Energy Archives

For the first time, the Netherlands became a net importer of gas last year, reflecting the inexorable decline in production from Europe’s North Sea fields – an issue EU policymakers are only starting to come to terms with.

The starting point for truck emission rules must be cost-effectiveness, writes James Nix. But it will take tough standards to ensure R&D is deployed at scale on most vehicles, he argues.

Six years after freezing the construction of a second nuclear power plant, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov announced on Saturday (12 May) he intends to restart the project. Chinese investors have already expressed interest.

The EU Council of Ministers wants to slow down annual obligations on energy savings by quietly introducing a whole new range of “flexibilities” after 2020, some of which are well-hidden in an Annex of the proposed Energy Efficiency Directive, writes Benedek Jávor.

EU regulators will settle their antitrust case with Gazprom by next week, people close to the matter said on Monday (14 May), after the Russian energy giant pledged to change its pricing structure and allow rivals a foothold in eastern Europe.

The integration of European gas markets has made strides over the last fifteen years, bolstering energy security in Eastern EU countries as a result, says Jonathan Stern. But the collapse of Dutch production means Russia will probably remain at the centre of the game for years to come, he cautions.

The UK has no need to build new large gas-fired power stations to replace the coal plants that the government has pledged to switch off by 2025, the World Wide Fund for Nature has argued. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

The liberalisation of European gas markets is widely recognised as a major success by industry analysts. But EU politicians are reluctant to celebrate it because liberalisation on its own has failed to deliver on another key objective – supply diversification. Ironically, Europe is now more dependent on Russian gas than ever.

At the turn of the century, the European Union launched a vigorous liberalisation agenda in a bid to open up its national gas markets – aiming for lower prices, a greater range of suppliers and energy security. EURACTIV takes stock of progress made and the challenges lying ahead.

A new pilot facility under construction in northern Sweden will produce steel using hydrogen from renewable electricity. The only emissions will be water vapour, explains the CEO of Hybrit, the company behind the process, which seeks to revolutionise steelmaking.

Poland, the EU country at the forefront of efforts to stop the Nord Stream 2 offshore pipeline project, announced on Wednesday (9 May) it launched legal proceedings against Gazprom and the five EU companies involved in the project, warning they risk fines of up to 10% of their annual turnover.

The European Parliament insists on including ships, cars and planes in the EU’s energy saving goals for 2030. But those very objectives remain a hot issue, with the latest EU presidency compromise proposal opting for a weaker, indicative 31-33% target range.

Gas swaps in which Iran plays a central role could open the door for Turkmenistan, a Central Asian country with ample gas reserves, to become an important player on the EU gas market, according to media reports.

A coalition of Czech and Slovak NGOs has called on the European Commission to draw a line in the Renewable Energy Directive revision (RED II) between more sustainable ethanol and the high greenhouse gas emitting tropical oils.

A proposal to use non-recyclable plastic waste in the production of transport fuels is picking momentum among EU member states and legislators in the European Parliament, despite warnings from environmentalists.

The rise of electric cars in Europe is being hampered by a lack of models for consumers to choose from rather than a lack of public recharging points, according to energy companies and carmakers. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.

A coalition of green NGOs and industries in the business of recycling, chemicals, forestry and the bio-based economy wrote to policymakers on Thursday (3 May), urging them to prevent incineration of unrecyclable waste from being counted as renewable energy.

The clean energy transition and other initiatives to decarbonise Europe’s economy will represent 25% of EU spending under a seven-year EU budget plan put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday (2 May).

New research published this week in “The Lancet Planetary Health” reveals a promising path towards clean, healthy air: strong climate change policy, writes Dr. Melissa C. Lott.

Imports of Argentine soy biodiesel, which are among the most unsustainable of biofuels, have exploded in recent months because the EU lost a trade case at the WTO, writes Kristina Wittkopp.

In light of the challenges that countries are facing due to China’s new standards on plastic recyclables imports, some controversial disposal methods have been getting increased attention, despite the myriad of concerns surrounding them, write Claire Arkin and Janek Vahk.

2018 will be a crucial year for Serbia's energy sector as 250 megawatts from renewable sources are to be connected to the grid. The same amount again will come online in 2019. EURACTIV Serbia reports.

Hydrogen prices are set to fall dramatically if enough surplus solar and wind energy can be utilised in the gas’s production, according to a new study which says hydrogen could even become cheaper than natural gas.