December 22, 2021

Hitachi Energy wins major contract for the first-of-its-kind sub-sea power transmission network in the MENA region advancing a sustainable energy future for Abu Dhabi

HVDC Light® will connect low-carbon power from the mainland grid to ADNOC’s production operations as a strategic project to enable a sustainable, flexible and secure power supply.

Zurich, Switzerland, Dec. 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy today announced it has won a major order from Samsung C&T Corporation, one of the world’s largest engineering and construction companies, to connect ADNOC’s offshore operations to the onshore power grid in the United Arab Emirates owned and operated by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company PJSC (TAQA).

Hitachi Energy’s HVDC Light® technology and MACHTM digital control platform1 will enable the transfer of cleaner and more efficient power from the mainland to power ADNOC’s offshore production operations, enabling a carbon footprint reduction of ADNOC’s offshore operations by more than thirty percent.

This innovative solution reinforces Hitachi Energy’s commitment to helping customers and countries to transition towards a carbon-neutral future and help enable the ‘2050 Net-Zero Initiative’ of the UAE.

With a capacity of 3,200 megawatts (MW), the two HVDC links will be by far the most powerful power-from-shore solution in the Middle East and North America (MENA) region to date. It is also the first HVDC power-from-shore solution outside Norwegian waters. This innovative solution reflects how Hitachi Energy continues to pioneer technology to address the growing interest from national and independent oil and gas companies to power their offshore production facilities with carbon-free energy from onshore power grids.

“We are proud to be enabling Abu Dhabi and ADNOC to make significant progress on their pathway toward achieving the United Arab Emirates’ ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2050,” said Claudio Facchin, CEO of Hitachi Energy. He continued, “At Hitachi Energy we are championing the urgency of the clean energy transition, and this major order is further evidence that we are a ‘go to’ partner for developing and deploying technologies and solutions that are advancing the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure.”

Mr. SH Kim, Procurement Manager at Samsung C&T Corporation, commented, “In Hitachi Energy, we have selected a trusted partner who brings deep global competence and a strong mindset of collaboration and innovation.” SH Kim continued, “Together, we will serve ADNOC with pioneering technologies that are proven to deliver for such a large HVDC project.”

The entire power-from-shore project will comprise two HVDC power links, which will connect two clusters of offshore oil and gas production facilities to the mainland power grid, a distance of up to 140 kilometers for each cluster.

Hitachi Energy is supplying four converter stations, which convert AC power to DC for transmission in the subsea cables, then reconvert it to AC from DC for use in the offshore power systems. The HVDC technology will be supplied from Hitachi Energy’s global competence centers. Also included in the order are system studies, design and engineering, supply, installation supervision and commissioning. Hitachi Energy will support the customers with a long-term life-cycle service agreement leveraging digital technologies to ensure system availability and reliability over the HVDC links’ long operating life.

HVDC Light is a voltage source converter technology that was pioneered by Hitachi Energy. It is the preferred technology for many grid applications, including interconnecting national power grids, integrating offshore wind parks with mainland transmission systems, feeding more power into congested city centers, interconnecting asynchronous networks that operate at different frequencies, and power from shore.

HVDC Light’s defining features include uniquely compact converter stations (which is extremely important in space-critical applications like offshore wind, offshore production facilities and city-center infeeds), exceptionally low electrical losses, and black-start capability to restore power after a grid outage.

Hitachi Energy pioneered commercial HVDC technology almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC Classic projects and more than 70 percent of the world’s voltage source conversion HVDC projects.

Notes:

Modular Advanced Control for HVDC (MACH™)
The estimated reduction in carbon footprint is based on Hitachi Energy’s own calculations.

About Hitachi Energy

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 38,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.

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Attachment

Hitachi Energy HVDC Light Valve Hall

Rebecca Bleasdale
Hitachi Energy Ltd.
+41 78643 2613
rebecca.bleasdale@hitachienergy.com

December 22, 2021

HPTN Studies Inform FDA’s Approval of ViiV Healthcare’s Long-Acting Cabotegravir Injections for HIV Prevention

DURHAM, N.C., Dec. 21, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) studies HPTN 083 and HPTN 084 helped provide important information for yesterday’s decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve ViiV Healthcare’s long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) injections for the prevention of HIV. Sponsored and co-funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), these studies showed that CAB-LA injected once every eight weeks was superior to daily oral tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) for HIV prevention among cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men (HPTN 083) and cisgender women (HPTN 084). Both studies also demonstrated that CAB-LA was well-tolerated, offering a new and important pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) option for individuals at risk for HIV infection. ViiV Healthcare will market CAB-LA for PrEP under the brand name Apretude.

“This is a truly critical milestone for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis providing a safe and effective alternative to daily pills,” said Dr. Myron Cohen, HPTN co-principal investigator, and director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. “Until we have a cure or vaccine, more prevention options that meet the needs of individuals at risk for HIV around the world are essential.”

HPTN 083 was co-funded by NIAID and ViiV Healthcare. HPTN 084 was co-funded by NIAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and ViiV Healthcare. Study product was provided by ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences, Inc. Three other NIH institutes also collaborated on HPTN 083 and HPTN 084: the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

HPTN 083 enrolled 4,570 cisgender men and transgender women who have sex with men at research sites in Argentina, Brazil, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, the U.S., and Vietnam. In the study, 52 HIV infections occurred, with 12 new infections in the CAB arm and 39 new infections in the TDF/FTC arm. These findings translate to a 69 percent reduction in incident HIV infections in study participants given CAB-LA compared to TDF/FTC.

HPTN 084 enrolled 3,223 cisgender women at research sites in Botswana, Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. There were three new infections in the CAB arm and 36 new infections in the TDF/FTC arm, a 92 percent reduction in incident HIV infections in study participants given CAB-LA compared to TDF/FTC.

“HIV continues to disproportionately impact specific populations who need new HIV prevention options that are not only convenient but also highly effective,” said Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, HPTN co-principal investigator, director of ICAP, and professor of epidemiology and medicine at Columbia University in New York. “CAB-LA is a long-awaited and welcomed addition to the HIV prevention toolkit, offering a potentially convenient option for so many around the world.”

About the HPTN

The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) is a worldwide collaborative clinical trials network that brings together investigators, ethicists, community members, and other partners to develop and test the safety and efficacy of interventions designed to prevent the acquisition and transmission of HIV. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health, Office of The Director, the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, all part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, co-fund the HPTN. The HPTN has collaborated with more than 85 clinical research sites in 19 countries to evaluate new HIV prevention interventions and strategies in populations with a disproportionate HIV burden. The HPTN research agenda – more than 50 trials ongoing or completed with over 161,000 participants enrolled and evaluated – is focused primarily on discovering new HIV prevention tools and evaluating integrated strategies, including biomedical interventions combined with behavioral risk reduction interventions and structural interventions. For more information, visit hptn.org.

Media inquiries: Eric Miller, +1.919.384.6465; emiller@fhi360.org

December 22, 2021

CUAMBA SOLAR PV et ENERGY STORAGE ONT ATTEINT LA CLÔTURE FINANCIÈRE

MAPUTO, Mozambique, 21 décembre 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Globeleq, la principale société indépendante d’électricité en Afrique, et ses partenaires de projet, Source Energia, un développeur d’énergie en Afrique lusophone, et Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM), la société nationale d’électricité du Mozambique, ont atteint la clôture financière de la centrale solaire photovoltaïque de 19 MWp (15 MWac) de Cuamba avec un système de stockage d’énergie de 2 MW (7 MWh).

Le projet de 36 millions de dollars, situé dans le district de Cuamba, dans la province de Niassa (à environ 550 km à l’ouest de la ville côtière de Nacala), fournira de l’électricité dans le cadre d’un contrat d’achat d’électricité de 25 ans conclu avec EDM. Le projet est le premier IPP au Mozambique à intégrer un système de stockage d’énergie à l’échelle des services publics et comprend une mise à niveau de la sous-station existante de Cuamba.

Une fois opérationnelle, la centrale solaire de Cuamba fournira suffisamment d’électricité pour 21 800 consommateurs et, pendant toute la durée du projet, elle devrait permettre d’éviter l’émission de plus de 172 000 tonnes de CO2. La centrale devrait commencer à produire de l’électricité au cours du deuxième semestre de 2022.

L’Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (« EAIF »), société membre du Private Infrastructure Development Group (« PIDG »), a fourni 19 millions de dollars de financement par emprunt, tandis que le mécanisme de subvention Viability Gap Funding (VGF) du PIDG a fourni 7 millions de dollars pour garantir un tarif abordable, financer les améliorations essentielles du réseau et un système de stockage d’énergie pour EDM. CDC Plus, le mécanisme d’assistance technique du groupe CDC, a apporté une subvention de 1 million de dollars pour le système de stockage d’énergie par batterie.

Olivia Carballo, une directrice de Ninety One Ltd, les gestionnaires de l’EAIF, a commenté : « C’est un projet pionnier pour l’EAIF et le PIDG. Nous félicitons Globeleq, Source Energia, EDM et le Mozambique d’avoir atteint une étape clé dans le déploiement de plus de technologie solaire sur le réseau du nord, et d’avoir installé le premier système de stockage d’énergie par batterie à l’échelle du réseau du Mozambique. »

Sarah Marchand, directrice de CDC Plus, a déclaré : « Nous sommes ravis de soutenir l’un des premiers systèmes de stockage d’énergie par batterie à l’échelle du réseau en Afrique subsaharienne, grâce à cette subvention pour le système de stockage par batterie. En accord avec l’ambition de CDC de catalyser davantage de solutions de stockage sur le continent, CDC Plus offrira également un soutien pour acquérir et diffuser les apprentissages concernant l’impact opérationnel, économique et de développement du composant batterie.

« Face aux difficultés persistantes dues à la pandémie, je me félicite du fait que notre équipe ait atteint la clôture financière, et que nous puissions commencer à construire la première installation solaire et de stockage d’énergie du pays. Nous soutenons sans réserve le gouvernement mozambicain dans ses initiatives visant à soutenir l’Accord de Paris et à fournir à ses citoyens des options d’énergie alternative fiables et propres », a ajouté Mike Scholey, PDG de Globeleq.

Marcelino Gildo Alberto, président d’EDM, a affirmé : « Ce projet est une démonstration de l’engagement d’EDM à fournir des solutions durables pour accélérer l’accès de la population mozambicaine à l’énergie. Conformément au plan quinquennal du gouvernement visant à introduire 200MW d’énergie renouvelable, EDM est à l’avant-garde de la transition énergétique en accord avec l’Accord de Paris. »

« Nous sommes très heureux d’apporter une nouvelle contribution au secteur de l’énergie au Mozambique et nous sommes impatients de soutenir la croissance future de l’industrie dans le pays. Nous remercions nos partenaires de projet et nos bailleurs de fonds pour leur patience et leur engagement inégalés pendant la phase de développement », a déclaré Pedro Coutinho, PDG de Source Energia

Le projet nécessitera environ 100 travailleurs pendant la phase de construction, dont beaucoup seront recrutés au sein de la communauté locale. La société espagnole Grupo TSK a été désignée comme entrepreneur EPC du projet et va immédiatement commencer à mobiliser son équipe de construction. E22, qui fait partie du groupe espagnol Gransolar, fournira le système complet de stockage d’énergie par batterie. Globeleq supervisera la construction et l’exploitation de la centrale, avec le soutien de Source Energia.

Logo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/612609/GLobeleq_Logo.jpg

December 22, 2021

Uganda Legislators: COVID Infections Were Unavoidable During Tanzania Trip

About 50 Ugandan legislators and their staff members tested positive for COVID-19 this week after a trip to Tanzania. A spokesman for Uganda’s parliament says the infections were unavoidable given Tanzania’s relaxed attitude toward the disease.

The group was in Arusha for the East African Legislative Assembly games, a friendly sports event hosted by Tanzania for the region’s parliaments.

Chris Obore, spokesperson for Uganda’s parliament, was among the contingent that was in Arusha for the two-week long event.

Obore says upon returning to Uganda, the group took COVID-19 tests twice, both in Arusha and at the Malaba border point, because they anticipated infections.

“Because Uganda and Tanzania have different approaches to COVID fight. There are no SOP [Standard operating procedures], there are no masks, there’s no nothing. And yet the games are interactive. There’s contact. There’s no way Uganda would have escaped. For us who were wearing masks they even think we are sick. They see you wearing a mask, they know these are Ugandans,” he said.

The tournament included events such as a walk race, football, netball, golf, athletics, tug-of-war and volleyball and athletics.

The games brought together the national parliaments of Tanzania, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda. Rwanda and South Sudan abstained from the games with apologies. Asked why Uganda did not skip the games, Obore says the government didn’t want to start a political feud with a neighboring country.

About 50 Ugandan legislators and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning home.

Health Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Ainebyoona said the ministry is working with parliament to ensure the infected legislators and staff do not spread the disease.

“That’s why we even assisted in retesting them. We have to first sequence them before we conclude what kind of variant they have. They might be the normal Covid cases of the strains we’ve been registering,” he noted.

For more than a year after the pandemic started, Tanzania’s government insisted COVID-19 was not present in the country, and still does not collect data on the number of cases and deaths from the disease.

Uganda has recorded about 130,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 3,300 deaths since March 2020.

As of December 20, 502 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded including 25 cases of the new variant, Omicron.

Source: Voice of America

December 22, 2021

Guinea’s 2008 Coup Leader Returns Home From Exile

The man who led a 2008 coup in Guinea and whose brief rule was marked by a stadium massacre against peaceful demonstrators returned to the West African country Wednesday after more than a decade in exile.

After his arrival in the capital, Moussa “Dadis” Camara told supporters he had faith in the country’s justice system and was “fully prepared to tell my part of the truth” concerning the 2009 stadium killings when at least 157 people were slain.

“I trust the justice system and I put myself at its disposal,” he said, noting that “no one is above the law.”

Camara is one of more than a dozen suspects who were charged in connection with the massacre, when Guinean security forces fired upon peaceful demonstrators protesting his intention to run for president.

However, no trial date has ever been set. Earlier this year, human rights groups cited “an evident lack of will to complete preparations” and said victims’ families had waited long enough.

“Dadis is a key player in this massacre,” said Alseny Sow, a member of the victims’ relatives organization. “We expect justice.”

For years Guinea’s government had sought to prevent his homecoming, fearing it could stoke political instability. However, another coup earlier this year in Guinea put a military junta in power that was more amenable to Camara’s return.

On Wednesday, he arrived aboard a commercial flight, wearing a suit and tie and a face mask. The now 57-year-old was largely unrecognizable to most Guineans without the trademark army fatigues and red beret he wore before going into exile.

Camara was shot in the head by one of his bodyguards only a year after he had seized control of Guinea in the aftermath of longtime dictator Lansana Conte’s death in December 2008.

Camara’s exile to Burkina Faso eventually paved the way for Guinea’s first democratic elections since independence from France, which put Alpha Conde in power.

The ex-coup leader did manage to make a brief visit to Guinea in 2013 to attend his mother’s funeral, crossing at a land border with Liberia. But Guinean authorities still resisted Camara’s permanent return, fearing it could stoke political tensions. When Camara tried to visit Conakry in 2015, Conde forced him to deplane on a layover in Abidjan before the commercial flight could continue to Guinea’s capital.

Now Conde, has been overthrown by another junta and remains under military custody. First elected in the landmark 2010 vote, his popularity sank after he ran for a third term, saying term limits did not apply to him. Conde ultimately won re-election in October 2020, only to be deposed in the military coup less than a year later. The reversal of fortunes was not lost on Alphonse Thea, a pharmacist from Camara’s hometown, Nzerekore.

“For 11 years [Conde] prevented Dadis from coming to the country,” Thea said. “He kept him in a sort of golden prison in Ouagadougou. And now he is the one in prison. Dadis is free.”

Source: Voice of America

December 22, 2021

Thousands of Congolese Refugees in Zambia Opting to Go Home

An operation is underway to repatriate thousands of Congolese refugees from Zambia to the homes they fled four years ago in fear of their lives.

Inter-ethnic clashes and fighting between Congolese security forces and militia groups in parts of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo triggered a mass exodus of refugees to Zambia in 2017.

The violence in Haut-Katanga province has subsided, allowing for the safe return of refugees to their home country.

Consequently, nearly 5,000 Congolese refugees have decided to return home under the auspices of the U.N. refugee agency and Zambian authorities. A first group of 100 people left Mantapala settlement in Zambia’s Luapula province Tuesday for Pweto territory in Haut-Katanga.

UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch says security in the area has improved sufficiently to allow for the return of the refugees in safety and dignity.

“We have to go and check with refugees about their intentions,” Baloch said. “For us, the time is right for returns when the refugees decide to do so…Even before the start of this assisted voluntary return, some of the refugees had already returned back to DRC in this part.”

Baloch says an estimated 20,000 refugees have spontaneously left Zambia since 2018 to return to their areas of origin—mainly to Pweto territory.

“The humanitarian community remains engaged with Zambia on the Zambian side but also on the Congolese side as well where we are present…UNHCR is working with authorities in DRC and other partners on reintegration projects, including education, health and agriculture,” Baloch said.

Baloch says two buses and two trucks transported the first group of refugees and their belongings to their homes in the DRC. He says the returnees will receive a cash grant to help them pick up their lives again.

The UNHCR says the voluntary repatriation will continue into 2022 until all those wishing to return are safely settled back home.

Source: Voice of America