The two wind power plants, which will be powered by 200 turbines, have a total investment value of US$1.3bn.

In December 2020, the French government selected an area located 32 km off the coast of Cotentin (Normandy) to build a 1 GW offshore wind project.

Brent was down 28 cents, or 0.5%, at $55.60. WTI fell 26 cents, or 0.5%, to $52.51.

Economic growth and the lessening of pandemic-related restrictions result in more energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions. EIA expects total energy-related CO2 emissions to increase to 4.8 billion metric tons in 2021 and 4.9 billion metric tons in 2022.

Existing nuclear technology could already produce hydrogen at below USD2 per kg, and a new generation of advanced small modular reactors could achieve the 90 cents per kg target price potentially by 2030.

The global economy is projected to grow 5.5 percent in 2021 and 4.2 percent in 2022.

Global natural gas demand is projected to increase by 2.8% in 2021 (about 110 bcm), thus reaching slightly above its 2019 level.

A hydrogen strategy, due in Q1 or Q2 this year, avoids the UK becoming "a wonderful R&D hub with multibillion-dollar industries created elsewhere,"

South Africa intends to launch three tenders for 6.8 GW of renewable energy sources and 5 GW of new coal, gas, and storage projects in 2021-2022.

The Czech government has approved the creation of a CZK150bn (€5.8bn) modernisation fund to invest in renewable energy sources,

In 2020, Germany installed 1,431 MW of new onshore wind capacity (+46%), raising the total installed onshore wind capacity to 54.9 GW

European share indexes opened in the red. The STOXX 600 was down around 0.3% on the day

Brent climbed 51 cents, or 0.9%, to $56.42 a barrel. WTI rose 41 cents, or 0.8%, to $53.02.

CNOOC has taken delivery of a 100,000-ton deepwater semisubmersible production and storage platform, built to ABS Class.

India and the IEA enter new phase of closer collaboration with signing of Strategic Partnership Framework

During his introductory remarks, Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński, Poland's undersecretary of state for climate and environment, said the country had identified "a crucial role" for nuclear energy in its future energy mix.

While renewables' 2020 performance was impressive, especially during a global pandemic, the report warns that the average pace of deployment through the 2020s will need to more than double that of the prior decade if the EU is going to hit its target of a 55 percent reduction in emissions by 2030.

At a briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden "continues to believe that Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal for Europe."

U.S. commercial crude oil inventories decreased by 9.9 million barrels to 476.7 million barrels.

"The surprise cut that they have done recently is a really brilliant move that led to stabilization of the market joined by other OPEC members at the most critical time," Dmitriev, who has been leading Russia's diplomacy in Saudi Arabia alongside Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak, said at the Saudi Future Investment Initiative conference.