Energy Post would like to thank all of our readers and contributors for a terrific first half of the year. Your contributions and sharing via social media has helped drive the debate we seek to stimulate about Europe and energy. Weâre taking a short break now but weâll be back on Monday 17 August with new content. In the meantime, please keep reading, sharing and telling us what you think. Enjoy the summer! Â … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2015
“Huge challenge to deliver enough oil and gas for 2ÂșCâ â Statoil on Paris climate talks
In this video for viEUws - the EU Policy Broadcaster - journalist Sonja van Renssen is joined by Jos Delbeke (Director General for Climate Action, European Commission), Kathleen Van Brempt MEP (Vice-president of the S&D Group) and Eirik WĂŠrness (Chief Economist and Vice President, Statoil) to debate the question: âRoad to Paris: can the EU retain its leadership role at COP21?â … [Read more...]
How hub-based pricing is reshaping the EU gas market â even Spain
Countries like Spain, which have long been immune to the shift from oil- to spot market-based gas pricing, are finally waking up. With that, come fresh opportunities for alternative gas suppliers to sell more and end-customers to pay less. So the evidence suggests, writes Benedict De Meulemeester, owner and founder of the international energy and environment consultancy E&C. Taking the UK as an example, he urges Spain to use a new … [Read more...]
Top 5 EU energy priorities for rest of 2015
In this video for viEUws â the EU Policy Broadcaster â Hughes Belin introduces the top 5 energy issues that will be discussed by the EU institutions under the Luxembourg EU Presidency (Luxembourg took over the rotating 6-month presidency in July). … [Read more...]
The EUâs climate strategy for Paris: recipe for another failure?
The European Commission has proposed a strategy for the Paris climate talks that includes the aim of achieving a âParis Protocolâ. According to Susanne Dröge and Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin, this strategy does not take into account the new global context of the negotiations. They urge the EU to drop the word âprotocolâ, consider how to align the international process with internal EU … [Read more...]
Dutch courtâs climate ruling may force other states to cut emissions â or else
States have a duty of care towards their citizens that the absence of a global climate treaty does not take away, argues Professor Arthur Petersen from University College London. A recent court ruling in the Netherlands sets a precedent for national judges to directly use climate science to find governments liable for inadequate action on climate change, he says. The ruling's biggest impact may be outside the Netherlands. … [Read more...]
Dean Oskvig, CEO Black & Veatch: physics not policy will dictate energy future
âWe can make all kinds of policies and laws and regulations, but no legal system is powerful enough to violate the laws of physics,â says Dean Oskvig, President and CEO Black & Veatch Energy, part of Black & Veatch, the US-based global engineering and consulting company. In this exclusive interview, he urges policymakers to focus on infrastructure resilience, cybersecurity and responding to distributed and off-grid electricity generation. … [Read more...]
EU kicks off final phase of controversial carbon market reform
On 15 July, the European Commission unveiled its long-awaited proposals for a deep and meaningful reform of Europeâs carbon market from 2021-30. It neatly turns into law political decisions by EU heads of state and government last October. NGOs have lambasted it for lack of ambition while industry is screaming blue murder about a declining pot of free carbon allowances. Welcome to the start of a two-year battle that is probably the last chance … [Read more...]
RWE sets up its lignite plants for a taxpayer bail-out
German utility RWE has kept uneconomic lignite plants open with the explicit intention of securing a public bail-out, argue Julian Schwartzkopff, Chris Littlecott and Sabrina Schulz at E3G. It would apear the energy giant has taken a bet on being âtoo big to failâ that might just pay off: RWE is set to be the biggest beneficiary of a new 2.7GW capacity reserve in Germany which will pay lignite plants for going on standby. The alternative, a … [Read more...]
The new fracking â how shale gas may yet transform the European energy market
Shale gas in Europe â itâs a revolution that does not seem to be happening. Even in countries like Poland and the UK, where governments are pushing it. However, European shale gas may get a second chance â if US company eCorp is to be believed. CEO John Thrash of eCorp says his company can frack without using any water, with no chemicals and much cheaper. The French government first embraced eCorpâs technology, only to ignore it later, âfor … [Read more...]
Non-state actors account for growing share of emission reductions
International climate initiatives by non-state actors account for roughly half of the emission reductions pledged by governments, according to conservative calculations made by consultancy Ecofys. Cities and regions provide the larger part of these efforts, companies about a quarter. That is not yet enough to bridge the gap to the reductions that are needed, but there is scope for a further increase, write Rolf de Vos and Kornelis Blok of Ecofys. … [Read more...]
The YieldCo: the solar revolution meets Wall Street
The invention of the YieldCo is a gamechanger that will enable spectacular growth of solar PV, writes solar pioneer Peter F. Varadi. According to Varadi, the PV YieldCo offers significant advantages over investments in fossil fuel power: no fuel supply is needed, no long-term purchasing contracts for the generated electricity and less costly infrastructure. The solar revolution meets Wall Street. … [Read more...]
Europe’s gas demand is falling. Doesn’t anybody notice?
Gas demand has consistently been overestimated by EU bodies in recent years, write Dave Jones of Sandbag and Jonathan Gaventa and Manon Dufour of E3G. Even today, with gas demand at its lowest since 1995, the possibility of lower future demand is hardly taken into account. As a result, the EUâs energy security strategy, focused on sourcing more gas, may be misguided. In addition, infrastructure investment may be wasted. Time for a reality check. … [Read more...]
So we are reforming the ETS. Now what do we want it to do?
It would be a mistake to believe that a âreformedâ EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) would be a sufficient instrument for the decarbonisation of the EU economy, writes Oliver Sartor of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) in Paris. A carbon market is necessary, but it is not enough. A recent study from Climate Strategies, in which Sartor participated, suggests that Member States develop long-term climate … [Read more...]
All at sea! UK government is putting future offshore wind at risk
The UK's energy security will increasingly depend on large scale offshore wind power, write Ian Broadbent and Peter Strachan. But while energy secretary Amber Rudd talked the sector up in a recent speech, she revealed feeble ambition. Worse, with its premature cutbacks on onshore wind, and its obsession with nuclear power, the government is undermining confidence among investors. … [Read more...]