Did we witness the first green shoots of an ailing President in his State of the Union address? After all the hype of what Bush was going to say about a radical course of direction on climate change, with him calling for a mandatory cap on emissions, it predictably failed to materialize. No surprises there … Read More
energy policy
The Billion Dollar Plunder
A top Interior Department official was told nearly three years ago about a legal blunder that allowed oil companies to avoid billions of dollars in payments for oil and gas pumped from publicly owned waters in the US. According to the New York Times a report by the department’s chief independent investigator, suggests that Interior … Read More
Democrats Target Energy
So a new era of politics has dawned in Washington as yesterday we witnessed history in the making. Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House and Democrats took control of Congress for the first time in a dozen years. “This is an historic moment,” Pelosi said. “It’s an historic moment for the … Read More
Russia Gets Tough on Energy Sales
Russia seems to be toughening its position on energy sales to Europe. An adviser to President Putin said Moscow had no intention of observing guidelines in the EU’s energy charter that would allow non-Russian companies access to the country’s vast pipeline network. “We will not ratify the energy charter”, the adviser, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, Putin’s special … Read More
CO2 Emissions Increasing Sharply
Emissions of carbon dioxide have accelerated sharply, according to a new analysis by the Global Carbon Project. It has  calculated that, whereas emissions were rising by less than 1% annually up to the year 2000, they are now rising at 2.5% per year. Dr Mike Rapauch of the Australian government’s research organisation CSIRO, who co-chairs … Read More
EU ETS Scheme Faces Renewal
This week the EU will reveal new allocations for the next phase of the Europe-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading, a market worth 12 billion Euros and covering 11,000 installations throughout Europe. Since it was introduced many people have argued that the emission caps are too high in the scheme. Now some of Europe’s most influential … Read More
EU’s Secret Rethink on Carbon Emissions
The European Commission is arguing that Europe should set a new, unilateral, target for cutting CO2 emissions, agree legally binding plans to boost renewable energy and bring cars into its carbon trading scheme. The secret blueprint, drawn up by the Commission’s vice-president, Gunther Verheugen, marks a significant shift in thinking as officials in Brussels seek … Read More
Shell Positioning Itself As Asian Energy Solutions Provider
Shell’s subsidiary, Shell Global Solutions is attempting to position itself as the preferred partner for businesses in Asia in managing and developing their growing energy needs. And these needs are increasing rapidly. According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook 2006 report, world consumption is projected to increase by 71% from 2003 to 2030.Â
The Arctic is not the Answer
Greenland’s ice-caps may be melting at an alarming rate due to climate change, but that is not stopping the country issuing further oil and gas licenses. Twelve companies have advanced to the prequalification stage under the country’s latest licensing round. Greenland is offering eight blocks covering about 92,000 sq km for exploration off Central-West Greenland. … Read More
EU Seeks Russian Energy Deal
The European Union is urging Russia and its neighbours to commit to long-term energy contracts that will guarantee them affordable oil and natural gas supplies. The appeal came on the first day of a two-day conference of officials from the 25 EU nations and oil and gas exporting countries.