The European Commission’s decision on 24 May to impose “binding obligations on Gazprom to enable free flow of gas at competitive prices” – but no fine – is seen by some observers as a victory for Gazprom. Others take a more positive view. Meanwhile, a new report from IHS Markit claims Europe is on the point of becoming fully integrated into the global gas market, making worries about dependence on Russian gas – and Nord Stream 2 – unnecessary. … [Read more...]
Commission’s gas market proposal is an attempt to gain more control of energy policy
The European Commission’s proposed amendment to the Gas Directive is viewed by many as an attempt to block Nord Stream 2. But according to Danila Bochkarev, Senior Fellow, EastWest Institute, the Commission is thinking further ahead: it is using the proposal to try to increase its power over the EU energy market. … [Read more...]
Three new energy companies finding value in three new business models
Not a day goes by without news of a new start-up or one that has been flying under the radar, writes energy expert and author Fereidoon Sioshansi. In this article, he takes a closer look at three of them, which seem to have promising business models: Open Utility, OhmConnect and Off Grid Electric. Courtesy EEnergy Informer. … [Read more...]
China’s growing oil demand creates a new geopolitical dilemma
China has become the world’s largest oil importer, and despite establishing the largely successful yuan-denominated oil futures, Beijing will have to grapple with an overlooked geopolitical and economic consequence as it seeks to quench its thirst for oil and gas, writes Tim Daiss of Oilprice.com. The country, mighty as it is, will become more dependent on OPEC, Russia - and even the U.S. Article courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Donald Trump versus OPEC
OPEC does have a role in today’s higher oil prices, but is this bad for the U.S., as Donald Trump is claiming? According to independent energy analyst Geoffrey Styles, in the new oil world, the U.S. economy may not be worse off with higher oil prices, even if consumers pay more at the pump. … [Read more...]
Gas Geoeconomics in Europe: make Russia a “normal” gas supplier again
To protect Europe from Russian gas coercion, the U.S. should take the unorthodox step of investing in European gas infrastructure, write Gabriel Collins and Anna Mikulska of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies.  Such a "geoeconomics-based strategy" would help blunt and deflect the Kremlin’s gas wedge. … [Read more...]
German electricity market in 2017: records for battery storage and redispatch
Renewable energy generation is still on the rise in Germany, though at a much lower pace than in the years around 2010, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University in a detailed overview of the German electricity market in 2017. Costs of the feed-in tariff are stagnating, notes Buchmann, but redispatch costs which grid operators incur to keep the system stable, reached a new record far above €1 billion. Courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
The secret of the great American fracking bubble
While politicians and the mainstream media trumpet fracking as a great American energy revolution, it has in fact been a financial disaster, writes Justin Mikulka of DeSmog blog. The American shale oil and gas boom, he writes, may be "one of the largest money-losing endeavors in the nation's history". Courtesy DeSmog blog. … [Read more...]
How to ensure resilience in the grid of the future
A low-carbon world is an electrified world. But electricity has an Achilles heel: it is vulnerable. And will become more so as digitalization progresses and extreme weather increases, notes Mark Byrne of the Total Environment Centre in Australia. To reduce vulnerability, Byrne believes we need to create a system of enmeshed micro-grids. Keywords: “mutual interdependence”.  … [Read more...]
Shaking up the German energy market: the Eon and RWE deal
The recent deal between German utilities RWE and Eon will lead to a concentration of power in the different segments of the energy market, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University in Bremen. According to Buchmann, the big question is whether the new companies will become innovation engines or will impose new market entry barriers. Article courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
What energy utilities can learn from Kodak when it comes to digitalization
Utilities can learn from Kodak’s past of failing to exploit digitalization, writes Marius Buchmann of Jacobs University in Bremen. Kodak was ahead in digital technology - it just failed to identify a new business model to exploit it. Utilities face the same challenge today. Article courtesy of Buchmann’s blog Enerquire. … [Read more...]
As the energy potential of the Eastern Mediterranean grows, so does the potential for conflict
The United States and the European Union should play a more proactive role in defusing the growing tensions over energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, writes David Koranyi of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Institute. … [Read more...]
What’s behind Gazprom’s decision to cut off supply to Ukraine
Gazprom’s announcement that it would terminate gas supply to Ukraine has been a shock to many observers, but it is not as radical nor as surprising as it may seem, writes Anna Mikulska of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. It will only become effective in 2019 and is consistent with the company’s earlier announcements and long-term plans. Nevertheless, Mikulska adds, there is reason for the EU to … [Read more...]
IEA predicts nightmare scenario for OPEC
Global oil demand will see robust growth in the next few years, much of which will be covered by the U.S., according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Demand for OPEC oil will decline as it will be edged out of the market by non-OPEC supply, the IEA predicts.  Article courtesy Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
A grand bargain with Gazprom?
Can Europe, including the Eastern part, continue to profit from cheap Russian gas without succumbing to Russian energy dominance? According to a new paper from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), the EU should not shy away from “countervailing measures”. But these should preferably take the form of a “grand bargain” with Russia rather than a confrontation. … [Read more...]
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