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Energy Post

The best thinkers on energy

Capacity markets: a brewing clash

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Electricity Capacity Mechanisms (CMs) were conceived to make sure there is always enough energy for the grid, even as demand and supply fluctuate. A legal challenge from Tempus Energy in the European General Court led to the UK’s CM being suspended by the government. Now a similar case is being brought to the Court, relating to the Polish CM. Another win for Tempus could lead to further cases across the EU and could dent the way countries finance … [Read more...]

Brexit: What it means for UK-EU energy trade

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The UK says it wants to keep or even expand its close ties with the European Union energy market after Brexit, but it might not get what it wants if the country leaves the EU with no deal in 2019. Gas and electricity will continue to be traded between the two, but the risks of shortages and higher costs for the UK and Ireland will grow and increase over time, explains Sara Stefanini of Climate Home News. … [Read more...]

The irony of Italy’s election for energy

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Should the Italian government decide to halt the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the last leg of the  Southern Gas Corridor - meant to reduce the EU's dependence on Russia - may be in jeopardy, writes John Roberts, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center. Ironically, the Russians may want to save the project, according to Roberts. Courtesy: the EnergySource blog of the Atlantic Council. … [Read more...]

EU electricity distributors should not be allowed to police themselves

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The European Commission has proposed new European legislation that could put Europe’s distribution system operators in a powerful position to bend market rules to their own advantage, writes Julie Finkler of NGO ClientEarth. According to Finkler, this could seriously hamper other market players, like community energy initiatives, renewable energy producers and aggregators. She calls on the European Parliament and the Member States to ensure this … [Read more...]

The new EU electricity market design: more market – or more state?

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As a new regulatory design for the EU electricity market is taking shape, there are grave concerns in the sector that the new rules will not advance the internal energy market very much. Or might even undermine it. Energy Post editor-in-chief Karel Beckman talked to a number of key players in the sector who will debate the proposed market design rules at an Energy Post event in Brussels on 20 March. … [Read more...]

A grand bargain with Gazprom?

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Can Europe, including the Eastern part, continue to profit from cheap Russian gas without succumbing to Russian energy dominance? According to a new paper from the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), the EU should not shy away from “countervailing measures”. But these should preferably take the form of a “grand bargain” with Russia rather than a confrontation. … [Read more...]

Corbyn avoids real choices with call for nationalisation of energy

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Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for the nationalisation of the UK energy industry in order to deliver the transition to a low-carbon economy. That may sound radical and ambitious, writes Karel Beckman, editor-in-chief of Energy Post, but it is not a solution at all. According to Beckman, the Labour Leader is shirking the responsibility to come up with realistic and effective climate change policies. … [Read more...]

EU ties itself into knots with capacity market decisions [Energy Post Weekly]

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On 7 February the European Commission approved six new capacity mechanisms in the name of security of supply, insisting that they will not distort the Single Market. Two problems: one, the national decisons come as the EU tries to negotiate Europe-wide power market rules for the next decade. Two, the Commission wants those market rules to exclude coal plants from public support - when it has just authorised Poland to give state aid in the form of … [Read more...]

A step backwards – European Member states threaten to reverse progress on the Single Electricity Market

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The European Council’s proposals on the internal energy market fundamentally weaken the framework that is needed to deliver an integrated market that will benefit European energy consumers, write Philip Baker and Christos Kolokathis from the global energy policy advisors Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). They may even legalise practices that are currently – and should remain – illegal. The authors call on European policymakers to support the … [Read more...]

Video debate: what impact will Nord Stream 2 have on European energy security?

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Is Nord Stream 2 good or bad for Europe? Is the European Commission right to try to change the EU Gas Directive apparently to halt Nord Stream 2? On 28 November Energy Post held a conference in Brussels, sponsored by Nord Stream 2, and moderated by our EU correspondent Sonja van Renssen, where Gazprom's pipeline project was debated. The video shows the highlights of the debate. … [Read more...]

The Polish energy problem – the Ukrainian nuclear solution

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Poland can’t continue to rely on coal, because it’s dirty, inefficient and increasingly has to be imported from Russia. But is there an alternative? Yes, there is, writes Mike Parr of consultancy PWR: Poland could import excess nuclear power from Ukraine. In fact, the interconnections for this have been in place for years. But Polish politicians have not taken action. … [Read more...]

How Romania can become a key player in the European gas market

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Romania has the third largest natural gas reserves within the European Union (EU) and new reserves are still being discovered. With domestic gas production within the EU declining, the country could play an important role in the regional market. But for this to happen, interconnections need to be expanded and the liberalization of the market needs to be completed, write Ramona Visenescu and Henry Bartelet of the independent international think … [Read more...]

EU must take regionalisation of electricity markets a step further

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The European Commission has proposed to set up Regional Operational Centers (ROCs), which is a welcome step in the further integration of the EU internal electricity market, writes Philip Baker of the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). However, according to Baker, the proposal does not go far enough: more regional coordination is needed if consumers are to reap the benefits of market integration. … [Read more...]

Energy traders sound alarm: “electricity borders in the EU are closing instead of opening”

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Regulations governing the EU wholesale electricity market have become so complex that the integration of the market is regressing instead of progressing, says Peter Styles, Chairman of the Electricity Committee of the European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET), in an interview with Energy Post. He notes TSOs (transmission system operators) on average now make less cross-border electricity transmission capacity available on the EU high voltage … [Read more...]