Tag: energy

To a trader, the presence of good liquidity in a market – such as gas or electricity – is a sign of a robust wholesale market. However, to the consumer, naïve policymaker or distrustful regulator, liquidity may suggest an indication of speculative interest and “unnecessary” churning of positions, writes Peter Styles.

EXCLUSIVE / By 2030, Europe could be generating more than 40% of its energy from renewables, using 38% less energy than in 2005 and emitting 50% less greenhouse gases than it did in 1990, a new WWF report shows. 

Russian gas company Novatek has renewed its long-standing demand to market liquefied natural gas (LNG) directly to foreign customers without going through monopoly gas exporter Gazprom.

France and Germany could become the avant-garde of cross-border energy cooperation and could set the standards for all of Europe, writes Georg Zachmann.

Wind power accounted for over a quarter of all power capacity installed in the European Union last year, but turbulent times lie ahead, says a new report by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA).

The UK must prioritise growth in "green industries" such as energy efficiency and renewable energy, David Cameron said on Monday. The remarks are likely to antagonise those Tory MPs who have campaigned for cuts to green energy subsidies and the watering down of climate targets.

The rise of independent gas producers in Russia marks a paradigm-shift for the domestic market, and could ultimately challenge Gazprom’s dominant position both at home and in the export markets, argues Danila Bochkarev.

Representatives of Nabucco and TAP, the rival pipelines planned to carry gas from the Shah Deniz II offshore field in Azerbaijan, both told EurActiv they were in a better position to obtain the contract. A decision by Azerbaijan is expected in June.

Ukraine and Russia are embroiled in a new gas dispute after Moscow sent Kyiv a huge bill for gas it commissioned under long-term contracts but did not use. Asked by EurActiv if there was a risk of a repeat of the 2009 gas crisis, the European Commission said it expected both sides to make sure that shipments to the EU remain uninterrupted.

Bulgarians voted yesterday (27 January) in favour of building a new nuclear power plant in their first referendum in the post-communist era. However, due to the low turnout, the referendum result is not binding and the matter is referred to Parliament.

Cyprus licenced Italy's ENI and South Korea's Kogas for offshore gas exploration yesterday (24 January), in a boon to an economy in line for an international bailout because of its exposure to debt-crippled Greece.

The Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP ) group has agreed offer up to 50% of its shares to the Shah Deniz gas consortium - made up of Azerbaijan's state gas company SOCAR and leading European energy partners. The deal follows the rival Nabucco pipeline's recent decision to give the Caspian Sea gas consortium the chance to acquire half of its shares.

Ukraine took a step closer to a breakthrough shale gas deal with global energy major Royal Dutch Shell when local authorities in the eastern Donetsk region approved a planned production sharing agreement.

EU officials are to debate a new set of tax proposals to promote clean fuel and erode fiscal advantages that have made diesel relatively cheap, a document seen by Reuters showed.

The companies behind the Nabucco pipeline have agreed to give Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz gas group a stake in the project to pipe the country's gas to Europe, boosting its prospects against the rival TAP project.

The EU-Russia summit ended today (21 December) with no major decisions, but Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a show for the press, telling Commission President José Manuel Barroso that he was “not right” in his interpretation of energy liberalisation rules.

The European Investment Bank has signed a €440-million loan guarantee with the Slovenian government for a crisis-plagued 600 megawatt lignite TEŠ 6 coal plant, but the deal could yet be sunk by concerns about the climate and corruption.

The European Commission announced today (20 December) that an EU-Ukraine summit would be held on 25 February, ending a year of uncertainty about the timing of the next leadership meeting.

The coming of shale gas will magnify the importance of geography. Because it can be transported across oceans in liquid form, states with coastlines will have the advantage, writes Robert D. Kaplan.

Coal is likely to rival oil as the world's biggest source of energy in the next five years, with potentially disastrous consequences for the climate, according to the world's leading authority on energy economics.

Ukraine's president pulled out of gas price talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the last minute on Tuesday (18 December), raising concern about the reliability of supplies to Europe before a Russia-EU summit.

The European Commission announced yesterday (13 December) that international donors, among which the largest is the EU, have decided to suspend the funding of one specific decommissioning project in the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania.

EXCLUSIVE / Europe’s power grid stability is hanging in the balance this winter, with a cold snap liable to create a ‘critical’ situation, the director of one of Europe’s five biggest power grids has told EurActiv.

The construction of the offshore section of the South Stream pipeline is due to officially start today (7 December) with a ceremony near the Russian Black Sea town of Anapa in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger has reportedly declined the invitation to attend.