Great Expectations, the title and message of Charles Dickens’s great novel, is most appropriate to describe the current situation in the EU where it’s leadership, once again, is demonstrating its great aspirational capacity but unable to factor in market reality.
The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic fallout have had a variety of impacts on the clean energy transition, with some sectors being more affected than others. Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned of slowed progress towards sustainable energy goals due to Covid-19 and reversed progress in many areas crucial in reaching net zero, such as energy efficiency, clean cooking, or access to electricity
Norway is aiming to cut its emissions by 55 percent from 1990 levels by the end of the decade, an ambitious target for the world’s 13th largest oil-producing nation
Ukraine says Russia is waging a "gas war" against Europe, by once again reducing supplies into Germany. Since the invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have sanctioned Russian oil and gas, prompting warnings of retaliation from Moscow
by Klaas Lenaerts, Simone Tagliapietra, Georg Zachmann*
At the 26-28 June G7 summit in Bavaria, leaders said they would consider a price cap on Russian oil, to cut Putin’s oil rent while minimising the negative impacts on the global economy. This blog post discusses this proposal and how it might work, notably to help understand whether this could improve the current western embargo regime
For centuries, cultures in Europe have marked their calendars to celebrate Midsummer and the Summer Solstice. Traditionally a time to enjoy bright evenings, and the light and hope of the sun, the Summer Solstice falls on June 21
Russia is warning the EU that it will send oil supplies to other countries if the bloc enacts an oil embargo. Russia, however, may struggle to find buyers, even with significant discounts. If Moscow can’t find buyers, it could remove a massive supply of oil from the market, raising prices even higher.
by Alexandra Brzozowski, Oliver Noyan and Vlad Makszimov
The two main opponents to a ban on Russian oil imports, Germany and Hungary, have softened their opposition to the move. EURACTIV looks at the options on the table and the state of play
The European Commission has proposed a ban on Russian coal imports as part of a sweeping new package of sanctions on Moscow, and EU officials say oil could be next. The coal ban, if approved by member states, would be the European Union’s first on any energy import from Russia since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov appeared anxious during an inspection with Greek Energy Minister Konstantinos Skrekas at the construction site of the Greek section of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria pipeline in Komotini, northern Greece, on Monday. Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis had been due to accompany his Bulgarian counterpart to the site but was unable to as he remained in isolation after testing positive for Covid-19. During his visit, Petkov did not fail to criticize Greece for the delays in the completion of the project within its territory.
The war in Ukraine has upended Europe’s energy security. Continuing to rely on Russian energy is no longer tolerable, even if the relationship cannot be severed overnight. As Europe looks for alternative suppliers, the Eastern Mediterranean is acquiring a new strategic significance. In times of crisis, proposals that have been stuck for years can suddenly proceed quickly. Could something similar happen now?
Earlier this month, the United States surprised Greece and its two primary partners in the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, Israel and Cyprus, by withdrawing its backing for a natural gas pipeline that would have connected them to Europe. The American change of heart was ostensibly justified by the need to focus on clean energy sources and that this project did not align with Europe’s green energy plans.
As we know, European gas markets have experienced a perfect storm where price, security of supply and environmental benefits all went haywire: The price of gas skyrocketed by hundreds of percent, security of supply fell as Asia grabbed every molecule of methane it could get its hand on, and Europe was left with a dearth of gas supplies and near-empty storage, meaning coal consumption in 2021 reached an all-time global peak.
Europe does not have enough LNG import capacity to entirely replace Russian pipeline gas supplies, should these halt or be hit by international sanctions in the event of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine
The EU’s Sustainable Taxonomy was intended to complement the Green Deal, provide investors with certainty about the sustainability of their investments, and help channel billions into sustainable, low-carbon processes and technologies. Despite input from experts and NGOs, the inclusion of gas and nuclear power just proposed by the Commission suggests that, once again, politics is trumping science.
Beginning in 2020 and extending into 2021, massive monetary and fiscal stimulus packages by the world's governments helped to facilitate the fastest economic recovery after the March deep slide. With factories humming again and consumers flush with cash, a broad commodity rally sputtered into life thanks to the so-called reflation trade