Europe Energy articles from July - September 2009

Europe Energy archives from July - September 2009

EU ENERGY AGENDA.
July 8, 2009... Council of Ministers 23-24 July 2009, Are, Sweden Informal Meeting of Energy Ministers EU energy ministers meet informaly in Are on 23-24 July. Held back-to-back with the informal environment ministers' meeting, the focus is on...

ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL/CLIMATE CHANGE : ADAPTATION A "NECESSARY COMPLEMENT" TO MITIGATION.
July 8, 2009... The EU target of limiting global warming to no more than 2[degrees]C compared with the pre-industrial era means that all countries need to adopt attenuation measures on an urgent basis, but it is equally urgent to adapt to climate change in...

A TREE FOR THE CLIMATE.
July 8, 2009... Making a gesture for the climate is as easy as a click. Anyone can do it, says the European Commission, which launched, on 29 June, its Click @ Tree' initiative. The campaign is meant to draw public attention, especially among young people, to...

BARROSO: COPENHAGEN DEAL "IMPERATIVE".
July 8, 2009... A global deal with clear international and domestic targets aiming to reduce planetary greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2050 would be the desired result of December's climate change summit in Copenhagen, declared European Commission...

BRITISH AID FOR INTERMODAL TRANSPORT CLEARED.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission decided, on 2 July, not to raise any objections to a British aid scheme that will encourage a modal shift of freight from road to rail and inland waterway. Under the scheme, the government will grant financial support...

CITCO-SIBUR MERGER OKAYED.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission granted clearance, on 24 June, to the acquisition of sole control of CITCO Waren-Handelsgesellschaft m.b.H. (Austria), Citco Holdings Limited (Cyprus) and Westin Trading S.A. (Panama), known collectively as CITCO, by...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : CLIMATE CHANGE AND BIODIVERSITY TO BE HOTTEST ISSUES.
July 8, 2009... Combating climate change - including adaptation - biodiversity and making the economy greener' should be the prevailing themes of the European Parliament's work during the next legislature. From an environmental point of view, this Parliament...

EMPLOYMENT : CLIMATE REGULATIONS TAKE TOLL ON JOB MARKET.
July 8, 2009... The EU's social partners are coordinating to develop a joint response - in the form of a recommendation - to the challenges posed by the impact of the Union's fight against climate change on the member states' job markets. At a two-day...

CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE : COMMISSION TO HELP CHINA ON CCS.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission, on 25 June, adopted a communication on promoting carbon capture and storage (CCS) in emerging developing countries. The document, though, refers almost exclusively to financing an EU-China near zero emissions coal plant...

GAS/ELECTRICITY : CONDITIONAL GREEN LIGHT FOR RWA BUY OF ESSENT.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission authorised, on 23 June, a new merger in the gas and electricity sector: the proposed acquisition of Essent of the Netherlands by RWE of Germany, conditional upon the latter's commitment to divest Essent's shareholding in...

INTERVIEW WITH JORDI LESAFFER, ANALYST AT VIGEO BELGIUM : CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY VITAL TO ENERGY SECTOR.
July 8, 2009... The oil and gas sectors face considerable corporate social responsibility (CSR) challenges. The sector includes some of the world's biggest polluters. Social issues abound as companies in the sector operate in some of the world's most sensitive...

INTERNAL ENERGY MARKET PACKAGE : COUNCIL ADOPTS INTERNAL MARKET PACKAGE.
July 8, 2009... Meeting in Luxembourg, on 25 June, EU ministers adopted the internal energy market package proposed by the European Commission back in September 2007. Adopted as an A' point at the Environment Council, the measures contain a directive on the...

EIB GRANT FOR ENERGY IN AFRICA.
July 8, 2009... The EIB, through the EU-Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, approved, on 1 July, a 1.75 million grant to the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to finance pre-investment studies for a 330kV transmission link from Riviera in Cote d'Ivoire to Prestea...

EIB LOAN FORaELECTRICITY IN ITALY.
July 8, 2009... The European Investment Bank (EIB) and Cassa depositi e prestiti (CDP) signed, on 22 June, a contract to finance the four-year plan of Terna, the Italian electricity network manager. Under the agreement, the EIB will make financial resources of...

EIB LOAN FOR ENERGY IN UK.
July 8, 2009... The European Investment Bank (EIB) granted, on 30 June, a loan of GBP360 million to National Grid to support the company's investment programme for the upgrade and extension of its four gas distribution networks in the UK. The EIB loan will...

EIB LOAN FOR ENVIRONMENT IN GALICIA.
July 8, 2009... The European Investment Bank (EIB) granted, on 30 June, the Galicia Region a 150 million loan for investment in wastewater treatment facilities. The 2009-2012 programme financed comprises the rehabilitation, extension and construction of...

CIVIL PROTECTION : EU BOOSTS CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL AND NUCLEAR SECURITY.
July 8, 2009... Being prepared for any eventuality sums up the objective of the measures proposed on 24 June by the European Commission to enhance the Union's prevention, detection and reaction capacities in case of threats to its chemical, biological,...

ELECTRICITY : EU CONDITIONALLY OKAYS VATTENFALL'S BUY OF NUON.
July 8, 2009... Conditional upon the divestment of part of its operations in Germany - to avoid competition problems - the Swedish company Vattenfall AB was authorised by the European Commission, on 22 June, to purchase N.V. Nuon Energy of the Netherlands....

RENEWABLES : EU EXEC ADOPTS RENEWABLES TEMPLATE.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission adopted, on 30 June, a decision establishing a template for national renewable energy action plans (NREAPs). Foreseen under the Renewables Directive (2009/28/EC), the template requires extremely detailed responses from...

RENEWABLES : EU SOLAR THERMAL MARKET BOASTS 60% GROWTH.
July 8, 2009... The solar thermal industry is looking confidently toward the future following a strong performance in 2008, when the European market grew by 60%, according to the European Solar Thermal Industry Federation (ESTIF). The 4th European Solar...

ENERGY SECURITY : GAS COORDINATION GROUP PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE SHORTAGE.
July 8, 2009... The Gas Coordination Group, created in 2006 by Directive 2004/67 on security of natural gas supply, met in Brussels, on 2 July. The European Commission chairs the group composed primarily of member state gas experts alongside the European...

ELECTRICITY : GRID OPERATORS AND NGOS CALL FOR CHANGE.
July 8, 2009... An unlikely combination of electricity transmission network operators (TSOs) and NGOs called for Europe to shift gear in establishing a better electricity grid for renewables. Issuing a memorandum, on 3 July, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF),...

LARS G. JOSEFSSON/UN ENERGY-CLIMATE GROUP.
July 8, 2009... The CEO of Vattenfall, Swedish national Lars G. Josefsson (49), has accepted an invitation from United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to join the UN high-level Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change. The group is in charge of...

INTERVIEW WITH ALAIN DE GREVE, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF AEGPL : LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS CAN REPLACE NATURAL GAS IN CRISIS.
July 8, 2009... Alain De Greve has just taken over as director-general of the AEGPL, the European Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Association. This is a key point for the industry. De Greve sees the energy product, whether propane, butane or a mix, as a...

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT : MEPS TO SET GOALS FOR FUTURE.
July 8, 2009... The next Parliament comes at a strategic moment as the EU beings to rethink its energy policy over the longer period up to 2050. A key element for MEPs will be pushing for low-carbon energy technologies, while further enhancing the EU's...

NUCLEAR ENERGY : MINISTERS APPROVE NUCLEAR SAFETY DIRECTIVE.
July 8, 2009... Meeting in Luxembourg, on 25 June, the Council adopted a directive on nuclear safety requiring member states to set up and continuously improve national nuclear safety frameworks. According to the European Commission, which put forward the...

FUEL CELLS & HYDROGEN : NEW CALL FOR PROPOSALS ON FUEL CELLS AND HYDROGEN RESEARCH.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission, on 2 July, announced a 140 million call for proposals for research into fuel cells and hydrogen. The application deadline has been set for 15 October 2009. Selected projects will be announced in March 2010. This second...

ENVIRONMENT : NGOS DISAPPOINTED BY PRAGUE, HOPE FOR A LOT FROM STOCKHOLM.
July 8, 2009... With a new EU Presidency getting under way, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) has addressed its traditional ten-point list of environmental priorities for the six months ahead to the incoming Presidency. Given the Czech leadership's...

ELECTRICITY : NO ELECTRICITY PROBLEMS FORESEEN OVER SUMMER.
July 8, 2009... The annual 2009 Summer outlook report' by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E) foresees, under normal conditions. an "adequate" balance between power generation and demand in its different regions....

NUCLEAR ENERGY : NUCLEAR INDUSTRY UNHAPPY OVER SPAIN'S PHASE-OUT.
July 8, 2009... The European nuclear industry association FORATOM has expressed disappointment at the decision by the Spanish government to only grant an operating license to the Santa Maria de Garona nuclear power plant (NPP) for a further four more years....

ECONOMIC CRISIS : PAPER INDUSTRY BEMOANS HIGH ENERGY AND SOCIAL COSTS.
July 8, 2009... The pulp and paper industry across the European Union is ringing the alarm bells. According to an industry manifesto, the affected companies want a quick response to the economic crisis along with a more "rational policy making approach". In...

PHOTOVOLTAIC JV APPROVED.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission granted clearance, on 24 June, to the proposed joint venture between Itochu Corporation (Japan), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (Japan) and Enolia Energy S.A. (Greece). Itochu is an import-export company. Mitsubishi is...

ENVIRONMENT COUNCIL : POLITICAL AGREEMENT REACHED ON INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION.
July 8, 2009... Top marks for the Czech EU Presidency, which managed to wrest a political agreement from EU environment ministers, meeting in Luxembourg on 24 June, on the draft directive on the prevention and control of industrial emissions. An agreement was...

PRESSURE OFF IN TALKS OVER UKRAINE GAS LOAN.
July 8, 2009... With Ukraine paying, on 6 July, for gas received the previous month, EU officials have somewhat longer for negotiations to fix a loan for the country's ailing Naftogaz company. This followed initial meetings, on 29 June, between Ukrainian and...

GREEN WEEK : PROF VAN YPERSELE: CLIMATE TARGETS MAY NEED REVISION.
July 8, 2009... The time has come to revise old EU climate change targets, said Professor Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific body set up by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and...

AIR QUALITY : THREE MEMBER STATES GRANTED ADDITIONAL TIME FOR COMPLIANCE.
July 8, 2009... The European Commission decided, on 2 July, to grant three member states (Germany, Austria and Hungary) additional time to comply, in certain zones, with limit values for particulate matter (PM10) emissions as specified in the air quality...

EU/US : TRADE-DISTORTING ENERGY SUBSIDIES TO PAPER INDUSTRY.
July 8, 2009... A subsidy that could net the US pulp and paper industry US$10 billion in 2009 is the focus of intense opposition from the European Commission and other trade partners like Brazil and Chile. Following furtive lobbying, the US Congress has...

CLIMATE CHANGE : US EMISSION TARGETS LIKELY TO REMAIN LESS AMBITIOUS THAN EU PLANS.
July 8, 2009... The adoption, on 26 June, of a cap and trade' bill by the US House of Representatives - the first ever climate bill passed by US lawmakers - has put wind in the sails of those, like the EU, pushing for an ambitious new international climate...

EU/US : WASHINGTON MAKES EUROPE'S ENERGY SECURITY TOP PRIORITY.
July 8, 2009... High level, intense diplomatic engagement by the US administration of European and Eurasian countries to secure Europe's energy supply can be expected from President Barack Obama. "Europe is our partner [...] We need a strong partner. And a...