An internally integrated gas market independent from Russia is an official goal of the Baltic States’ energy policies. Above all the launch of the LNG terminal in Klaipeda, Lithuania, at the end of 2014, was intended to provide an alternative to Russian gas. However, Latvia rejects the opportunity to import gas from Lithuania, and Estonia is pursuing its own projects, including cooperation witn Finland.  This makes the creation of a regional … [Read more...]
Image of gas suffers another blow as trilateral gas talks fail
Russia, Ukraine and the EU failed to reach an agreement to govern gas flows between Russia and Ukraine at a meeting in Vienna because of a “lack of political will”. European Commission Vice President for Energy Union Maroš Ĺ efÄŤoviÄŤ is frustrated with the Ukrainians as much as with the Russians. “The lack of a deal is not good for the image of Russia as a reliable supplier or Ukraine as a reliable transit country”, he said. He added that “Gazprom … [Read more...]
Gazprom deals deepen EU gas dilemmas
Gazprom has been very active in Europe recently, signing a strategic cooperation agreement with Shell, an agreement to build a second Nord Stream pipeline with Shell, E.on and OMV, and a memorandum with the Greek government about building an extension of its Turkish Stream project. All of these initiatives fit perfectly with Gazprom’s strategy, write Szymon KardaĹ› and Agata Loskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw. But … [Read more...]
Lignite in Europe: fighting back renewables
With an output of 350 million tonnes, four EU countries – Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Greece – account for over a third of the world’s lignite production. Renewable energies have cut into their profitability, but lignite producers are fighting back with increased deliveries and exports to third-party customers. In addition, they avoid CO2 penalties under the EU Emission Trading Scheme by  building plants below the 20 MW threshold. … [Read more...]
Worldwatch Institute: energy costs rise as national debts grow
Although current oil prices are temporarily low, long-term energy costs are on the rise, reports the Worldwatch Institute in its State of the World 2015 report. The Worldwatch Institute warns that “higher energy costs will have ripple effects through economies built around continued large energy-input requirements”. … [Read more...]
Heaven belongs to us all – the new papal encyclical
With his encyclical "Laudato Si" the Pope has written more than a moral appeal without obligation. He has presented a pioneering political analysis with great explosive power, which will probably determine the public debate on climate change, poverty and inequality for years to come, argues Brigitte Knopf from the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change. Through her secular eyes the implications of the encyclical become … [Read more...]
viEUws VIDEO: Brussels Briefing on Energy – All you need to know for June 2015
In this Brussels Briefing on Energy for viEUws.eu, journalist Hughes Belin provides an overview of the latest EU energy policy developments, including the latest progress report from the Commission on renewable energy in EUrope and news on European energy security strategy. … [Read more...]
As race for Arctic oil and gas reserves heats up, so do the war gamesÂ
On June 15, the U.S. military exercise Northern Edge 2015 got underway in the Arctic. According to award-winning author Dahr Jamail, this will have a massive impact on the pristine Arctic environment. And it’s only the beginning: “As the race heats up for reserves of oil and gas in the melting Arctic, so do the Navy’s war games”. … [Read more...]
Good luck G7 leaders – we won’t be off fossil fuels by 2100
The most powerful leaders in the West used the G7 summit in Germany to make a big statement on the environment. Their stated goal is to cut carbon emissions by 40% to 70% by 2050 and then end all fossil-fuel use by 2100. They announced a US$100bn (ÂŁ65bn) fund by 2020 comprising public and private money to help smooth the transition. My response to David Cameron, Angela Merkel and the rest is pretty simple: good luck with that. … [Read more...]
The Idiot’s Guide to Running a Country’s Coal Industry … into the Ground
Recent developments in Romania’s coal sector have brought to the public’s attention two textbook examples on how NOT to manage an industry. Anca Mihalache, Senior Analyst with the Bucharest-based Energy Policy Group discusses both cases. … [Read more...]
Canada will find US shale oil revolution hard act to follow
The new edition of the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, just released, reports that the US recorded the largest increase in oil production in the world, surpassing Saudi Arabia, , thanks to its shale revolution. Can Canada follow the US example now that huge new shale oil deposits have been identified in the country’s remote Northwest Territories? Andrew Topf of Oilprice.com reports that the oil may well be there, but the external … [Read more...]
Going for gas: the risky strategy of the world’s largest companies
They are the biggest companies in the world and they are making a huge bet: they are staking their – and our – future on natural gas. At the World Gas Conference in Paris, the major oil companies all avowed their belief that gas will be the world’s “fuel of choice”, because it is “the cleanest fossil fuel”, “abundant” and “competitive”. But Karel Beckman argues they are overstating the case for gas. And may even be betting on the wrong horse. … [Read more...]
IEA sees “harsh reality” for gas industry
From a Golden Age of Gas to a “harsh reality” in just a few years - the 2015 “Gas medium-term market report“ released by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 4 June in Paris sounded a warning note to anyone who believes gas is bound to conquer the world. That can still happen - but only if gas drastically improves its competitiveness, said the IEA. … [Read more...]
Why is oil and gas activity causing earthquakes? And can we reduce the risk?
The US has witnessed markedly increased seismicity in recent years. There is little doubt that this is caused by oil and gas extraction activities, writes Matthew Hornbach, Associate Professor of Geophysics at Southern Methodist University. However, according to Hornbach, there is no reason to panic: human ingenuity will be able to address this new challenge. He notes that the energy industry has been very cooperative in researching the problem. … [Read more...]
Climate benefits of a natural gas bridge ‘unlikely to be significant’
Natural gas can only be a worthwhile bridge to a low carbon future if a series of tough conditions are met, according to a working paper from the influential New Climate Economy initiative. The paper says the climate benefits of gas, including shale gas, could in theory be significant. It suggests a 10% increase in global gas supplies could prevent 500 gigawatts (GW) of new coal capacity being added by 2035, avoiding 1.3 billion tonnes of annual … [Read more...]
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