It is often said that there are major trade-offs between energy security, equity and sustainability. But what if this is a misconception? Energy Post editor Karel Beckman argues that by creating a new sustainable energy system we can at the same time advance energy security and reduce energy poverty. … [Read more...]
New German legislation will shake up EU biofuels market â but how?
New German legislation, which will become effective in 2015, has resulted in a drastic improvement of the climate performance of biodiesel produced in Germany. But the effects the new rules will have on the German and wider EU biofuels market are still highly uncertain, says Elmar Baumann, Managing Director of the VDB, the Association of the German Biofuel Industry, in an interview with Energy Post. âAll we know is that they will be profound.â … [Read more...]
Emission trading now a major new source of low-carbon finance in the EU â but will it stay that way?
Last year for the first time many of the CO2 allowances in the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) were auctioned rather than handed out for free. Surprisingly perhaps, the EU member states used much more of the ETS revenues for low-carbon development than EU law suggests they should. This suggests that the ETS could become a major source of low-carbon finance in the future, writes Emil Dimantchev, senior analyst at Thomson Reuters. But Dimantchev … [Read more...]
EU issues work plan for 2015 â with pared down priorities
The number one priority for Team Juncker is a âŹ315-billion investment plan for Europe. Second, is âbetter regulationâ. First Vice-President Frans Timmermans presented the European Commissionâs 2015 work programme to MEPs in Strasbourg on 16 December. Energy Post looks at the new initiatives, scrapped initiatives and those that hang in the balance for energy and climate policy. … [Read more...]
Ukraineâs coal power plants need a planned phase out, not CCS
There are discussions in Ukraine about equipping coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and storage (CCS) to make them conform to EU climate rules. But according to Oleg Savitsky, climate and energy campaigner at the National Ecological Center of Ukraine, this is not a good idea. Ukraine has a vast overcapacity of obsolete coal power plants that should be closed down, not kept alive. That would also help the country get rid of the massive … [Read more...]
Energy security: Brussels, stop dreaming about the market and confront Russia and China geopolitically
European leaders are under the delusion that they can solve Europeâs security of energy supply problem by creating a strong internal market, which they believe the rest of the world will be eager to serve. In reality, reducing dependence on Russia will require long-term political commitment, real power play and engagement with countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), write Cyril Widdershoven of energy research institute TNO and … [Read more...]
What came out of Lima
Hundreds of country negotiating teams have been meeting in Lima, Peru over the past two weeks for the latest round of international climate negotiations. Mat Hope of The Carbon Brief gives an excellent overview of the results and discusses next steps. Overall conclusion: international climate negotiations have taken a step forward, but only a very small step. … [Read more...]
Putin’s gas gambit: what’s next after South Stream
The Russian cancellation of South Stream is not an end, but a beginning: a new start of Russian gas games in Europe and beyond, writes Agata Ĺoskot-Strachota of the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Poland. She discusses three likely scenarios for what will happen after South Stream and notes that this is a chance for Russia and Europe to look afresh at their bilateral gas relations and new pipeline options. But, she adds, it also makes it … [Read more...]
Cancellation of South Stream is not retaliation, but a business decision
The decision to stop the South Stream project does not represent a fundamental shift in Russian energy policy, writes Friedbert PflĂźger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at Kingâs College London. It is not a political retaliation or a âcounter-sanctionâ, but above all a business decision: South Stream had become far too expensive in the current stagnant European gas market. … [Read more...]
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller: âThis is the beginning of the end of Gazpromâs business model in Europeâ
Following last weekâs announcement on the South Stream project cancellation, last Saturday (6/12) Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller gave an extensive interview to a major Russian TV channel, Russia 24. In his interview Mr Miller explains the reasons for abandoning South Stream, outlines Gazpromâs prospects of the new gas delivery route through Turkey and touches upon the projectâs financial aspects. … [Read more...]
To cut carbon emissions and keep the lights on, it has got to be nuclear power
Crunch time is here: energy security and affordability concerns are colliding with the need to reduce CO2 emissions, writes Malcolm Grimston of Imperial College London. That's why the UK government is right to want to get new nuclear power plants built, argues Grimston. (See the previous article, by Peter Strachan and Alex Russell of Robert Gordon University. for a different viewpoint.) … [Read more...]
UK nuclear policy takes another step in the wrong direction
In its annual National Infrastructure Plan, published on 2 December, the UK government announced it has signed a cooperation agreement with Toshiba, GDF Suez and NuGen toward the financing of a new 3.4 GW nuclear power plant at Moorside. This is one of three new nuclear megaprojects being planned in the UK, next to Hinkley Point C (3.3GW) and Wylfa Newydd (3GW). The UK plans to spend ÂŁ45 billion on these projects until 2021 and hopes to raise … [Read more...]
Russian-built new nuclear reactor gets go-ahead in Finland
The Finnish Parliament has today on 5 December voted 115 to 74 in favour of Fennovoimaâs supplement to the Decision-in-Principle regarding the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Pyhäjoki, Finland. In a press release, the Finnish Parliament states: âThe Finnish Government, the Commerce Committee of the Parliament and now the plenary session felt that in accordance with the Nuclear Energy Act, Fennovoima's project remains in the overall … [Read more...]
What Eon and Gazprom have in common
What does Eonâs change in corporate strategy and Gazpromâs decision not to build South Stream have in common? Quite a lot. Both decisions are responses to the increasing speed in which Europe is moving towards a low-carbon society. Both are also bold and risky decisions for the two companies involved. The rest of us probably need not be (too) concerned, writes Energy Post editor Karel Beckman. … [Read more...]
IEA: coal, nuclear, shale should be part of EU energy mix, Energy Union should not be buyersâ cartel
The European Union âhas made progress in liberalising energy markets, and its global leadership on climate change is to be commendedâ, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said today as it released its review of EU energy policies. But the IEA also had criticisms to make. … [Read more...]
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