The European Commission is beginning to shift away from its current climate policy: “For an industrial renaissance”, the needs of the economy should play a key role in setting environmental objectives in the future. It is already clear that the new targets are set in a less binding way than the climate targets for 2020. On Wednesday, it will adopt a message that is entitled:”For an industrial renaissance” and states: “The Commission will take into account industrial competitiveness and technological feasibility in the design of the climate and energy policy framework for the year 2030... in order to avoid that the difference in energy costs between the EU and its major international competitors expands even further”. --Florian Eder,
Die Welt, 20 January 2014
Germany’s economy minister wants to cut the support price paid for electricity from solar and wind power generators by about a third by 2015, according to a draft proposal for one of the most challenging economic reforms facing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s new government. And Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel wants the reduction to start taking effect for some new projects from as early as next week, according to the draft seen by Reuters on Saturday. --
Reuters, 20 January 2014
Germany’s clean-energy industry said government plans to accelerate cuts in aid to developers of wind and solar power plants threaten to derail the country’s transition to renewable sources from nuclear energy. Wind-turbine maker Nordex SE (NDX1), which has benefited from booming installations on land, fell to its lowest in two weeks in Frankfurt trading today after weekend reports that Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel aims to rein in subsidies. “The energy switch threatens to be derailed,” the BWE wind lobby said. --Stefan Nicola,
Bloomberg, 20 January 2014
This weekend I found myself in another part of Europe attending a conference on the future of our collective energy needs. The discussion presented an extraordinarily shocking, and terrifying vision for our future prospects. The sum total of our deliberations was that European energy police and practice are in chaos and we collectively face dangerously expensive supplies, as well as the increasing threat of grave shortages. There was a frightening enthusiasm to terminate all green levies. What will come hardest to those campaigning on climate change will be the abandoning of sustainability targets in the energy sector. I left the conference downhearted. --Jon Snow,
Channel 4 News, 20 January 2014
Russia began drilling a well in its Bazhenov shale formation in Siberia this week, tapping in to what may be the world’s largest single reserve of shale oil. If Russia is able to successfully plumb its Siberian depths for shale oil and gas, it could leverage its energy holdings towards its ambition of becoming a Great Power once again. But a long list of hurdles needs to be cleared, and no one—not the UK, not Poland, not even China—has been able to follow in America’s footsteps. Russia is just now drilling its first exploratory well, so it’s still far too early to tell whether or not it will fall to the same pitfalls, but it has a lot going for it. --Walter Russell Mead,
The American Interest, 19 January 2014
Citing economic and national security woes, more than a dozen European nations are ramping up pressure on Washington to open wider its federally restricted spigot of natural-gas exports. "We've had so many country representatives come into the office, pleading with us to step up our efforts to export LNG," said Rep. Ed Whitfield, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Energy and Power Subcommittee. "The reason why is because the Russians have them over the barrel and they're able to extract really high prices from them." --Amy Harder,
National Journal, January 16, 2014
Britain is sitting on 50 years’ worth of shale gas and can exploit it safely, but communities near fracking sites will endure significant disruption, according to President Obama’s Energy Secretary. Speaking in London, he said that shale gas was far less polluting than coal and was helping the US to meet its greenhouse gas emissions-reduction target. Dr Moniz, a physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “If the UK does in fact develop shale gas, there is a huge resource . . . 50 years’ worth of gas.” --Ben Webster,
The Times, 18 January 2014
