By opening up an additional route for cheap Russian gas to Germany, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project may look like a good deal for Europe. However, its advantages are primarily short term, writes Agata Loskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland. In the longer term the pipeline increases the possibilities for Russia’s excessive influence on the European gas market, undermines the policy goals of the Energy Union, and … [Read more...]
EU’s first State of the Energy Union report: how it will deliver on climate and energy goals for 2030
The EU’s first-ever “State of the Energy Union” report is determinedly optimistic on progress, but offers little new information and appears to take just a small step towards resolving the biggest challenge of all: uniting national interests around EU priorities. Published by the European Commission on 18 November, the report is accompanied by a whole suite of studies in areas from energy security to climate action. The package sets out … [Read more...]
Klaus Schäfer, future CEO of E.ON spin-off Uniper: “EU should set a target for gas”
The EU should define how much gas it wants by when, and recognise that Nord Stream 2 can provide additional security of supply, argues Klaus Schäfer, the incoming CEO of E.ON spin-off Uniper in this exclusive interview with Energy Post. Schäfer, who is currently Board member of the E.ON Group, says Europe is further away than ever from a single market for electricity and calls on policymakers to recognise that security of supply has a cost. He … [Read more...]
A quiet gas revolution in Central and Eastern Europe
Turkish Stream, Nord Stream, South Stream, Nabucco - the discussion about the European gas market centres on big gas pipeline projects which are supposed to make Europe either more or less dependent on Russia. However, unnoticed by most observers, Central and Eastern European countries have been carrying out numerous smaller projects that together are radically transforming the European gas market, write Colin Harrison and Zuzana Princova of … [Read more...]
The Hinkley Point C boondoggle: a dangerous waste of money
The UK Government’s pursuit of a new nuclear plant at Hinkley Point C represents not just a colossal waste of money, but could also be real danger to the UK’s national security, write Professors Alex Russell and Peter Strachan of Robert Gordon University. “Let us hope that the Prime Minister and Chancellor's actions do not lead to the radicalisation of unemployed steel workers who are now being joined by unemployed renewable industry personnel.” … [Read more...]
RWE’s Head of Innovation Inken Braunschmidt: “We want to be the Uber for energy”
Big energy companies are looking to the sharing economy, digitisation, big data, and mega-cities to inspire future revenue streams. In this exclusive interview with Energy Post, Inken Braunschmidt, leader of RWE’s “Innovation Hub” talks about her unique role at the helm of a department that’s not a department. Her job? To think non-utility ideas. Braunschmidt:”We’re really going to the edge of what energy has meant for 100 years.” … [Read more...]
Solar finance wizard David Arfin: “Why should people have to prepay their electricity bill for 30 years?”
With his invention of the SolarLease for SolarCity, he revolutionised the US residential solar market. Now, David Arfin, CEO of First Energy Finance, wants to take his business model to other parts of the world, including Europe, and apply it to other technologies, like wind, energy efficiency and geothermal heat pumps. In an exclusive interview with Energy Post, he explains his approach and what future financial innovations he sees coming. “Why … [Read more...]
When fuels compete: the new dynamics of global energy markets
For a long time global energy markets were relatively stable, dominated by long-term investment in asset-intensive fuel businesses that rarely competed with one another. Now, rapid change is sweeping across the energy world: fuels are increasingly encroaching on each other’s territory and the silos of regional markets are breaking down, write Christophe Brognaux and Nicholas Ward of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG). As a result, fundamentally … [Read more...]
Why Ukraine has to reform its gas sector
Ukraine has embarked on “the mother of all reforms”: that of the gas sector. This is one of the most important and most difficult reforms Ukraine has to undertake. Yet without the marketisation of gas prices and an improvement in Naftogaz’s financial standing, it will be impossible to reform Ukraine’s public finances and end the long-standing economic crisis. Energy sector reform is a central goal of the post-Euromaidan government and indeed the … [Read more...]
Interview Taner Yildiz, Energy Minister Turkey: “We will ensure security of supply through the market”
Turkey, faced with strong demand growth and high import dependency, is undertaking ambitious projects in new nuclear power, coal power and renewables. In an exclusive interview, Taner Yildiz, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, explains how the Turkish government is shaping the country's energy strategy, but notes that the private sector will have to make the investments. “Having put in place a transparent, competitive market structure, I … [Read more...]
How hub-based pricing is reshaping the EU gas market – 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...]
A system of unconnected vessels: the gas market(s) in the Baltic States
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...]
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...]
Interview Radu Dudau, Energy Policy Group: “We are in urgent need of a new energy strategy”
The Romanian energy sector is at a watershed, says Radu Dudau, Director of the Bucharest-based Energy Policy Group, in an interview with Energy Post. “We are in urgent need of a new energy strategy. We need to decide what to do with our energy sector.” At the same time, says Dudau, the EU needs to get involved to coordinate regional energy matters in Central and Eastern Europe: “This is a region with no encouraging history of cooperation” But … [Read more...]
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