WADE News Service

Capstone Turbine Corporation, the world's leading clean-technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, today announced it has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with BPC Engineering and Tatneft Oil to purchase 38 microturbines totaling 16.2MW for multiple associated gas to energy projects in Tatarstan, Russia. In addition, the agreement includes an option for an additional 20MW under the same terms and conditions if ordered by Tatneft before December 31, 2012.

The MOU outlines the three party's responsibilities, commitments, pricing and terms for the 16.2MW of microturbines to be shipped over an expected two-year period and the option for the parties to add an additional 20MW by the end of 2012. The agreement comes just three months after the companies met with Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov who declared that Tatarstan's oil companies and specifically Tatneft will be deploying Capstone microturbines and Capstone Organic Rankin Cycle (ORC) CC 125 machines for associated gas to energy projects. The MOU also includes the purchase and installation of a pilot ORC CC125 to be installed in early 2012. The decision to deploy additional CC125 units will be determined after a full evaluation of the initial pilot installation.

Capstone Turbine Corporation, the world's leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems, recently received orders totaling 4.2 megawatts from multiple oil & gas producers operating in the Marcellus play, including a follow-on order from a large independent producer already operating a fleet of more than 50 Capstone microturbines.

The microturbines will be installed in early 2012 and used in prime power and combined heat and power (CHP) applications. In the CHP applications, the microturbines' exhaust heat will be used for building and onsite fuel-gas heating.

The Obama administration moved Tuesday to boost renewable energy on both coasts, approving onshore solar and wind farms in the West and pushing for offshore wind power in the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said his department has approved a 300-megawatt solar farm on public land in Arizona and a 200-megawatt wind farm in Southern California. The wind farm includes 186 megawatts that would be produced on federal lands.

 

The projects, southwest of Phoenix and east of San Diego, respectively, are the 24th and 25th renewable energy projects approved on public lands in the past two years, Salazar said, and demonstrate that the administration's commitment to renewable energy is paying dividends.

The jointly managed Macquarie Renaissance Infrastructure Fund has acquired its second asset, an interest in Russia’s GSR Energy Investments for $US83 million. Earlier this week, Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets sold a 9.9 per cent stake in Kemble Water.

GSR supplies both heat and electricity to more than 100 industrial customers located in St. Petersburg region Kolpino as well as to the Kolpino residential area which has a population of 144,000. The fund’s investment will finance the company’s expansion via the construction of an energy efficient combined heat and power plant to meet increasing demand.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet agreed to overhaul financing for combined heat and power plants in Europe’s biggest energy market.

 

The Cabinet backed a bill to expand financial support for measures including modernizing the plants and building so-called heat grids, the Economy Ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. The bill aims to speed up expansion of the technology, Economy Minister Philipp Roesler said in the statement.

Installation of a 1.4-megawatt utility-owned fuel cell has begun at Cal State San Bernardino.

A Direct Fuel Cell® DFC1500 power plant will be installed adjacent to the campus’s central plant to provide electricity to the utility grid and waste heat to the campus at no cost to the university.

“The fuel cell is expected to be operational in early 2012,” said Tony Simpson, senior director of facilities services at Cal State San Bernardino. “Electricity generated by the fuel cell will go straight into the Edison grid, and the waste heat it produces will be utilized to preheat the campus heating system, resulting in an estimated annual savings of $120,000 from avoided natural gas costs.”

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will provide a loan of EUR 33 million for environmental improvements to Unit 4 of the Paroseni coal-fired combined heat and power plant.

 

The investment will support the deployment of a gas desulphurasion facility and a system for the collection, transport and storage of ash and slag. This will result in a significant decrease in SO2 emission pollution caused by ash and slag handling and at the same time contribute to meeting the increasing demand for electricity and heat. The construction works are expected to finalize by the end of 2015.