Energy and climate experts as well as national and EU parliamentarians are lining up to press their governments to withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) if insufficient progress is made in its modernisation. Their main argument is that it gives protection to fossil investments in a world where policies are changing in order to constrain or phase them out. Here, Frank Umbach at EUCERS sternly warns against abandoning the ECT. The treaty … [Read more...]
Nuclear: Does the West’s military need Small Modular Reactors?
The development of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), generating up to 300MW, are already getting support for civilian purposes. The military in Russia, China and the U.S. are also interested. It should reduce the reliance on long fuel supply lines, the defence of which costs lives. SMRs would be factory made and delivered on site. But Lukas Trakimavičius says many difficult questions must be answered before the West commits to this solution. … [Read more...]
U.S. Nuclear: change the laws that constrain foreign and domestic investment
Today, Russia and China dominate global nuclear exports and new additions while the U.S. experiences budget overruns and cancellations. Once at the forefront, the U.S. should regain its leadership of nuclear power, argue Matt Bowen, Jennifer Gordon and Jackie Kempfer at the Atlantic Council. To recover its position it first needs to change the laws and policies that constrain its ability to cooperate with allies on nuclear matters, invest in … [Read more...]
Russia and U.S. are backing next generation Nuclear
Russia’s Rosatom is positioning itself to lead research and testing for Generation IV fast neutron reactors, including high temperature gas-cooled, molten salt, and lead-bismuth designs. Following an update of plans released by Rosatom in June, Dan Yurman fills in the details. It is creating an International Research Centre and has signed up four partnering nations so far – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. The R&D facility … [Read more...]
Ukraine’s integration into the EU gas market is a positive lesson for the region
Ukraine is shaping its gas infrastructure and regulations to integrate into the EU market. On the infrastructure front, its interconnectors with neighbours, extensive pipeline network and storage facilities are making it an increasingly important European player, explains Aura Sabadus writing for the Atlantic Council. The gradual opening up to EU free market rules are evidenced by its gas prices following those of the EU. Ukraine's attractive … [Read more...]
Imported U.S. LNG: what’s its true climate footprint?
Importing LNG from the U.S., to replace coal, makes sense for Europe only if the total emissions including those throughout the chain of production are lower than the alternatives. Julian Wettengel at CLEW looks at reports that say the total methane emissions from the world’s largest oil and gas field – the Permian Basin in West Texas – are particularly high and may push it over that threshold. Flaring, venting and leakage are the main cause. … [Read more...]
EU Green Deal: meeting targets by lowering non-EU neighbour emissions too
The EU‘s Green Deal and its increasingly ambitious transition policies cannot be limited to its member states, writes Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega at the IFRI Centre for Energy & Climate. For its emissions targets to be met in a meaningful way the EU needs to ensure its neighbours to the east and in North Africa follow. The danger is that carbon intensive industries simply shift to those neighbours, and their products get imported back in. … [Read more...]
The EU can support Central and East Europe’s transition
Six Central and East European nations, heavily dependent on coal, have been very cautious about the pace of the EU’s transition. For them - Bulgaria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia - the political and economic disruption looks far harder to bear. E3G has just released a report that suggests this picture can change. The report’s authors – Felix Heilmann, Rebekka Popp and Ada Ámon – explain that coal is becoming less profitable, … [Read more...]
Nuclear in 2020: a global look ahead at policy, financing, politics, by country
Dan Yurman presents his worldwide review of nuclear’s prospects. 19 nations are covered. He explains while some countries are planning to scale down nuclear, like South Korea and France, some are increasing investment, like China. Others remain stuck over policy, pricing, financing and politics (e.g. Japan, the U.S.). Exporters of plants, led by Russia, are making moves – not always easily - in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. R&D … [Read more...]
TurkStream disruption: Turkey, Greece can become new gas hubs
For over 30 years the Trans-Balkan pipeline has been used to pump Russian gas to southeast Europe. But Russia’s construction of the new TurkStream pipelines can open the door for the Trans-Balkan to be re-purposed, explains Aura Sabadus writing for the Atlantic Council. Going forward, LNG can be imported into Turkey and Greece and pumped back up the same pipes to serve the region, reducing dependence on Russian gas. However, such a plan would … [Read more...]
China’s quest for gas security is reshaping the global LNG market
In just two years, China has become the world’s top gas importer and should soon become the largest importer of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). But that growing import dependency, domestic winter supply concerns, and the trade war with the U.S. means the Chinese government is reinforcing its gas supply policy, says a report "China’s Quest for Gas Supply Security: The Global Implications" by the IFRI Centre for Energy & Climate, authored by … [Read more...]
How will Russia respond to Europe’s climate action
In March 2014 Russian president Vladimir Putin gave a speech at the Kremlin following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. He said: “If you compress the spring all the way to its limit, it will snap back hard. You must always remember this”. The compressing of the spring, in this case, was the perceived threat of an increasingly Western-leaning Ukraine and former Soviet states joining NATO. The snap back saw Russia take Crimea, starting a military … [Read more...]
OPEC is driving itself to irrelevance with farcical aplomb
It took months of delays but even before the cartel’s latest ministers meeting began in Vienna, the Saudis and Russians rendered it meaningless by largely deciding an outcome that failed to surprise the market. Not that long ago, a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) carried great weight in the global energy market and was accompanied by intense anticipation. The powerful oil producer’s cartel at one point held … [Read more...]
U.S. sanctions against Nord Stream 2: the global realpolitik of Russian gas for Europe
The proposed US sanctions aimed at Nord Stream 2 (NS2) are yet another hurdle in the way of the controversial Russian gas pipeline for Europe. But they are not an attempt by the Americans to prevent Gazprom from supplanting them as a supplier, says Alan Riley at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, because NS2 will deliver no more gas than the current route via Ukraine, just replace it. He argues the sanctions are to constrain Russia’s … [Read more...]
More nuclear means more waste disposal: the options, science, engineering
Public concern about nuclear power goes beyond an accident at a live plant. What do we do with the nuclear waste? If nuclear is to grow to become a major replacement for oil and gas the question must be answered. James Conca reviews the different methods that have been seriously considered: shooting it into space, burying it in deep sea trenches or under ice sheets, transmutation, or simply digging it even deeper underground. … [Read more...]
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