London-listed, global energy investor ContourGlobal portrays its plans for a new coal power plant in Kosovo as a step towards cleaner air, but its legal agreement with the government shows that it fails to commit to best-in-class environmental performance, writes energy finance consultant Gerard Wynn. Courtesy Energy and Carbon blog. … [Read more...]
Poland’s stunning e-mobility plans
The Polish government has adopted a new law on electromobility aimed at turning Poland into an e-mobility leader in Europe. The country wants to have 1 million EVs on the road by 2025 (Download position paper here). Already home to electric bus manufacturing plants and a big EV battery plant, Poland is set to become the motor for electrifying transport in Europe. “We are really pioneers”, says Marta Gajęcka, Head of Energy Advisors to the … [Read more...]
Why the EU should ban SF6
SF6, the most potent greenhouse gas in existence, was banned for all applications in the EU in 2014 – except in the electricity industry. The reason for the exemption, writes Nicholas Ottersbach, researcher at German cleantech startup Nuventura, was that there was no viable alternative. But according to Ottersbach that is no longer the case. He calls on EU policymakers to ban SF6, in the electricity industry when the relevant EU legislation is … [Read more...]
Croatian LNG terminal: now or never?
If constructed, the planned Croatian LNG terminal could provide an alternative source of supply for Russian gas in Central and Eastern Europe. Yet without financial support from the region’s governments and diplomatic engagement of the US and the EU, it is unlikely to be realized anytime soon, writes David Koranyi of the Atlantic Council Global Energy Institute. … [Read more...]
‘Tsunami’ of hydropower dam building threatens Europe’s last wild rivers – campaigners
The transition to low-carbon energy sources in the Balkans could cause irreversible environmental damage, environmentalists fear. Proposed hydropower dam constructions endanger Europe’s last wild rivers and some diversity hotspots, writes Umberto Bacchi of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Courtesy: Thomson Reuters Foundation. … [Read more...]
How the European Commission, European Court of Justice and Member States are scaring away investors in the energy sector
Both EU institutions and member states are actively undermining the investment climate in the energy sector, writes Alan Riley, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Statecraft in London. The European Commission is undermining investor protection by its determination to apply EU state aid law to arbitration awards. Member States are disrupting investor expectations through arbitrary political interventions in the energy sector. Worst of all, the … [Read more...]
Energy companies under pressure to improve non-financial reporting – “the accountants are taking over”
Most energy companies today report on their climate, environmental and social impacts. In the EU they are even legally obliged to do so. But how transparent are these reports? How can they be compared? And how will they be used by investors and policymakers? Clare Taylor spoke to a number of experts and learned that energy companies are increasingly under pressure to improve their non-financial reporting – and that there is more legislation to … [Read more...]
EU policy must wake up to carbon dioxide removal
Most scenarios to meet the Paris Agreement’s targets require negative emissions technologies. However, carbon dioxide removal is not part of the EU’s climate policy yet. Its integration presents a serious challenge to the EU’s low-carbon policy paradigm and experience, write Oliver Geden of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Vivian Scott of the University of Edinburgh and James Palmer of the University of Bristol. … [Read more...]
Interview Iberdrola’s Director of Climate Change Saenz de Mira: “Europe is losing leadership” (Energy Post Weekly)
“In renewables there are more investments today in the US and China”, says Gonzalo Saenz de Miera, Director of Climate Change at Iberdrola, a world leader in renewables, in an interview with Energy Post. “Europe is losing its leadership.” Saenz de Miera calls for a binding target for 2050, not just 2030, and for it to be more ambitious than the current 80-95% greenhouse gas emission reduction. He also advocates “polluter pays” taxation that puts … [Read more...]
Gas Geoeconomics in Europe: make Russia a “normal” gas supplier again
To protect Europe from Russian gas coercion, the U.S. should take the unorthodox step of investing in European gas infrastructure, write Gabriel Collins and Anna Mikulska of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies. Such a "geoeconomics-based strategy" would help blunt and deflect the Kremlin’s gas wedge. … [Read more...]
Boosting green investment: EU wants ecolabel for financial products
The European Commission’s recently adopted Sustainable Finance Action Plan aims to boost investment in green projects, mainly by providing more reliable information for investors, writes David Thorpe, consultant and author of books on energy efficiency. An EU "ecolabel" for financial products is in the works. … [Read more...]
UK will legislate net-zero carbon emissions target, says minister
The UK will draft new laws that will cut emissions to net-zero, climate minister Claire Perry announced on Tuesday. Under the UK's 2008 Climate Change Act, the country has committed to 80% emission cuts, but this may prove inadequate to meet the Paris limit in 2050, writes Megan Darby, deputy editor of Climate Home News. Article courtesy Climate Home News. … [Read more...]
In the new era of inexpensive renewables, policy should remove systemic obstacles
As the cost of renewables goes down, the old approach of subsidizing generation no longer makes sense, writes Johannes Urpelainen of The Center on Global Energy Policy. We need a revolution in energy policy. Article courtesy The Center on Global Energy Policy. … [Read more...]
Fracking may have political support, it still needs a ‘social licence’
The UK government may be convinced that shale gas production is important to the country, it will need to convince the public too. Experience in Eastern Europe has shown that without a “social licence”, fracking will not get off the ground, writes Andreas Goldthau, Director of the Centre of International Public Policy in London and author of a new book on the politics of shale gas. … [Read more...]
New Gas Market Directive will change balance of power between EU and Member States
The European Commission has proposed amendments to the Gas Market Directive essentially to acquire control over Nord Stream 2. But once they are approved, the EU will have much more authority over Member States’ overall security of energy supply than it has now, warns Bent Ole Gram Mortensen of the University of Southern Denmark. According to Mortensen, there is no need for such far-reaching legislation: if Gazprom were to abuse its market … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- …
- 42
- Next Page »