The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has adopted a new strategy that will guide its investments in the energy and natural resources sector for the next five years. In this strategy the Bank – already the largest investor in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in its region of operations – in its own words "sets out a commitment to helping its countries of operations move toward a sustainable energy … [Read more...]
Interview with Johannes Teyssen, CEO of Eon: “Renewables can become biggest without subsidies”
Dr Johannes Teyssen, CEO of Eon and President of Eurelectric, doesn’t beat about the bush: in an exclusive interview with Energy Post, he says that Europe needs a single climate target for 2030 of “between 40% and 50%” emission reduction. At the same time all energy subsidies and “green levies” should go. Renewables “have all the chance in the world to take the biggest chunk of the market” even without subsidies. The European Commission should … [Read more...]
Interview Ambassador Wu: “An energy revolution is very much needed”
In a speech in Groningen at the Energy Convention 2013, Wu Jianmin, Executive Vice-Chairman of the influential China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, a government-aligned think tank in Beijing, declared that China “very much needs an energy revolution”. China “depends too much on coal”, said Wu. But in an interview with Energy Post he added we should not expect miracles. “We can't get rid of the coal yet.” … [Read more...]
A likely way forward for global LNG and gas markets
US exports of LNG may be able to open up and integrate global gas markets, but only if there is enough gas – and if it gets to the market in time, writes Matteo Mazzoni of Italian research company NE Nomisma Energia. If not, it will find the window of opportunity closed by new pipelines and geopolitical arrangements. A look ahead at how world gas markets may develop. … [Read more...]
IEA in World Energy Outlook: no oil abundance in sight
Technology and high prices are opening up new oil resources, but this does not mean the world is on the verge of an era of oil abundance, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2013 edition of the World Energy Outlook (WEO-2013). Although rising oil output from North America and Brazil reduces the role of OPEC countries in quenching the world’s thirst for oil over the next decade, the Middle East – the only large source of low-cost … [Read more...]
Why an EU-US trade deal matters for the energy sector
This week the second round of negotiations for an EU-US free trade agreement is taking place. Energy has not been making headlines in the context of these talks, but a TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) will have far-reaching implications for the energy sector, e.g. with regard to oil sands, LNG and shale gas. NGO’s worry that the TTIP will give big business the chance to undermine Europe’s environmental legislation. Sonja van … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel euphoria: oil and gas forever!
A European country like Germany may have embarked on an energy transformation away from fossil fuels - with major German energy companies like RWE following suit - worldwide there is no such trend, notes US energy expert and author Michael T. Klare. On the contrary, countries and companies, particularly in the US, are euphoric about all the new "unconventional" oil and gas coming on the market. "What we're seeing is a sea change in elite thinking … [Read more...]
How to turn Bulgaria into Eastern Europe’s energy hub and gateway
Bulgaria has become notorious for the failure of many big energy projects in recent years. Yet there is more going on in the Bulgarian energy sector than meets the eye, writes independent energy consultant Valentin Stoyanov. According to Stoyanov, Bulgaria could even become one of Europe’s main energy hubs. The country has strong and diverse energy assets to start with, ranging from coal and nuclear power to hydropower and renewable energies. It … [Read more...]
Interview Tony Hayward: “Kurdistan is a good place to be”
For independent oil companies, getting their hands on new exploration acreage where both technical risk and political risk are low is an illusion, says Tony Hayward, former BP chief and current CEO of the independent Anglo-Turkish oil and gas producer Genel Energy, in an interview with James Stafford of Oilprice.com. Exploring for oil and gas in new frontiers is all about striking the right balance between geological potential and political risk. … [Read more...]
Darwin, Dylan and the future of utilities
Australian journalist Giles Parkinson has published a must-read series of articles on his website Reneweconomy about how renewable energy is upsetting the business model of incumbent network operators and generators in Queensland, Australia. His insights provide crucial lessons for utilities elsewhere, most certainly in Europe.  As a recent report from Citi notes: “If we look at the situation facing European utilities, the future looks … [Read more...]
European-Russian gas partnership threatens to unravel
As the areas of potential conflict are multiplying, the EU and Russia seem to be blundering into an increasingly fractious energy relationship that threatens to hurt both sides. Russia’s policies are even risking the whole future of gas in the European energy market, argues Frank Umbach, Associate Director at the European Centre for Energy and Resource Security (EUCERS), King's College, London. Umbach, who also works for the Centre for European … [Read more...]
Mr Putin, please shut down those pipelines again!
The EU internal market for gas will remain incomplete as long as long as many Member States continue to persist in following national policies, writes Tim Boersma, dissertation candidate at the University of Groningen and soon-to-be fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Energy Security Initiative in Washington, DC. According to Boersma, much better policy coordination is needed if Europe is not to miss out on the substantial benefits of an … [Read more...]
The Romania-Moldova Gas Pipeline: a chance for Moldova to connect to the EU
The Iasi-Ungheni gas interconnector between Romania and Moldova, the construction of which began in late August, is expected to improve Moldova’s energy security, bring commercial benefits to both Moldova and Romania, and contribute to the physical integration of the European gas market. The real raison d'ĂŞtre of the new pipeline is, however, rather geopolitical in nature: it will help wean Moldova from Russian domination and bring the country … [Read more...]
Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven
Now that a new political year has started, it may be useful to ask what exactly are the most important parameters that should go into any energy policy mix. I have identified seven – which I have dubbed the Seven Steps to Energy Policy Heaven. The nice thing about my “energy policy model” is that it may come in handy – even if you totally disagree with my ideas. Photo: Heaven visited me by Kevin Dooley … [Read more...]
After Nabucco – Croatia to the Rescue of Central Europe’s Energy Security?
With the "death" of Nabucco, it seems that the EU strategy to diversify gas supplies to Central and South East European member states has failed miserably. Yet according to David Koranyi, Ian Brzezinski and Matthew Bryza of the Atlantic Council there are other ways to reduce these countries’ dependence on Russian gas supplies. They can work to expand gas interconnections in the EU. And, perhaps even more importantly, they can source US shale gas … [Read more...]