Search Results for: Russia

BY MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL

THIS April, the UK will launch a feed-in tariff for electricity, which the government said will accelerate take-up of green energy among the general public. According to the European Commission’s energy directorate-general, the European Union (EU) already uses at least 20% more energy than is justified, which has led to twin concerns – the need to reduce consumption of fossil fuels and to encourage consumers to switch to green energy tariffs and sources.…

BY PAUL COCHRANE

WHEN Libya came in from the diplomatic cold in 2004 after international sanctions were lifted amidst a flurry of good behaviour, oil companies considered the former rogue state a new frontier, keen to return after a 30-year hiatus.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH and KEITH NUTHALL

THE POWER industry has good reason to pay more attention than usual to the anticipated appointment of a new European Union (EU) energy Commissioner this February 10. Under the newly ratified Treaty of Lisbon, the EU has gained constitutional authority to frame energy policy in general for all 27 member states.…

BY DAVID HAWORTH

A PLAN to support European Union (EU) countries whose energy supplies from Russia might be disrupted in future was promised by the EU energy Commissioner designate, Günther Oettinger, when he appeared for before a European Parliament confirmation hearing last week (Thursday Jan 14).…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

RUSSIA and Ukraine appear to have headed off an oil transit dispute that could have created a repeat of last year’s major disruption of European natural gas supplies. Moscow and Kiev have signed an agreement increasing by 30% the fees Ukraine charges on transporting Russian oil to the European Union (EU) – this alters a 2004 contract and the change had sparked a diplomatic tussle.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE CONSORTIUM operating the Nord Stream project gas pipelines between Russia and Germany has decided on the three companies who will supply the million tonnes of steel required to build a second line. Europipe (Germany), OMK (Russia) and Sumitomo (Japan) will share a Euro 1 billion contract: Europipe will supply 65% of the steel; OMK 25 %; and Sumitomo 10%.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

A SHIFT in European Union (EU) energy policy should become apparent from February 1, when Germany’s Günther Oettinger should become EU energy Commissioner. Replacing Latvia’s Andris Piebalgs for the next five years, the appointment of a German to this increasingly powerful position has been widely touted as shifting EU energy relations towards closer links with Russia.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) nuclear industry should find it easier to supply equipment and materials to Syria in future following a newly signed wide-ranging association agreement. This will erase duties imposed on EU-made nuclear exports; Syrian exports of these products and minerals already enter the EU duty free.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL, EMMA JACKSON and ERIC LYMAN

THE COPENHAGEN climate change conference ended on December 18 with an accord where key world economies promised to make binding agreements to cut carbon emissions. But detail on exactly how much will be settled at a later date, meaning its long term effects on the oil and gas industry are unclear.…

BY KEITH NUTHALL

THE PLANNED shape of a new European Commission for the next five years has been unveiled, and it includes recreating a new single directorate general (DG) for energy. Since 2000, the Commission has operated a joint directorate general for energy and transport, but with the growing importance of the energy brief to the European Union (EU), energy policy will receive a new separate directorate general.…