An âEnergy Unionâ in Europe means that an EU-level organisation will balance the flows of electricity, not national transmission system operators. And it means the EU will ensure security of supply - not the national member states. That is the vision of Jean-Arnold Vinois, until recently Director in charge of the internal energy market at the European Commission and co-author of a groundbreaking report from Notre Europe (Jacques Delors Institute) … [Read more...]
Arctic oil put on ice
Low oil prices have prompted Chevron and Statoil to suspend their drilling plans in the Arctic. Sanctions against Russia have forced Rosneft to delay its Arctic campaign. Only Shell still seems to be bent on drilling in the North Pole region, reports Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. … [Read more...]
Bulgaria â the EUâs next gasless gas hub (Or: is Bulgaria trying to become the new Ukraine?)
In response to the cancellation of South Stream, the Bulgarian government has launched a programme to turn Bulgaria into a âgas hubâ for the region â an initiative welcomed by the European Commission and the United States. Â Anca Elena Mihalache, Senior Analyst at the Romanian think tank Energy Policy Group, notes that Bulgaria has few sources of gas other than Russia and does not have a good record in creating liberalized energy markets. … [Read more...]
IEA: âNuclear power critical to meet climate goalsâ
Nuclear power is âa critical element in limiting greenhouse gas emissionsâ, says the International Energy Agency (IEA) in a report released on 29 January (co-authored with the Nuclear Energy Agency). According to the report, 72 new reactors are under construction, the highest number in 25 years. … [Read more...]
Russiaâs oil and gas tax policies look increasingly eastward
Recent changes in the taxation of Russiaâs oil and gas sector reflect both the countryâs pivot eastward and the special treatment afforded to its state-controlled energy companies, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalData. … [Read more...]
Want to avoid oil’s gloom? Turn to the sun, says Outsider Nick Hodge
While some celebrated shale oil as a "boom," Nick Hodge, founder and director of investment community the Outsider Club, derided it as a "Ponzi scheme." Today the shale sector quivers before the specter of falling oil prices, and the oil majors that have invested heavily in shale may be humbled. In this interview with The Energy Report, syndicated by Energy Post, Hodge argues that nuclear energy is about to reassert itself, and that solar power … [Read more...]
Eonâs transformation: how it will change the energy debate in Europe
With Eonâs historic decision to restructure we now for the first time will have  a large energy supplier not being pulled in two directions, but acting on the single imperative of bringing new energy solutions to customers. This removes one of the key obstacles that has been hindering the energy transition, writes Simon Skillings, former Director of Strategy and Policy at Eon UK and now independent consultant and associate at environmental think … [Read more...]
Oil price decline: no room for conspirators
Some observers claim the US and Saudi Arabia have made a secret deal to bring down oil prices. They are supposed to be doing this in particular to hurt Iran and Russia. But Friedbert PflĂźger, Director of the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), Kingâs College London, finds their arguments unconvincing. The oil market is too big to be manipulated by conspirators. … [Read more...]
Europe does not need the Southern Gas Corridor
The Southern Gas Corridor, the EUâs major energy diversification project, is not only unnecessary in light of gas demand projections, but also falls short on the goal of bringing energy independence from Russia. It involves large subsidies to Russian company Lukoil and it strengthens another authoritarian regime, that of Azerbaijan. Those are the main conclusions of a new study, âPipe Dreamsâ, written by a group of NGO's: CEE Bankwatch Network, … [Read more...]
Historic moment: Saudi Arabia sees End of Oil Age coming and opens valves on the carbon bubble
Most analysts believe Saudi Arabia refuses to cut production because it wants to shake out its higher-cost competitors or because it wants to punish Iran and Russia. There may be some truth in those theories, writes Elias Hinckley, strategic advisor and head of the energy practice with international law firm Sullivan and Worcester, but they miss the deeper motivation of the Saudis. Saudi Arabia, he says, sees the end of the Oil Age on the horizon … [Read more...]
New clean energy investment surges 12% in 2014
New investment in the global clean energy sector rose 12% last year to $274.2 billion, the highest annual investment volume since 2011, reports Clean Energy Pipeline, the online financial news and data service dedicated to the clean energy sector in a report released on 21 January. … [Read more...]
Why cheap oil will not wreck the prospects for renewable energy â this time around
When oil prices collapsed in the 1980s, most large renewable energy programs were dismantled. But that wonât happen this time, writes John Mathews, Professor of Strategic Management at Macquarie University's Graduate School of Management in Sydney, and author of a brand new book âThe Greening of Capitalismâ. The reason is that China has made a strategic commitment to renewables. Donât forget, Mathews writes: coal prices have also been falling, … [Read more...]
Christoph Frei, World Energy Council: âThe real hope for âParisâ is to see a connected carbon market started by the big players”
On 20 January, the World Energy Council (WEC) will publish its World Energy Issues Monitor â an annual survey of over 1,000 energy leaders in over 80 countries. WECâs Secretary-General Christoph Frei notes the biggest changes compared to last year are that energy leaders have become more concerned with security of supply (Russia) and cyber-security. Price volatility and climate framework remain at the top of the worries list. In an in-depth … [Read more...]
Measuring the CO2 impact of big infrastructure projects: the case of Keystone XL
Major energy infrastructure projects will be more and more put to a climate test. In the US, for example, draft environmental legislation adopted last year stipulates that climate analysis of federal projects should include âdownstreamâ emissions. In future it will not be so easy for companies to say âif we donât do it, somebody else willâ. But how do you measure indirect climate effects? The Stockholm Environment Institute is one place where … [Read more...]
The implications of $50-a-barrel oil for the worldâs energy mix
Oil prices keep sliding, sending economic shockwaves around the world. Analysts are scrambling to try and understand what it means for the world's future energy mix and efforts to cut emissions. But the relationship between oil prices and energy investments is complex, writes Mat Hope for The Carbon Brief. Much depends on how low the price goes as, beyond a certain point, lots of projects are no longer economically viable. … [Read more...]
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