Energy
Oil: US shale’s big squeeze
In most other American cities, the sign at the Conoco station advertising petrol for $1.29 per gallon would be welcome. In Spring, Texas, a suburb on the northern side of Houston, it is a warning. Cheap petrol is a result of the collapse in the oil price, which dropped briefly below $28 a barrel this week, a 13-year low, from $115 for Brent crude in June 2014. (altro…)
Energy: EU invests €217 million in energy infrastructure
Today Member States agreed on a Commission proposal to invest €217 million in key trans-European energy infrastructure projects, mainly in Central and South Eastern Europe. In total, 15 projects were selected following a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), an EU funding programme for infrastructure. (altro…)
Investors put pressure on miners over Paris climate deal
Investors want a trio of the world’s largest miners to make greater disclosure of risks associated with climate change, after this month’s Paris agreement to limit global warming. Rio Tinto, Anglo American and Glencore could face shareholder votes next year on whether they should reveal more about how their businesses might perform in a low-carbon world. (altro…)
Addio Big oil, arrivano le Big Solar
L’accordo di Parigi sul clima ha un grande perdente, l’industria che produce energia con le fonti fossili – dal carbone al petrolio – e un grande vincitore, l’industria che lavora sulle energie rinnovabili. Una rivoluzione di cui ancora non si percepisce l’importanza, ma che cambierà radicalmente i connotati del business che ha accompagnato la crescita del pianeta negli ultimi cento anni. Per ridurre il surriscaldamento globale occorrerà virare velocemente su un nuovo standard di produzione di energia, soprattutto quella del sole. (altro…)
World Energy Outlook IEA: con prezzi del petrolio bassi sicurezza a rischio
l barile a prezzi bassi, mandando fuori mercato molti produttori e rallentando gli investimenti, pone un problema per la sicurezza energetica. Anche perché il futuro prossimo secondo l’Agenzia internazionale per l’energia (la IEA) vedràancora il petrolio e le fossili protagoniste. Lo scenario centrale disegnato nel report per il 2040 vede infatti sì una crescita fortissima delle rinnovabili e dell’efficienza energetica, ma non prevede una transizione energetica abbastanza veloce da affrancarci dalla dipendenza dalle fossili, né da fermare il global warming entro la soglia di sicurezza dei 2°C dai livelli preindustriali. Potrebbe essere sintetizzato così il messaggio che esce dal nuovoWorld Energy Outlook 2015 IEA (WEO 2015) pubblicato oggi (vedi allegati in basso). (altro…)
Oil market slides out of control
For most of the Age of Oil, groups of producers have tried to control its price. From the 1920s, that strategy was co-ordinated by the Railroad Commission of Texas, supported by other US states and federal authorities. Then from the 1970s it was Opec, the producing countries’ cartel. The plunge in the price of crude since the summer of 2014 has made it clear that the market has escaped anyone’s ability to control it. (altro…)
Outside Forces Shape European Energy
The European Union is struggling to create what it calls its “energy union.” This is largely a refinement of existing policies aimed at improving energy security, accelerating the shift to a low-carbon economy and, on a political level, showing that the 28 European Union member states can pull off a new integration project at a time when they are deeply divided on monetary and immigration policy. Much of it, therefore, is inward-looking. (altro…)
Enel, Edf, Eon: così la sfida verde cambia l’Europa dell’energia
La scorsa è stata una settimana cruciale per il futuro delle utility in Europa. Due avvenimenti avvenuti nelle stesse ore, uno a Parigi nella sede centrale di Edf e l’altro a Catania in uno dei campi fotovoltaici di Enel Green Power, possono essere presi ad esempio per spiegare quella che gli esperti hanno già definito la “rivoluzione energetica 2.0”. (altro…)
Renewable energy sector runs the risk of overpowering market
Another day, another billion-dollar renewable energy deal. That has been the story of the past few weeks as a raft of companies have made eye-catching solar and wind-power investments. US private equity group, KKR, swooped on Spanish solar developer Gestamp. Germany’s Siemens won a huge wind-turbine order from Denmark’s Dong utility. (altro…)
Nuclear Plant Closing Reflects Overhaul of German Energy Production
In one of this country’s most popular novels for young readers, the nuclear reactor on the edge of this Bavarian town melts down, spewing a radioactive cloud that threatens all of Germany and robs a 14-year-old girl of her family and her hope for the future. Last month, that nuclear power plant in Grafenrheinfeld, responsible for meeting the energy needs of industry-heavy Bavaria since 1981, came to a less dramatic but equally symbolic end. (altro…)