Career diplomat Maroš Ĺ efÄŤoviÄŤ from Slovakia gave the first glimpse of what the EU's "Energy Union" may look like during his hearing at the European Parliament on Monday night for the post of Europe’s Vice President Energy Union. Ĺ efÄŤoviÄŤ believes in common purchasing of gas and the Southern Corridor (but opposes South Stream), regards the internal market as the backbone of the Energy Union, supports the UK’s state aid to the nuclear power plant … [Read more...]
Save the EU Emissions Trading Scheme: set a price band
The Market Stability Reserve proposed by the European Commission will not be sufficient to reform the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS). If the ETS is to be saved, EU policymakers must instead take the bold step of establishing a price band for CO2 emission rights, argue Brigitte Knopf of the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Ottmar Edenhofer of PIK and the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change … [Read more...]
Cleantech innovation in Europe: the pace is picking up
The pace of innovation in the European energy sector is stepping up. “Energy is no longer seen as a commodity that simply needs to be there. It is perceived as a challenge for which solutions need to be found”, says Elena Bou, Innovation Director of KIC InnoEnergy, a top European company in the field of sustainable energy innovation, in an interview with Energy Post. According to Bou, successful innovation begins with “asking the right … [Read more...]
Analysis: “EU can cut natural gas imports by half, achieve 49% carbon reductions”
By ramping up cost-effective investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency the European Union can cut its dependency on natural gas imports in half, according to a new analysis. Carbon reductions of 49% or more could be achieved below the 1990 level by 2030 – far more than currently proposed. The study Increasing the EU’s Energy Independence: A No-Regrets Strategy for Energy Security and Climate Change was written by international … [Read more...]
The great EU climate and energy test: European leaders need deal that will convince the world
On 23 October EU leaders will meet to agree the foundations of an EU climate and energy policy for 2030. They need to settle on four targets: greenhouse gas emission reductions, renewables, energy efficiency, and – the most recent addition – interconnections. But even more: they will have to convince markets and policymakers across the world that the EU has a credible climate and energy strategy to offer. Sonja van Renssen explains the ins and … [Read more...]
Brussels reveals: public support for renewables hardly different from non-renewables
For the first time ever, the EU Commission has mapped out how much public money flows to the energy sector in Europe and where it goes. According to a new report prepared by consultancy Ecofys, Europe spent €113 billion on energy subsidies in 2012. Remarkably, public support for coal is equal to that of onshore wind and total support for renewables is not much higher than for non-renewables. Also remarkably, the estimated “levelised costs” for … [Read more...]
EU Commission issues interim report on energy subsidies and costs
The functioning of energy markets and the size and effect of government interventions has been the subject of debate for years. To date however, a consolidated dataset for government interventions in the power market of the European Union has been missing. This is why the European Commission has commissioned a study that aims at helping to close the knowledge gap by quantifying the extent of public interventions in energy markets in all 28 Member … [Read more...]
Hinkley Point C: the EU energy market will not be the same after this
The European Commission has, to the outrage of many, given a historic green light to an unprecedented ÂŁ34 billion (€43 billion) state aid package for nuclear power in the UK, the first case of its kind in Europe. Energy Post’s Brussels correspondent Sonja van Renssen discusses the case .- and the many questions that it raises about the EU’s energy policy and the internal market. … [Read more...]
Brussels concludes UK measures for Hinkley Point nuclear power plant are compatible with EU rules
The European Commission has found revised UK plans to subsidise the construction and operation of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset to be in line with EU state aid rules. According to the Commission, “during the in-depth investigation (see IP/13/1277), the UK has agreed to significantly modify the terms of the project financing. As a result, the state aid provided will remain proportionate to the objective pursued, avoiding … [Read more...]
Italian EU Presidency falls down on energy policy
With a final decision on the 2030 framework for EU climate and energy policy approaching, and a highly unstable international energy situation, the Italian Presidency of the EU should focus squarely on energy. However, the Italian energy effort is vague, focused on the short term and fails to initiate the measures the EU and Italy need to solve the energy and climate crisis, writes energy journalist and economist Lorenzo Colantoni. … [Read more...]
Europe’s new VP for Energy Union shows little knowledge of energy
Slovenia’s Alenka Bratušek was condemned as vague, bland and ignorant of key energy issues at her hearing at the European Parliament on Monday afternoon. Bratušek, who from November is meant to lead Europe’s energy negotiations with Russia and take on a global climate deal, failed to convince MEPs she had the skills or integrity to become the EU’s new “Vice President for Energy Union”. … [Read more...]
Carefully prepared Cañete dogged by conflict of interest
The candidate for EU Climate and Energy Commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete from Spain, demonstrated an impressive grasp of his subject matter at his hearing at the European Parliament on Wednesday night in Brussels. But he failed to answer repeated questions about his brother-in-law’s involvement in two oil-related companies. Today, his future hangs in the balance as he becomes a hostage in a fight between the Parliament’s different political … [Read more...]
“Everything depends on how much more Europeans are ready to pay for alternative sources of gas”
When he passed through Brussels recently, Russian researcher Andrei Belyi gave Energy Post his analysis of the crisis between Moscow and Brussels. For him, it’s a lose-lose situation, because he doubts the European sanctions will make Russia change tack on Ukraine, even if they are costing Moscow influence at international level, especially in negotiations with China. At the same time he questions whether European are prepared to pay for … [Read more...]
Winter gas supply crunch in Europe unlikely, experts say
Major investment in European gas storage, transmission and emergency planning make a repeat of the 2009 gas shock unlikely this winter, market observers say, even if Russia trims exports to retaliate against western sanctions. That should be comforting news to EU Energy Commissioner GĂĽnther Oettinger, who is meeting with energy ministers from Ukraine and Russia (Yuriy Prodan and Alexander Novak) on Friday in Berlin. But analysts do caution that … [Read more...]
In defence of TTIP: Good for the economy – and for the climate
The Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently being negotiated between the European Union and the United States may deliver significant benefits not just in terms of greater economic competitiveness, but also as regards energy security and even environmental sustainability, writes Carlo Stagnaro, senior fellow at the Italian think tank Istituto Bruno Leoni and advisor to Italy’s Minister for Economic Development. According … [Read more...]
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