GERMAN WIND POWER UP

PLATTS - German wind power output rose to a new annual record in 2018, up 5.4% or 5.7 TWh year on year at 111.4 TWh, TSO data aggregated by think tank Fraunhofer ISE show.

December output was 14.8 TWh, up 46% on November and just marginally below an all-time high set in December 2017, with output averaging 20 GW for a second December in a row, the data show.

Over the course of the year, output averaged 12.7 GW, with July lowest at 6.1 GW.

Wind is now Germany's second-biggest source of electricity after lignite coal, covering 19% of national power demand in 2018, BDEW estimates show.

Total installed wind power capacity is seen near 60 GW by end-2018 with onshore wind adding less than 3 GW in 2018 and approximately 1 GW new offshore wind capacity coming online in 2018.

Sluggish permitting rates and the switch to competitive auctions are behind a sharp slowdown in annual additions after almost 20 GW were added since 2014.

New onshore wind project approvals have slowed to a trickle and approving some 10 GW stuck in the permitting process would be key to growth and successful auctions in 2019, lobby group BWE said.

The group is forecasting annual growth to fall to just 2 GW this year and next.

For 2019, Germany plans onshore wind tenders with a total 3.7 GW on offer across six auctions starting February and maximum bids capped at Eur62/MWh.

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Earlier: 

2018, December, 14, 08:50:00 EBRD DECARBONISATION STRATEGY EBRD - the Bank will no longer finance thermal coal mining or coal-fired electricity generation. The Bank will also stop funding any upstream oil exploration, and will not finance upstream oil development projects except in rare and exceptional circumstances, where such investments reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2018, December, 7, 08:10:00 WBG GREEN INVESTMENT $200 BLN WBG - “There are literally trillions of dollars of opportunities for the private sector to invest in projects that will help save the planet,” said IFC CEO Philippe Le Houérou. “Our job is to go out and proactively find those opportunities, use our de-risking tools, and crowd in private sector investment. We will do much more in helping finance renewable energy, green buildings, climate-smart agribusiness, urban transportation, water, and urban waste management.”

2018, December, 7, 08:05:00 FRENCH WIND POWER UP REUTERS - Electricity generation from French wind turbines rose 17.5 percent in October, boosting French power generation from renewable sources which rose during the month alongside nuclear output, while coal and gas-fired generation fell.

2018, September, 26, 09:35:00 OPEC: GLOBAL ENERGY DEMAND WILL UP BY 33% OPEC - Total primary energy demand is expected to increase by 91 mboe/d between 2015 and 2040 to reach 365 mboe/d in 2040

2018, July, 25, 09:10:00 RENEWABLE INVESTMENT DOWN FT - Capital spending in renewable power generation fell 7 per cent in 2017 compared with the previous year, owing to declines in onshore wind and hydropower investment, according to a report from the International Energy Agency. The world’s leading energy watchdog reported that overall global energy investment dropped 2 per cent in the same period.

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2018, June, 15, 10:50:00 EU RENEWABLE ENERGY - 2030: 32% REUTERS - EU negotiators agreed on Thursday to increase the share of renewables in the bloc’s energy production to 32 percent by 2030, a higher target than in draft rules but short of the level sought by some governments and the European Parliament.