February 8,2012 --

New Zealand utility TrustPower has announced a new 3.8-MW hydropower generating plant, sources report.

It used to be that the West wants in. New Census figures from Statistics Canada underscore the fact that the balance of economic and political power has indeed lurched from Central Canada toward Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Canada’s population grew 5.9 per cent between 2006 and 2011, the highest among G8 countries. Alberta had [...]

February 8,2012 --

Ecuador's 26-MW Ocana hydroelectric facility is expected to begin commercial operations March 1, wire services have reported.

A bureaucratic shuffle leaves some grasping for a bygone era of innovation

A few oil and gas writers took note when in late January the United States’ Energy Information Administration (EIA) drastically reduced its shale gas reserve estimates for the country. The venerable EIA revealed that (whoops) the U.S. has 482 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of unproven, technically recoverable shale gas reserves instead of the 827 tcf [...]

February 7,2012 --

Alstom and its consortium partner, Hydrochina Huadong Engineering Corporation, have been awarded a contract worth about US$23.6 million by Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to provide electro-mechanical equipment and technical services for the Song Bun.......

February 7,2012 --

Strojirny Brno a.s. has won a contract to reconstruct a turbine at the 1.12-MW Tri Chaloupky hydroelectric project.

It’s baaack. Or is it? Steep price discounts leveled against Canadian crude oil relative to West Texas intermediate in recent days have injected fresh life into a bet on differentials. In a note this morning, FirstEnergy Capital analysts Martin King and Steven Paget predict the price gap between Western Canada Select (the primary heavy oil [...]

Pressure pumpers, large landholders close to West Coast provide investment opportunity

Markets appear to be waiting for some catalyst capable of lifting natural gas from its current funk. Bob Brackett of Bernstein Research believes one is on the way next week, when Apache Corp. releases its fourth-quarter earnings. The Houston-based firm reports Feb. 16. Calgary-based Encana Corp. and EOG Resources report the following morning. Brackett sees [...]

Nearly 40% of respondents say province should reduce U.S. dependence

GE partners with the University of Alberta on industrial ‘sieves’

An industry based on small science grapples with a big problem

John Wolodko turns to nanotechnology to improve equipment reliability

Exxon and the IEA bet on growth in the Middle Kingdom

In January, Alberta Oil published its annual C-Suite Awards issue. In this edition,  seven energy executives representing some of the best and brightest minds in the sector were profiled. (You can read all of the profiles here.) Thursday night in Calgary, the magazine held it’s annual C-Suite Awards gala with all the award recipients in [...]

February 3,2012 --

Wave energy technology company Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. announces the results of tests it performed with its PowerBuoy system for the U.S. Navy.

And then there were two. Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB) has approved an export license for B.C. LNG Export Co-operative LLC to ship up to 1.8 million tonnes of the super-cooled gas per year for 20 years from British Columbia’s West Coast at Kitimat. At least 13 parties have signed on to become members of [...]

February 3,2012 --

The continued investigation of events leading to the deaths of 75 people at Russia's Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant has led to a new round of charges for seven defendants, sources report.

February 3,2012 --

Cable manufacturer Tratos Cavi Spa has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to supply low- and high-voltage cable for the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Marking distinctions between normal and abnormal temblors

Alberta's regulatory agency is prepping for large-scale shale gas development

February 2,2012 --

Alstom has won a contract worth US$26.25 million to provide turbines and generators for the 120-MW Itezhi-Tezhi hydroelectric project.

Are Republicans spooked by Northern Gateway? You might be inclined to say yes, given the amount of flailing on display in the GOP primary race. Or is that just Newt Gingrich, whose chances of actually reaching 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are, as Konrad Yakabuski at the Globe put it yesterday, “sinking faster than the bids on [...]

Step one, Ian MacGregor says, is to 'push the envelope' on refining

February 1,2012 --

The Pushihe pumped-storage hydropower facility is now online, China's National Energy Administration announces.

February 1,2012 --

Swiss contractor Berthol has been awarded a contract to supply equipment for redevelopment of the 725-kW Rivaz 2 hydroelectric plant on Forestay Creek.

Portfolio Manager, Clean Energy Carbon & Energy Management, AITF

Director, Renewable Energy Policy, Pembina Institute

Nexen Executive-in-Residence, Canada West Foundation

Managing Director, Trottier Energy Futures Project

Alberta Premier Alison Redford has a big idea. She calls it a national energy strategy. It’s an interesting, and for Redford, politically risky gambit: any talk of such a strategy brings back memories in Alberta of Pierre Trudeau’s reviled National Energy Program (NEP). But Redford’s vision is no NEP – The Sequel. The premier views [...]

Executive Director, International Energy Agency

President, Canadian Electricity Association

Chair, Climate Change and Emissions Management Corp.

The status quo never lasts long in the energy industry. Changing market conditions, breakthrough technologies, shifting social and political mores all play a role in shaping the way society uses energy. The past decade has seen the energy landscape in North America change fundamentally with the rise of the unconventional fuels, growing acceptance of renewables, [...]

NOTE: Content is published online in stages over the course of a month. To read the full edition, please subscribe here.  Cover Package: Bright Ideas What does the future hold for energy in North America? It’s a question that occupies the minds of experts throughout the continent. Unconventional gas, the oil sands and renewable energy [...]

Director, China Institute, University of Alberta

January 30,2012 --

Construction of Guyana's 165-MW Amaila Falls hydropower plant could begin soon, state news agency Gina reports.

January 30,2012 --

A unanimous decision by the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council will allow the tribe to move forward with its proposal to construct a US$144 million hydroelectric powerhouse at the W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam.

What a difference 10 years makes. A decade after PanCanadian Energy Corp. and Alberta Energy Co. were joined at the hip to create Encana Corp., the commodity that fueled the merger offers investors about as much certainty as a game of ring-toss at a small-town carnival. Certainly there are as many wild cards at play. [...]

Natural gas-powered vehicles (NGVs) have been rolling on Canadian roads for decades, yet they’ve never been able to establish much of a market share in the automobile sector. But rising volumes of the cleanest burning fossil fuel – leading to prices wallowing in the US$3 per mcf range – has industry leaders such as Encana [...]

As numerous companies look to advance liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects on British Columbia’s West Coast – with the aim to send the chilled fossil fuel to lucrative Asian markets – the conventional wisdom is that these companies need to worry about competition from the likes of Qatar and Australia. But Canada’s big neighbor to [...]

January 26,2012 --

The European Union (EU) will provide funding for a new 330-kW hydroelectric plant along Guyana's Chiung River, with the stipulation that the country construct a new secondary school first.

Applause rang out at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce as federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver yesterday denounced Canada’s regulatory apparatus as “unpredictable” and “needlessly complex.” “Bad processes do not produce good environmental outcomes,” he told a roomful of oilmen at an industry-sponsored cocktail event. Away from the podium and his prepared remarks, Oliver promised [...]

January 26,2012 --

Costa Rica utility Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has awarded contracts to Andritz Hydro Gmbh and Sistemas de Potencia de Centroamerica S.A. for work on the 305.5-MW Reventazon hydropower project.

January 25,2012 --

State-owned utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) has identified 96 potential hydroelectric power sites in Indonesia, sources report.

January 25,2012 --

Alstom Hydro and Andritz Hydro have been awarded a joint contract worth about US$102.2 million for work at the existing 1,424-MW Inga 2 hydroelectric project.

Five geo-technical hazards that could trip up northern exploration

'I don't even know if our guys could drill a vertical well anymore'

Edmonton was the epicenter of the Northern Gateway pipeline universe today. The Joint Review Panel’s community hearings roadshow looking into the controversial $5.5 billion pipeline came to the City of Champions on Tuesday. On the same day, Northern Gateway proponent Enbridge Inc. had its top executive on the file – executive vice-president of Western Access, [...]

January 24,2012 --

The Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) has arranged a US$24 million senior loan for the financing of a 14-MW run-of-river hydropower plant in Uganda.

Don’t be fooled by high-profile production shut-ins announced this week by U.S. gas giant Chesapeake Energy Corp. and its smaller Canadian peers, Encana Corp. and Talisman Energy Inc. Indeed, shares of Calgary-based Encana may have jumped a dollar earlier this week on news that Oklahoma City-based Chesapeake would curtail some 500 billion cubic feet per [...]

Nova Scotians are used to economic disappointment. Despite its reputation as the most vibrant (business-wise) of the four Atlantic provinces (faint praise indeed), Canada’s Ocean Playground suffers from all the problems you would expect from an econ0mic backwater – high unemployment, bad roads and everyone in the 20-30 demographic leaving the province to work in [...]

A novel technology approaches commercialization

Hear that? It’s the sound of Alberta’s petrochemical producers heaving a sigh of relief. The release comes care of Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB), which this week approved a 580-kilometer pipeline proposed by Vantage Pipeline Canada ULC to connect North Dakota’s booming oilfields with Alberta’s ethane gathering system. At a cost of roughly $240 million, Vantage [...]

January 20,2012 --

Restoration of Russia's Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant took another step forward as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin put a new unit into service during a recent ceremony.

January 20,2012 --

Ecuadorian utility Empresa Electrica Quito (EEQ) has awarded a US$6.53 million contract to Ensilectric to manufacture and install electromechanical equipment for the 10-MW Victoria hydropower plant in Napo Province, sources report.

January 20,2012 --

Waves and tidal currents could generate up to one-third of America's electricity usage per year, according to two reports released by the U.S. Department of Energy that assessed the potential for ocean power off the east and west coasts.

January 20,2012 --

International consulting firm Royal Haskoning will soon begin work on a hydropower project that will provide electricity to 350,000 people in Uganda's rural western region.

Transportation indicators watched closely as price barometer

Today, dear readers, I’m giving you a break from oil sands-related pipeline coverage. While plenty of newspapers and columnists continue to weigh in on the yesterday’s decision by the U.S. State Department to reject TransCanada’s Corp.’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline, not all the news is bad. That’s particularly true if you are [...]

January 19,2012 --

A $30 million loan to the Emerging Energy Latin America Fund II from the Inter-American Development Bank will help boost clean technologies and renewable energies, an IDB release says.

Republicans, it turns out, aren’t all that skilled at bluffing. As recently as this past Sunday, the party’s more ardent members were full of bluster, vowing to intensify their push to see TransCanada Corp.’s Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline built ahead of a Feb. 21 deadline they had set in exchange for agreeing to an extension to [...]

January 18,2012 --

Voith Hydro has been awarded a $3.3 million contract to provide parts and labor for Unit A8 at the 2,078-MW Hoover Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation.

Look on the bright side, at least some aspect of the review of TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL pipeline appears to be happening ahead of schedule. Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, ( an announcement is expected at 3 p.m. Eastern time today) several news stories this morning are saying U.S. State Department will reject [...]

Liquids-weighted firms and LNG also present opportunities in new year

January 17,2012 --

Energy conglomerate Alstom and marine developer SSE Renewables have teamed up to develop a new 200-MW ocean power project off the coast of Orkney, Scotland.

Life for producers of “dry” gas – as opposed to the “wet” stuff chock full of much more valuable natural gas liquids – is poised to get a whole lot worse before it gets better. “Things have been less than rosy,” Martin King, vice-president of institutional research at Calgary investment bank FirstEnergy Capital told a roomful [...]

January 16,2012 --

A new 1.27-MW hydroelectric plant is being planned for Idaho's Deer Flat canal, sources report.

January 16,2012 --

Ebergiorijekt Hidroinzenjering Co. Ltd. has completed geotechnical studies for Reservoir Capital Corp.'s 58.4-MW hydroelectric plant in Brodarevo, the company announces.

There is more than one way to get your oil patch dream job

'When you become CEO, you're not done,' one boss says

“Marvin has made a valuable contribution to Nexen during his 13 years with the company.” That was how Nexen Inc. board chairman Francis Saville described Marvin Romanow, who had served as the company’s president and CEO since 2009, in a press release issued by the company on January 9.  But despite Marvin’s “valuable contributions”,  it [...]

January 13,2012 --

Construction of Sri Lanka's controversial Upper Kotmale hydropower plant is nearing completion, according to Sri Lankan news sources.

January 13,2012 --

Refurbishment of the 292-MW Turlough Hill pumped-storage plant is nearly complete, sources are reporting.

Open season has officially begun on Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd., Rebecca Penty reports today at the Calgary Herald. Analysts, frustrated at the firm’s inability to secure a joint venture partner for its Great Divide oil sands property and smarting from a spurned (and unsolicited) takeover offer late last year, now view the company as [...]

Environmental aspects of crude oil now factor in energy policy

Much about Enbridge Inc.’s proposed Northern Gateway pipeline is new. If built, it would give oil sands producers access to Pacific tidewater and world prices for their exports. For Canada, the controversial pipeline would cement a break from a half-century reliance on the U.S. market at a time when that country is struggling to bounce [...]

January 11,2012 --

The first unit of the 96-MW Jinnah hydropower project has begun a 15 day trial commission, facility owner Jimah Energy Ventures reports.

January 11,2012 --

Scottish Water will soon embark on an ambitious US$31 million plan that will see the utility's existing water treatment plants partially converted to produce hydroelectric power.

John Manzoni strikes me as a great salesman. But I don’t think the news he delivered on Tuesday as Talisman Energy Inc. announced its 2012 capital plan was well received by the investment community. The plan will see the Calgary-based firm cut back on spending by $500 million c0mpared to 2011, attempt to shore up [...]

Innovative ethanol facility takes shape at Capital waste management center

Arthur Brisbane, public editor of the New York Times, raises an interesting question in the paper’s weekend edition from this past Sunday. He revisits five news themes from 2011 in need of “keen judgment” on the part of editors as 2012 unfolds. One of the them is shale gas. Brisbane sees a problem with the [...]

Water use is a serious issue for the oil and gas industry when it comes to the practice of hydraulic fracturing. But as if the sector didn’t have enough bad press to worry about in this realm, now earthquakes have emerged as a thorny issue. Recent quakes in England and Ohio have been blamed on [...]

January 9,2012 --

BKW FMB Energy Ltd. is acquiring five small run-of-river hydropower plants from Italian energy utility Sorgenia, the company announced.

January 9,2012 --

Honduras-based GeoConsult SA de C.V. has won a bid to supervise construction of a bypass at Nicaragua's 50-MW Centroamerica hydroelectric project.

January 9,2012 --

Ukranian utility OJSC UkrHydroEnergo has awarded a contract to JV Sitronics IT of Ukraine and Conim Group for the supply and installation of three turbines at the Kremenchuk hydroelectric facility.

As 2011 came to a close, the oil sands industry — loosely represented by those who make it their business to populate Twitter and all manner of blogs with morality tales about the resource’s extraction — found itself in the final stages of a superficial battle with the corporate descendent of the United Fruit Company. [...]

Shale gas, tight oil provide market opportunity

Oil sands, tight oil and NGLs drive growth in 2012

Optimism takes hold despite economic volatility

January 6,2012 --

Developer Mercator Energy a.s. has awarded a contract worth 179.8 million koruna (US$9.1 million) to Metrostav a.s. for construction of the Libechov hydropower project in Czech Republic.

January 6,2012 --

The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded contracts to Alstom Power and Basler Electric for work at the 8.64-MW Upper Molina and 4.86-MW Lower Molina hydroelectric plants.

January 6,2012 --

Iran's Energy Ministry has issued 2.7 trillion rials (US$240 million) in bonds for financing hydroelectric projects across the country, the Iranian Students News Agency reports.

January 6,2012 --

Hydro-Quebec has awarded Alstom a contract worth about 50 million euros (US$64 million) to modernize the 5,616-MW Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric facility, the power conglomerate announced.

Occupy movement 'won't have huge effect' on executive compensation

Venture Publishing Inc., publisher of Alberta Venture, Alberta Oil, Alberta Innovators, Aspire, Edmonton Commerce News, Eighteen Bridges, Grip, Hard Hat, Leap, Open Mind, Petroleum Services News, Signature, Tracks & Treads, We, and Well Construction Journal magazine, is looking for a full-time production technician to join our fast-paced environment. This individual will be responsible for preparing [...]

January 5,2012 --

Three of Britain’s biggest engineering groups are being sounded out in an effort to find a solution to the conundrum of how to finance one of the world’s most advanced suppliers in the fledgling wave energy sector, the FT reports.

January 5,2012 --

Voith Hydro Wavegen recently received an award from the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) for its wave power plant in Mutriku, Spain.

January 5,2012 --

TAHAL Consulting Engineers Ltd. and Bhundia Associates have been awarded a contract to perform assessments as part of Tanzania's Mara River Basin Project.

A new poll commissioned by Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. says British Columbians are more likely to support the controversial Northern Gateway pipeline project than oppose it, but that a majority of the province’s residents are unfamiliar with the multibillion-dollar export scheme. Results to the online survey of 1,000 B.C. residents can be found here. The poll [...]

People. It truly is all about the people.  As we begin the new year of 2012, I am reflecting on the experiences I have had in this business, the good and the bad. Running a company in this sector is no cakewalk. We are subject to the unpredictable volatility of commodity pricing, global political instability [...]

Former broadcaster knew how to spot landmines in media. In environment? Not so much

Former PC leadership contender sets his sights on selling Alberta in Asia

As the Republicans force Barack Obama to make a decision on the pipeline, its fate could be left to the courts

Venture Publishing, the publisher of Alberta Venture and Alberta Oil magazines, is seeking an experienced and high energy account executive to help us meet our exciting growth potential as we celebrate our 15th year of publishing. This opportunity is in our Calgary office. Major responsibility: to build relationships and serve the needs of our advertising [...]

Speculation about how Canadians view Chinese ownership of domestic energy assets is beginning to circulate once again. In the wake of two recent deals, one of which puts China in charge of an oil sands property for the first time, Claudia Cattaneo at the Financial Post wonders whether Canadians (read: Albertans) are entirely prepared for [...]

A level head and a long-term view keep these C-Suite Stars – and their companies – on the path to prosperity

New technology, green anxiety and market access to shape 2012

January 3,2012 --

Companhia Energetica de Minas Gerais (Cemig) has awarded a contract worth more than 60 million euros to a consortium led by Alstom Brazil for refurbishment of the 1,710-MW Sao Simao hydroelectric plant.

The government must get back in the business of being in business, Satya Das argues

'Increased opportunities bring increased risks'

New columns and design tweaks; same insight

Pipeline 'will be built,' David Robottom predicts

Strong relationships with First Nations bolster the bottom line

Architect of Horn River Producers Group builds connections in B.C.

Recent market manipulation blights an otherwise stellar career

'You should be comfortably nervous about your risk,' engineering boss says

Recasting a utility spin-off as a North American powerhouse

NOTE: Content is published online in stages over the course of a month. To read the full edition, please subscribe here.  Cover Package: C-Suites Stars It was a turbulent year for the energy sector. Prices were volatile. Infrastructure projects came under siege. The oil sands faced unprecedented scrutiny. But amid the uncertainty, Alberta Oil’s C-Suites [...]

December 28,2011 --

China Three Gorges (CTG) -- the corporation responsible for China's 22,400-MW Three Gorges hydroelectric project -- has acquired a stake in Portuguese utility Energias de Portugal, S.A. (EDP).

December 28,2011 --

Restoration of Haiti's Peligre hydroelectric plant took a step closer toward becoming reality after the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced the approval of a US$20 million grant for the project.

After a wild 12 months in the energy sector, Energy Ink pauses (briefly)

December 22,2011 --

Icelandic utility Landsvirkjun has awarded four contracts for work on the 80-MW Budarhals and 9-MW Laxa 2 hydroelectric projects.

December 22,2011 --

The China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) has bought a 29 percent share in a Chinese renewable energy group, according to a share purchase agreement issued by seller China Power New Energy Development (CPNED).

December 22,2011 --

Mavel has been awarded a US$6.98 million contract by developer Mercator Energy to equip the 4.59-MW Libechov hydroelectric project on the Elbe River in the Czech Republic.

December 22,2011 --

The Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) has announced plans to develop a new hydroelectric power plant in Maggotty, Jamaica.

December 21,2011 --

Reconstruction work continues at Russia's Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric plant with operator RusHydro launching the facility's fifth hydropower unit. This is the first unit to be put on line that is not restored but instead entirely new.

December 21,2011 --

Ocean power developer Carnegie Wave Energy Limited announces its application for a Foreshore License for an offshore demonstration project near County Clare, Ireland.

December 21,2011 --

The Bureau of Reclamation has issued a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the John W. Keys III pump-generating plant's modernization project.

December 21,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved a 45 million euro (US$59 million) loan to Serbia's state-owned utility for renovating and building small hydropower plants.

December 20,2011 --

Star Hydro Power Limited has been awarded a loan worth US$60 by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for construction of the 147-MW Patrind hydropower plant in Pakistan.

December 15,2011 --

The Laotian government has agreed to suspend construction of the US$3.5 billion Xayaburi hydroelectric dam on the Mekong River, pending further evaluation of the facility's environmental impact.

December 14,2011 --

The Yukon Energy Corporation's Mayo B hydroelectric project is well ahead of schedule and should be producing power before the end of the year, according to a release from equipment supplier ABB.

December 14,2011 --

The Crown Estate has awarded nine contracts for the development of renewable energy sources, including wave and tidal energy sites.

December 13,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide a long-term loan of 8 billion roubles (US$256 million) to fund balance sheet optimization of RusHydro's subsidiary in Russia's Far East region.

December 13,2011 --

Swedish-based engineering firm Sweco has been awarded a contract to help modernize one of Romania's largest hydropower plants.

December 13,2011 --

Wales-based Tidal Energy Ltd. has awarded a contract to Converteam Ltd. to build a 1.2-MW prototype tidal stream power project off the Pembrokeshire coastline in Wales.

December 13,2011 --

Yichang's small hydropower agency has awarded contracts worth US$52.8 million to four Chinese groups to build 11 small hydroelectric projects in China's Hubei Province.

December 12,2011 --

The South Korean Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) has struck a tentative deal with Laos for construction of a hydroelectric plant along the Mekong River, Korean news sources report.

December 12,2011 --

Germany's Thuringia State announced it has identified 13 potential sites for constructing pumped-storage plants that would total 5,130 MW.

December 9,2011 --

Plans for the 500-MW Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped-Storage (LEAPS) have come to a halt following a ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

December 9,2011 --

Cambodia's 193.2-MW Kamchay Dam was inaugurated this week and marks an important step in the country's effort to move away from oil-fueled electricity, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

December 9,2011 --

The West African Power Pool (WAPP) has named consultants to prepare engineering studies and tender documents, environmental-social studies, and resettlement plans for the rehabilitation of the 64-MW Mount Coffee hydroelectric project in Liberia.......

December 8,2011 --

Colombian power and engineering company HMV Ingenieros will add up to 200 MW in small hydroelectric capacity in the coming years, news sources report.

December 7,2011 --

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) has approved a US$150 million loan to help finance construction of the 406-MW Chaglla hydroelectric project on Peru's Huallaga River.

December 6,2011 --

Ivory Coast will build a 275-MW hydroelectric power station in Soubre, according to the country's Ministry of Mines.

December 6,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is giving Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) a loan worth US$166 million for construction of the Ombla hydropower plant.

December 5,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has approved a 3 million euro (US$3.9 million) loan to finance construction of the 5.1-MW Cerruje 1 and 2 hydroelectric projects on Albania's Benji River.

December 2,2011 --

Winners of the 2011 Tidal Today Awards were announced at the International Tidal Energy Summit that took place Nov. 21-23 in London.

December 1,2011 --

Developer Joule Africa announced that Lahmeyer International has begun a bankable feasibility study of expanding Sierra Leone's 50-MW Bumbuna hydroelectric project to a total of 389 MW.

November 30,2011 --

A consortium that includes Andritz Hydro has received an order to supply equipment for the 234-MW Foz Tua pumped-storage power station.

November 30,2011 --

Developer KSK Energy Ventures Ltd. of India and Russian designer JSC Institute Hydroproject have agreed to the main parameters of a downsized 1,800-MW Subansiri Upper hydroelectric project to be built on India's Subansiri River.

November 23,2011 --

The operation of a US$15 million, 6.5-MWIshasha hydroelectric plant in Uganda’s Kigezi Sub-Region should help reduce the country’s power outages, government officials say.

November 23,2011 --

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $1.5 million contract to Burke Electric L.L.C. to replace a substation at 2,457.3-MW Chief Joseph Dam, on the Columbia River near Bridgeport, Wash.

November 22,2011 --

Voith Hydro Wavegen has turned over the Mutriku wave power plant to Ente Vasco de la Energia, the Scottish marine energy company announces.

November 18,2011 --

The Esk Valley Community Energy Group will soon begin work on a small hydroelectric plant after selling more than 125,000 pounds in public shares, the group announces.

November 18,2011 --

AF AB of Sweden has received a contract to design and manage expansion of the proposed 628-MW Nant de Drance pumped-storage project in Switzerland to 900 MW.

November 17,2011 --

The city of Toulouse has named MJ2 Technologies SARL to supply electro-mechanical equipment to the 1-MW Cavaletade hydroelectric project, proposed for the Garonne River in Toulouse.

November 17,2011 --

The Department of Agriculture has awarded more than $8 million to four hydroelectric projects in Connecticut, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont under the Rural Energy for America Program.

November 16,2011 --

Hydro developers NHPC Ltd. and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (SJVN) have established a joint venture with India's Manipur State to develop the 1,500-MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric project on the Barak River in Manipur.

November 16,2011 --

Swiss utility Gruyere Energie SA has named three companies to refurbish generating units at the 4.5-MW Charmey hydroelectric project on Switzerland's Jogne River.

November 15,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to lend 65 million euros (US$88.4 million) to Macedonia for construction of the 70-MW Boskov Most hydroelectric project in western Macedonia.

November 15,2011 --

U.S. senators have introduced bills to provide tax credits for U.S. manufacture of clean energy technology and for investment in energy storage technologies including hydropower.

November 11,2011 --

The government of Malawi has named W.S. Atkins International Ltd. to help develop a framework and tools to advance a multi-purpose water infrastructure investment strategy in Malawi.

November 10,2011 --

The Andean development corporation has approved a US$380 million loan to upgrade six units of the 10,300-MW Simon Bolivar hydroelectric project on Venezuela's Caroni River.

November 10,2011 --

Norway hydro developer Smakraft AS has named two generator manufacturers to supply equipment for its portfolio of small hydroelectric projects.

November 10,2011 --

A consortium of Italy's Astaldi SpA and GyM-Grana y Montero S.A. of Peru has received contracts to construct the 510-MW Cerro del Aguila and 98-MW Santa Teresa hydroelectric projects in Peru.

November 7,2011 --

Experts anticipate double-digit growth rates for the marine current tidal sector through 2020, and technology conglomerate Siemens wants a piece of the action.

November 2,2011 --

Hydro developer RenoEnergie a.s. has awarded contracts to Czech firms to equip the Klastersky small hydroelectric project and to build the 180-kW Doudlevce project in the Czech Republic.

November 2,2011 --

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has named Knight Construction & Supply Inc. to rehabilitate an intake gantry crane at the 558-MW Second Powerhouse of 1,076.6-MW Bonneville Dam, on the Columbia River in Oregon.

November 1,2011 --

The U.S. House has endorsed legislation that would authorize a national park land exchange and construction of a 100-kW hydroelectric project in a non-wilderness area of Denali National Park in Alaska.

November 1,2011 --

SN Aboitiz Chief Executive Emmanuel Rubio said the developer is planning two new hydro projects on Luzon, 150- to 180-MW Matuno in Nueva Vizcaya Province, and a 110- to 120-MW Quezon project in Quezon Province.

November 1,2011 --

SN Aboitiz Power commissioned the rehabilitated and expanded 105-MW Ambuklao hydroelectric project October 27 on the Agno River in the Philippines.

November 1,2011 --

The Bureau of Reclamation has extended the deadline for comments on a draft directive and standard for performing feasibility studies of proposed water resources projects. Comments now are due Nov. 25.

October 27,2011 --

Egypt's Hydro Plants Generation Co. (HPGC) has awarded a US$20 million contract to ABB Ltd. to upgrade the automation of Aswan Dam's three hydroelectric plants totaling more than 2,600 MW.

October 27,2011 --

A Macedonia utility has awarded a contract to Civil Engineering Institute Makedonia to provide geological investigation services for construction of Lukovo Pole Dam on the Kosovo border and construction of the 5-MW Crn Kamen hydro plant.

October 26,2011 --

An official of Russian hydropower utility RusHydro announced the 160-MW Zelenchukskaya pumped-storage project will achieve its design capacity in 2013.

October 24,2011 --

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. will soon begin work on a new prediction model that is expected to boost the power output of the company’s PowerBuoy wave energy systems.

October 20,2011 --

The government of Ecuador has signed a credit agreement providing US$571 million from the China Export-Import Bank to build and equip the 487.8-MW Sopladora hydroelectric project in Ecuador.

October 20,2011 --

The United Kingdom's Crown Estate has approved an agreement for lease off the coast of Anglesey, north Wales, to Marine Current Turbines Ltd. (MCT) for development of the 10-MW Skerries Tidal Stream Array.

October 19,2011 --

The Snohomish County Public Utility District has officially opened a new hydropower project, the 7.5-MW Youngs Creek facility, near Sultan in the state of Washington.

October 18,2011 --

The Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and Norway's Sparebanken Vest have approved a 500 million kroner (US$88.9 million) loan for construction and upgrade of small hydropower projects in Norway.

October 18,2011 --

Oldcastle Precast has supplied 3,000 feet of precast concrete pipe, elbow, transition pieces and manholes for the out- and in-flow portion of PacifiCorp’s Lemolo No. 2 tailrace rerouting project in Douglas County, Ore.

October 14,2011 --

Russian power developer Inter Rao UES has signed a memorandum of agreement with the government of Ecuador to expand the proposed 281-MW Tortugo-Tigre hydroelectric project by the addition of three more hydro plants, all in the Guallabamba River.......

October 14,2011 --

Energy developer AltaGas Ltd. and the Tahltan Central Council have signed agreements to advance construction of the 66-MW McLymont Creek and 16-MW Volcano Creek hydroelectric projects in the Tahltan Nation's territory in British Columbia.

October 13,2011 --

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded contracts for work at several hydroelectric projects, including $6.5 million for fishway outfall modifications at 810-MW Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River in Washington.

October 13,2011 --

The Asian Development Bank will provide $97 million to help fund a new private sector hydroelectric plant in Pakistan, which will ease power shortages and create thousands of new jobs.

October 12,2011 --

The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) reports Quebec could develop medium-sized hydroelectric projects that would generate 5,000 MW and several million dollars worth of private investment.

October 5,2011 --

Marine energy developer Aquamarine Power announced it closed a funding round of 7 million pounds (US$10.8 million) from its major shareholders and won a commitment of further investment over the next two years.

October 4,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development announced it is extending a 200 million euro (US$263.3 million) loan to Ukraine hydro utility UkrHydroEnergo for modernization of 28 turbine-generators at six hydroelectric projects on Ukrain.......

September 30,2011 --

Ocean Thermal Energy Corp. and Bahamas Electricity Corp. have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop two ocean thermal energy conversion plants in the Bahamas.

September 29,2011 --

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has awarded a $106.6 million contract to Bauer Foundation Corp. to build a concrete seepage barrier in the main embankment of 135-MW Center Hill Dam on the Caney Fork River near Lancaster, Tenn.

September 29,2011 --

Norwegian consultant Norconsult AS awarded contracts to two Norwegian companies for construction and electro-mechanical equipment for the 5.6-MW Nye Folkedal hydroelectric project in Norway.

September 29,2011 --

Swiss-German hydropower utility Energiedienst Holding AG (EDH) began formal operations of the new 100-MW Rheinfelden hydroelectric project in ceremonies September 15 on the Rhine River dividing Germany from Switzerland.

September 28,2011 --

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded MWH a $25 million multi-year contract to modernize the 314 MW John W. Keys Pump Generating Plant in Washington.

September 28,2011 --

Norwegian power company Statkraft announced it will begin construction of the 517-MW Cetin hydroelectric project on the Botan River in Turkey's Southeast Anatolia Region.

September 27,2011 --

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has agreed to invest US$5 million in Georgia Urban Energy LLC, a unit of Turkey's Anadolu Group that is developing the 87-MW Paravani hydroelectric project on Georgia's Paravani River........

September 26,2011 --

Alstom, in a consortium with Brazilian engineering companies CESBE and Areva Koblitz, was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract worth $418.5 million to provide power equipment for the 373.4 MW Santo Antonio do Jari.......

September 22,2011 --

Colombia utility Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) reports contractors have started preliminary work to begin construction of the 2,400-MW Ituango hydroelectric project on Colombia's Cauca River.