started construction in September and is expected to be fully operational in 2018.

Eon and Enbridge are already partners in the Magic Valley wind farm in Texas and the Wildcat wind farm in Indiana.

Eon Climate & Renewables chief operating officer Michael Lewis said:

“We are happy to strengthen our partnership with Enbridge as a reliable partner, who shares our approach of combining high class assets and safe operations. The company’s background in North American renewables and pipelines complements the expertise of the existing shareholder group. Our collective experience will help realise the successful construction and operation of the wind farm.”

Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas made a net profit of €206m in the third quarter of 2015, up from €102m a year earlier, as the company saw the value of turbine orders rise by 50%.

Vestas’ firm and unconditional turbine orders tallied 1508MW worth €1.5bn in Q3, up from 1170MW and €1bn a year earlier. The company received turbine orders for 6275MW worth €5.8bn in the first nine months of 2015, a rise from 4290MW and €3.7bn last year.

The company said Q3 sales were exclusively onshore wind turbines, with no offshore orders booked in the quarter.

Vestas’ net profit for the year to date was €387m, up from €198m a year earlier.

In the third quarter of 2015, Vestas generated revenue of €2.12bn – an increase of 17% a year ago. The company said the value of its wind turbine order backlog amounted to €8.2bn as of 30 September.

In addition to the wind turbine order backlog, Vestas had service agreements with contractual future revenue of €8.2bn at the end of September 2015. The combined value of the order backlog and service agreements stood at €16.4bn – an increase of €3bn on a year ago.

The company also announced a €150m share buy-back programme to adjust capital structure and to meet the obligations arising from employee share option programmes or other allocations of shares to employees.

Vestas chief executive Anders Runevad said :

“With greater clarity on deliveries for the remainder of the year and a very solid financial position, we are raising our guidance on revenue, EBIT margin, and free cash flow and initiating a share buy-back programme.”