Barriers to trade and investment in energy goods and services, long neglected, are starting to be addressed by trade negotiators in the World Trade Organisation and outside of it. The process of integrating the energy dimension to trade policy is however still in its infancy. An upcoming report from the World Energy Council aims to offer trade officials a policy agenda. Iana Dreyer, editor of Borderlex.eu, a newsletter specialised in EU trade … [Read more...]
US shale oil: the day of reckoning will come
The financial state of the US shale oil industry is much worse than the still impressive production figures would lead us to believe, writes energy expert Jilles van den Beukel, a former geophysicist with Shell. Shale oil producers and investors have managed to postpone the day of reckoning, but the fundamentals of the industry make a shake-out inevitable. … [Read more...]
Is oil becoming stranded?
The risk of stranded oil assets may be greater than many people think, writes Paul Spedding, former Global Co-Head of Oil and Gas Research at HSBC and advisor to the non-profit financial think tank Carbon Tracker, which popularised the term “carbon bubble”. According to Spedding, climate policies may well lead to a drop in demand that will leave oil reserves destined for future production stranded. … [Read more...]
New data debunks clean energy claims Apple, Amazon, Google
Recent claims by owners of large data centers that a large part of their operations are powered by renewable energy have skeptics coming out of from under their solar panels. Now, there is hard data proving that skepticism is valid, writes energy consultant and author Jim Pierobon. He applauds the efforts of companies like Amazon, Apple and Google to strive for clean energy, but calls for more transparency on their actual practices. … [Read more...]
Europe’s energy investment crisis: “the EU energy market needs a makeover”
Europe’s electricity market, which has some of the highest renewable energy shares in the world, is suffering from a profound investment crisis. Sonja van Renssen spoke with top experts from government, business and academia about the causes and possible solutions. Conclusion: “tinkering around the edges” won’t do - “a complete makeover” of Europe’s market design is needed. Courtesy of World Energy Focus. … [Read more...]
A health check for the oil majors: not dead yet
Market watchers are announcing the demise of the oil majors. Not for the first time. According to Jilles van den Beukel, former geoscientist with Shell, the oil companies are indeed seeing their world shrinking. But they are not dead yet: their reason for being – the world’s demand for oil and gas – is still there. … [Read more...]
Renewable energy demand in Europe reaches record levels
The demand for renewable electricity in Europe based on Guarantees of Origin (GO) validated by the European EECS standard continued to grow in 2015. The growth is up more than 8% from 2014 and surpassed 340 TWh, reports ECOZH, a Norwegian renewable energy supplier. … [Read more...]
EU takes on gas in first battle for European Energy Union
The European Commission is heading for a full-on confrontation with Member States with a new set of proposals on gas security of supply: a fresh attempt by Brussels to impose a truly European policy. According to leaked drafts obtained by Energy Post, the Commission will demand more oversight on gas deals with foreign countries and suppliers, and look to replace national gas policies with regional ones. There will also be a first-ever LNG and … [Read more...]
Exclusive: The Overlay Network – telecom experts present revolutionary plan to integrate EU power market
Four Dutch managers with a background in the telecoms sector, led by former Chairman of KPN Royal Dutch Telecom Professor Wim Dik, have come up with a simple idea that would finally make possible a truly integrated EU electricity system. Under the name of EU PowerNet Initiative they propose the building of an ‘Overlay Network’ that would allow direct transmission of electricity between all countries even if they are not direct neighbours. The … [Read more...]
The Price of Oil: why it rose stupendously, why it is likely to remain low and what this means for the world
Although oil has experienced an extraordinary price increase over the past few decades, a turning point has now been reached where scarcity, uncertain supply and high prices will be replaced by abundance, undisturbed availability and suppressed price levels in the decades to come, write Roberto F. Aguilera of Curtin University in Australia and Marian Radetzki of Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. In this article they provide a synopsis of … [Read more...]
Buying energy in the land of the free
European energy users often look with envy at the US, where energy is abundant and cheap. However, writes Benedict De Meulemeester, such simplistic comparisons ignore the many structural differences that exist between the two markets: “In the land of the free, energy markets are in many ways less free – and certainly less transparent – than in Europe.” According to De Meulemeester, Managing Director of E&C Consultants, “a US energy buyer has … [Read more...]
Saudis could face open revolt at next OPEC meeting
Market watchers assume that Saudi Arabia will not change its oil policy any time soon, which means that oil prices will continue to be in the doldrum for quite some time. However, Dalan McEndree of Oilprice.com points out that the Saudis may well face an open revolt from fellow OPEC members at the next OPEC meeting. They will then be faced with the choice to cut production - or see OPEC fall apart. … [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...]
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...]
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