Energy
Nascent hydrogen market needs low-carbon nuclear power: EU official
As Europe rediscovers the merits of nuclear power as a low-carbon source of electricity, policymakers in Brussels are now looking to leverage the non-stop generation of atomic energy to ramp up the production of low-carbon hydrogen.
Tackling high energy prices and fighting energy poverty – a view from Poland
Citizens across Europe are currently struggling with the challenge of skyrocketing energy prices. Over the last year, the prices of coal have risen nearly three times, the prices of natural gas in European markets have risen even ten times in this period.
LEAK: Draft EU law introduces new standards to decarbonise buildings by 2050
A draft EU directive, due for publication on 14 December, introduces minimum energy performance standards for existing buildings undergoing major renovation works as part of a renewed push to achieve a zero-emission building stock by 2050.
EU consumer groups encourage roll-out of electric heat pumps
Electric heat pumps are the best solution for individual heating, a study published on Thursday (25 November) by the European Consumers Organisation (BEUC) reads. EURACTIV France reports.
A piecemeal approach on energy standards for buildings won’t work
Decarbonising Europe’s building stock requires robust Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS), not a piecemeal approach that fails to regulate buildings that are ripe for renovation projects, writes Adrian Joyce.
Europe’s energy price hike fuelled by speculators, Spain and Poland say
In the face of rising energy prices, Spain and Poland have called for trading limits to be placed on the world’s largest carbon market, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Market analysts, however, say speculative positions are currently too small to be statistically significant.
The flawed black box deciding Europe’s energy infrastructure
The fifth list of electricity and gas ‘Projects of Common Interest’ shows that policy inconsistency and the influence of vested commercial interests pervade their selection, writes Elisabeth Cremona.
German nuclear power shutdown will not lead to power shortage: report
The shutdown of Germany’s last nuclear power plants will not cause supply shortages, according to calculations by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin), CLEW reported.
US imposes further sanctions on Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Russia calls them ‘illegal’
The Kremlin on Tuesday (23 November) said new sanctions imposed by the United States in connection with the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline were illegal and wrong, especially at a time when Moscow and Washington are attempting to rebuild dialogue.
LEAK: EU strategy seeks to remove carbon from atmosphere
The European Commission will reward green farming practices like afforestation and soil conservation while putting rules to identify activities that “unambiguously remove carbon from the atmosphere” under draft proposals seen by EURACTIV.
Consumer group: ‘Middle class people are also very much affected by rising energy prices’
The energy crunch has highlighted the high share of taxes paid by consumers for their gas and electricity. With the energy transition expected to cause further volatility on fossil fuel markets, a shift in energy taxation is now becoming an urgent priority, according to rights group Euroconsumers.
Another list of priority gas projects won’t help the EU achieve fossil free energy
Europe's continued support for fossil fuels, like in the 5th projects of common interest (PCI) list, risks damaging the environment, but decision-makers could be about to make the same mistake in negotiations on the rules for supporting cross-border energy infrastructure, argue Frida Kieninger and Esther Bollendorff.
German coalition talks stumble over role of gas in EU taxonomy
The scramble over the role of gas and nuclear in the EU's sustainable finance rules has become a source of tension in the German government talks as the country's first ever three-party coalition is being negotiated in Berlin.
Analyst: EU must force Gazprom to supply gas to Russia-Ukraine border
In an exclusive interview, Ilian Vassilev, a former Bulgarian ambassador to Russia who became an entrepreneur and analyst, discussed the stakes around Nord Stream 2 pipeline and provided useful insights at a time when the European Commission should certify the controversial gas project.
Heating homes with hydrogen fails on economic and climate merit: report
As homeowners across Europe worry about the fate of their ageing gas boilers, some have pinned their hopes on switching them to hydrogen – but this may not be the way forward, a new study suggests.
Down in a hole: Bosnia miners fear green revolution
For years, life in Bosnia's Breza revolved around its coal mine, but the global shift from fossil fuels to renewables threatens the industry that was once the pride of communist Yugoslavia.
EU plans single database to certify carbon content of hydrogen, low-carbon fuels
Certification of energy carriers, especially hydrogen, is crucial to their marketing and for EU states to prove that they have achieved their climate goals. Now the Commission is pushing for an EU database to harmonise certification.
Austria ready to sue EU over nuclear’s inclusion in green finance taxonomy
Austria’s energy and climate minister Leonore Gewessler told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview that her country was ready to go to court if the EU decides to include nuclear power into the bloc's taxonomy on sustainable finance.
Polish PM scolds Germany on Nord Stream 2 as Warsaw ‘defends EU border’
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Germany should stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Europe if it wants to work for peace, linking the project to his country's handling of migrants on the Belarus border.
German regulator puts brake on Nord Stream 2 in fresh blow to gas pipeline
Germany's energy regulator has suspended the approval process for a major new pipeline bringing Russian gas into Europe, throwing up a new roadblock to the contentious project and driving up regional gas prices.
The new European Bauhaus: Bringing the Green Deal into our living spaces
The New European Bauhaus launched by the European Commission last year will see scientists, designers, architects, engineers, and students exchange ideas this week on green projects that will help put Europe on a path to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, writes Florika Fink-Hooijer.
German regulator admits Ukraine as part of Nord Stream 2 certification process
Germany's energy regulator BNetzA said on Monday (15 November) that the Ukrainian gas companies Naftogaz and GTSOU will be included in the ongoing German certification procedures of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline for which they have applied.
German pro-nuclear activists make rare appearance in Berlin
With Germany set to shut down its last six reactors in 2022, a group of pro-nuclear activists made a rare appearance in Berlin over the weekend in the hope of reversing the decision. Operators, for their part, are wary of another abrupt policy change.