While global climate talks in Madrid ended with lackluster results, German lawmakers agreed to raise the entry-level price for CO2 emissions from the buildings and transport sector from 10 Euros to 25 Euros starting from 2021. Thereafter, it will rise to 55 Euros by 2025, with state revenues to be used to lower the renewables levy on consumers' electricity bills.
The new President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has come forward with an ambitious ‘EU Green Deal’ that seeks to outdo the ‘Green New Deal’ proposed by the U.S. Government. The European Green Deal envisages Europe to become “climate-neutral” by 2050, which requires a 55% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, replacing the current 40% goal.
Efforts to develop Vaca Muerta, Argentina’s vast shale reserves in northern Patagonia, have slowed as national energy companies await direction from the incoming President. Alberto Fernández, who will take office on December 10, has yet to decide whether to keep focused on pushing up domestic oil and gas production and LNG exports.
Germany first major climate law passed Parliament on Friday and is now being debated by the Bundesrat. The federal state council needs to give consent to parts of the reforms, notably tax support of energy-efficient modernisation of buildings, the rise in commuter allowance related to a new national CO2 price on transport emissions, and a cut in VAT tax on train tickets.
RWE, Germany’s largest electricity provider, might opt to divest its 70% shareholding the Denizli gas power plant (775 MW) in Turkey, Reuters reported, after the utility posted a 20 million Euro fall in EBIT at its lignite and nuclear business unit in January-September – a start contrast with its 38 million Euro profit a year ago.
The German government has come under pressure from climate lawyers to ban all fossil fuel projects from the list of those eligible for European Investment Bank (EIB) support. Luxemburg-based EIB deferred its decision to ban loans to fossil-fuel projects until mid-November after Germany had urged the bank to keep financing gas-fired power projects.
Payouts of about £1 billion under the GB capacity market scheme are due in November. But this is “likely to prove problematic,” analysts warned, as some suppliers may not have been billing large customers – particularly those on “pass-through” contracts – during the EU’s earlier suspension of the scheme.
Just weeks before the UK goes to the polls on 12 December, the government has suspended fracking as analysts found it is not possible to predict the size and frequency of earthquakes caused by this practice. Activity by Cuadrilla had resulted in a 2.9 magnitude tremor at its site in Lancashire in August.