Polandâs proposal to reduce the EUâs energy dependence on Russia by collective buying of gas and maximising domestic production of coal shows a reactive, âsecurity-as-usualâ approach that is totally behind the times, writes Luca Bergamaschi of think tank E3G. According to Bergamaschi, the EU should instead improve its energy security by radically reforming its energy system, above all by improving energy efficiency. Studies show that Germany … [Read more...]
South Stream âLiteâ shows it’s business as usual between EU and Russia
The agreement last week between Gazprom and OMV of Austria on South Stream shows that the EU and Russia will continue their long-standing energy partnership regardless of the crisis around Ukraine, writes Friedbert PflĂŒger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS) at Kingâs College London. According to PflĂŒger, the mutual energy dependence between the EU and Russia should be regarded as a largely positive … [Read more...]
Leaked doc: David Cameronâs plans to make the EU fit UK energy policy
After Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, itâs David Cameronâs turn to seize the moment and promote a vision for EU energy security that neatly fits the UKâs own energy objectives. In a leaked ânon-paperâ seen by Energy Post the UK Prime Minister sets out what he wants EU leaders to agree at their next summit in Brussels in June. Cameron calls for energy security to be embedded in the EUâs 2030 climate and energy package, full freedom to develop … [Read more...]
Samuele Furfari: âIf Russia cuts the gas tap, it can forget its dream of selling gas to China one dayâ
The EU has made remarkable progress in improving its security of supply over the last decade and should not worry that Russia will cut off its gas supplies, says Professor Samuele Furfari in an interview with Energy Post Brussels Correspondent Hughes Belin. A long-time senior advisor at the European Commission, Professor Furfari, author of a brandnew provocative book in French - "Vive les Ă©nergies fossiles!" - says the world has entered a new … [Read more...]
Mr Tusk, on what planet do you live (and in which century)?
The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposes to counter the EUâs dependency on Russian gas by forming an âenergy unionâ â a âsingle European body charged with buying its gasâ. According to Energy Postâs editor-in-chief Karel Beckman, this implies that we should fight the Russians by imitating the Russian command-and-control system. Apparently Mr Tusk has not understood what the EU â or EU energy policy â is about. … [Read more...]
The gas market goes global â and Europe doesnât see what is coming
Global gas trade is expected to explode â and most of the new supplies will go to Asia. Europe will lose control of markets and pricing and will need to compete at higher Asian prices. Thatâs the main message energy reporter Rudolf ten Hoedt took away from the Gastech LNG conference in Korea in March where he spoke with leading LNG traders, including market leaders Shell, Qatargas and Tokyo Gas. âEurope doesnât realise what is comingâ, they told … [Read more...]
Interview Volker Quaschning: âNobody can hold back the renewables revolutionâ
Volker Quaschning, a professor for renewable energies in Berlin and one of the most influential advocates of the âEnergiewendeâ in Germany, is convinced that nuclear and fossil fuel power in Germany will be fully replaced by renewable energies in the not too distant future. The Energiewende, he says, does not even require the support of Germanyâs EEG (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz) feed-in law any longer. âThe EEG is only needed to accelerate the … [Read more...]
The gas market chaos in Ukraine â and what the EU could do about it
Ukraineâs conflict with Russia has left the Ukrainian gas market in a state of chaos. Russia has turned on the screws by raising the gas price for Ukraine, putting an intolerable burden on the Ukrainian governmentâs budget and threatening the countryâs energy security, write Kinga DudziĆska and Aleksandra Gawlikowska-Fyk of the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM). As more of than half of gas the EU imports from Russia passes through … [Read more...]
The vision of Peter Terium, CEO of RWE: “We want to be the holistic energy manager of the future”
RWE, the German utility known for its reliance on large lignite, coal and nuclear power stations, and its high CO2 emissions, is undergoing a fundamental transformation. âWe want to use our leading market position to take our customers into a new futureâ, explains RWEâs Dutch CEO Peter Terium in an exclusive interview with Energy Post. âMy dream, my vision is that RWE will put solar panels on your roof, a battery in your shed, a heat pump in your … [Read more...]
Thereâs only one roadblock to European shale gas: NIMBY
We have seen a spate of think tank publications and opinion pieces doubting the economic and geological potential of shale gas in Europe. According to Nick Grealy, these are all based on outdated statistics and overly conservative assumptions. The US example shows shale gas resources are much larger than the sceptics claim. There is really only one obstacle to exploiting Europeâs shale gas potential: we donât want it in our backyard. But then do … [Read more...]
Hamburg commits to fossil fuel beyond 2050
Hamburg was the âEuropean Green Capital of 2011â, but its climate ambitions are overshadowed by a new Vattenfall coal power plant, which will lead to three times higher CO2 emissions than the city has targeted. The case of Hamburg illustrates the difficulties Germany has in making the transition to a low-carbon economy. … [Read more...]
EU, in search of an energy strategy, clutches at US âsecurityâ
European access to US liquid natural gas (LNG) exports would be âmuch easierâ with a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) in place, US President Barack Obama said at an EU-US summit in Brussels on 26 March, at which energy concerns took centre stage. But the real energy action is likely to take place next week at the EU-US Energy Council on 2 April, when the EUâs High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Energy … [Read more...]
Why thereâs nothing wrong with being âdependentâ on Russia
In response to the Ukraine crisis, the European Union is rushing ahead with sanctions against Russia and will take extra measures to reduce its energy dependence on Russia. According to Energy Post editor Karel Beckman these policies are misguided and based on spurious arguments. He argues that Europe should see Russia as a rival, not as an enemy. âPutin only did what any western leader â certainly any US president â would have done in his … [Read more...]
âEgypt lost $10 billion in corrupt gas contractsâ
Egypt lost $10 billion in gas revenues from 2005-2011, according to a report by EIPR (Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights) and Platform London. Contracts signed during the Mubarak years allowed the export of billions of cubic metres of underpriced gas to Jordan, Spain and Israeli-occupied Palestine, according to the report. EIPR and Platform London summarize the report, which is only available in Arabic, as follows: Some of the individuals … [Read more...]
Explosive report from France: shale revolution overblown
In an explosive new report, researchers from the influential French think thank IDDRI take apart many of the myths that in their view have developed around the unconventional gas and oil ârevolutionâ in the US. Shale has not led to an industrial renaissance in the US, they write, nor will it make the US âenergy independentâ. Shale gas has not even contributed significantly to lower CO2 emissions in the US. For Europe, says lead author Thomas … [Read more...]
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