Energy
Case against Tesla: Are German environmental groups abusing their rights to sue?
Two environmental associations have brought a case against the clearing of forests for a new Tesla factory in Brandenburg, saying they want to protect the environment. But is it possible that these associations are not seeing the bigger picture and are acting against their own cause? EURACTIV Germany reports.
Germany needs more LNG to complement renewables, IEA says
The International Energy Agency has praised Germany's push for wind and solar power but urged the country to increase LNG imports in order to reach its 65% renewable energy target for 2030. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Biggest battery in Europe set to land on British shores
Oil and gas giant Shell has plans for a 100 megawatt grid storage battery in the west of England. It is slated to be the biggest battery in Europe once it is completed later this year and will be crucial to the UK's quest to remain the continent's top wind power player.
North Macedonia wins EU praise for pioneering coal-to-solar shift
The European Union energy watchdog praised North Macedonia on Wednesday (19 February) for a pioneering project among EU aspirants to transform an ageing coal mine into two solar power plants, in line with goals to cut pollution and tackle climate change.
Putting a lid on Russia’s planet-heating methane emissions
Although Russia has made great strides to decrease methane flaring in recent years, it still lags badly behind neighbouring gas producing countries like Norway. And gas flaring is only part of the story, because it doesn’t take account of leakage, says Lukas Trakimavičius.
Poland’s just transition bonus cut 50% under latest EU budget proposal
Poland would see its €2 billion share of the EU’s Just Transition Fund cut in half under a new EU budget proposal published on Friday (14 February), which penalises countries that have not signed up to the bloc’s 2050 ‘climate-neutrality’ goal.
Climate emergency requires real action now, not building new LNG terminals and gas pipelines
With the so-called fourth PCI List of energy infrastructure projects now approved in the European Parliament, the battle for a future-proof EU energy policy continues, write MEPs Jutta Paulus and Marie Toussaint.
Ombudsman opens inquiry into EU Commission’s gas stance
The EU Ombudsman announced on Thursday (13 February) it has opened an inquiry into the European Commission’s catalogue of priority energy projects, after green activists lodged a complaint about the inclusion of new gas infrastructure on the list.
Oil giant BP seeks to ‘reinvent’ itself with 2050 zero carbon goal
BP set one of the oil sector’s most ambitious targets for curbing carbon emissions on Wednesday (12 February) as new chief executive Bernard Looney began the biggest revamp in the company’s 111-year history.
Europe’s Southern Gas Corridor ‘almost ready’, says Azebaijan’s SOCAR
A 25-year supply contract has been signed with Italy, and the first Azeri gas is expected to start flowing before the end of 2020, said Vitaly Baylarbayov, deputy vice president of SOCAR, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan.
Parliament backs EU list of energy projects, ignoring Greens
The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday (12 February) against a motion to reject a proposed list of priority energy projects, ignoring the demands of Greens and leftists who warned against funding new gas infrastructure that risks being stranded as Europe moves to a zero-carbon economy.
Gazprom hopes bulk of US LNG flows to be diverted to China, not Europe
Russian gas giant Gazprom hopes China rather than Europe will take the bulk of US LNG volumes after a trade deal between Washington and Beijing, a company official said.
MEPs urge reviewing EU list of energy projects in light of Green Deal
Members of the European Parliament have written to the European Commission, voicing concern that EU spending on LNG and other gas projects “may not be in line with the Union’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement”.
Finland set to become EU’s sole uranium producer
The Finnish government has granted a uranium recovery and refinery permit to Terrafame, a 70% state-owned company. Since the Czech Republic and Romania have stopped their operations, this decision will make Finland the EU's only uranium producer.
‘There is overlap’ between EU’s green trillions, says EIB energy chief
The European Investment Bank decided to scrub its loan books of fossil fuels in 2019 but the lender's head of energy policy, Andrew McDowell, insists that there is more to the change of direction than ditching coal and gas.
EU way off the mark on energy savings goal, latest figures show
The EU’s statistical office, Eurostat, published new figures on energy consumption for 2018 this week (4 February). As expected, they weren’t good, with the EU as a whole set to miss its 2020 energy efficiency objective by a margin of up to 5%, in what campaigners called the "biggest miss" of all EU climate targets.
Nordics bet on advanced biofuels to suit carbon neutrality ambitions
Scandinavian governments put the bar high up in their commitment to becoming carbon neutral and several companies have responded by developing new technologies to harness forest resources, the Nordic green gold, in a bid to reduce transport emissions.
Danish MEP: ‘Sector coupling is absolutely key for Europe’s climate and energy ambitions’
When it comes to energy regulations, the EU tends to legislate in silos, writing directives on renewables, energy efficiency or electricity and gas markets. But with the upcoming sector coupling strategy, it needs to do exactly the opposite, says Morten Petersen.
Why Belarus cannot replace Russian crude?
A month has passed since Russia withheld its regular oil supplies to Belarus, and the country is not out of the woods yet. Mateusz Kubiak argues that any diversification is likely to remain limited.
Europe plans to harness ‘power of data’ in support of Green Deal
The EU Green Deal “needs digitalisation as an enabler for decarbonisation” in all sectors of the economy, including transport and energy, the European Commission says in a draft policy document, seen by EURACTIV.
Offshore wind boom ‘not enough’ to reach EU climate goals
A record 3.6 gigawatts of new offshore wind capacity was added across Europe in 2019, but the pace of deployment is still too slow to reach Europe’s ambitious climate targets, according to new industry figures published on Thursday (6 February).
Ryanair’s green claims branded ‘misleading’ by UK regulator
A British regulator on Wednesday (5 February) banned advertisements by Ryanair that gave "misleading" claims over the Irish airline's "low" level of carbon emissions - a move welcomed by environmental campaigners.
Power shift: EU coal output falls 24% in 2019
Global warming emissions from the power sector fell by 12% last year, led by a steep decline in coal power generation, which was replaced half by natural gas and half by renewables, according to fresh data published on Wednesday (5 February).