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.

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December 22, 2021

FDA Gives Emergency Authorization for Pfizer COVID Pill

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the emergency use of an antiviral COVID-19 pill, the pill’s maker Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday.

The company says the pill, which is to be taken with another antiviral drug, ritonavir, is 90% effective in preventing hospitalization and death in high-risk people.

“The efficacy is high, the side effects are low and it’s oral. It checks all the boxes,” Dr. Gregory Poland of the Mayo Clinic told The Associated Press. “You’re looking at a 90% decreased risk of hospitalization and death in a high-risk group—that’s stunning.”

The pill is the first at-home treatment for the virus and is approved for use in those 12 and older who are at high risk.

Pfizer says it’s ready to start delivery of the drug immediately in the U.S. and will produce 120 million courses in 2022.

The U.S. government has a contract with the company for 10 million courses priced at $530 per course.

The drug will be sold under the name Paxlovid and will have to be taken every 12 hours for five days once COVID-19 symptoms appear. Potential users of the new drug will have to show a positive virus test.

Drug giant Merck is also working on a similar drug.

Despite the promise, health officials say getting a vaccine is still the best way to stave off the worst effects of the virus.

Source: Voice of America

December 22, 2021

2021 on Track to Surpass 2020 as America’s Deadliest

U.S. health officials say 2021 is shaping up to be even deadlier than last year.

It’s too early to say for sure, since all the death reports for November and December won’t be in for many weeks. But based on available information, it seems likely 2021 will surpass last year’s record number of deaths by at least 15,000, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s death statistics.

Last year was the most lethal in U.S. history, largely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A CDC report released Wednesday shows 2020 was actually worse than the agency previously reported.

The report presents a final tally for last year of about 3.384 million U.S. deaths, about 25,000 more than a provisional count released earlier this year. Such jumps between provisional and final numbers are common, but 2020’s difference was higher than usual because of a lag in death records from some states that switched to new electronic reporting systems, Anderson said.

The CDC this week also revised its estimate of life expectancy for 2020. Life expectancy at birth that year was 77 years, a decrease of 1.8 years from 2019. The agency previously estimated the decline at 1.5 years.

Anderson said it’s likely that the nation will see more than 3.4 million deaths in 2021. Other experts said they think deaths for the year will end up either about the same as in 2020, or higher.

“It’s really sad,” said Ali Mokdad, a mortality statistics expert at the University of Washington.

A large reason is COVID-19, which hit the U.S. hard around March 2020 and became the nation’s No. 3 cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.

Last year, COVID-19 was the underlying cause in about 351,000 deaths. This year, the number is already 356,000, and the final tally could hit 370,000, Anderson said.

Experts also think the 2021 numbers will be affected by a drug overdose epidemic that is expected to — for the first time — surpass 100,000 deaths in a calendar year.

An increase in annual deaths is not unusual. The annual count rose by nearly 16,000 from 2018 to 2019 — before COVID-19 appeared.

But the coronavirus clearly had an impact. The nation had the smallest rate of population gain in history between July 2020 and July 2021, primarily because of the COVID-19 deaths, said Kenneth Johnson, a University of New Hampshire researcher.

Officials had hoped COVID-19 vaccines would slash the death count. But vaccinations became available gradually this year, with only 7 million fully vaccinated at the end of January and 63 million at the end of March.

Since then, many Americans have chosen not to get vaccinated. The CDC says 204 million Americans are fully vaccinated — or about 65% of the U.S. population that are age 5 and older and eligible for shots.

Indeed, that’s a big part of why COVID-19 deaths could climb despite the availability of effective vaccines, Mokdad said. The appearance of new, more transmissible variants of the coronavirus only made the problem worse, he added.

Source: Voice of America