The transformation of the European Union’s energy sector poses a number of challenges to the European electricity system. Above all, both the anticipated increase of intermittent electricity from renewable sources and the completion of the internal energy market while guaranteeing a secure supply require an extensive development of electricity infrastructure at the European level. Nevertheless, […]
The European Union has decided its energy and climate goals for 2030, becoming the first major player in the international climate negotiations to make a commitment in advance of next year’s United Nations climate conference in Paris. Europe has thus maintained its leadership role in terms of being the first mover, but no longer clearly […]
The Commission has recently presented a Communication setting out its proposals for climate and energy goals for the period after 2020, when current legislation expires. It aims to set a single overall target for emissions – a 40% reduction over 1990 levels by 2030 – as the centrepiece of its package. It also proposes an […]
The European Commission has presented guidelines to persuade Europe’s 28 governments to limit, rationalise and Europeanise their intervention in the electricity market through national renewable and capacity support schemes. This guidance could make renewable schemes more cost-effective, but shows little sense of the urgency needed to address the increasingly dire situation of conventional back-up capacity […]
The Commission has proposed a “Target Model” for electricity markets as a basis for the development of the single market in Europe. This Comment, by Malcolm Keay, looks at whether the model is fit for purpose. It suggests that while the model adequately fulfils the single market objective it seems to have serious failings in […]
The government’s Electricity Market Reform proposals, currently going through the House of Commons, are aimed at reforming the UK electricity market in order to meet UK carbon targets. But of course we are now operating in a wider European context where, with UK backing, the Commission has been promoting a single European electricity market. Is […]
Progress to a single European energy market is proving very uneven. David Buchan explains the European Commission’s worry that rapid development of national renewable and back-up capacity markets could shut off countries’ energy sectors from each other, before efforts to improve cross-border electricity connection and trading can produce results. Brussels may soon have to concede […]
The exchange of threats between Iran and the West vis-à-vis Iranian oil exports to European and other consumer countries has received wide attention among policy makers and analysts; IMF officials predict that crude oil prices could increase by as much as 30 percent in case of a halt of Iran’s exports to OECD countries, and […]
This new paper calls for a new EU energy and climate deal in which east European member states would be required to do more – but also be paid more – to increase renewable energy and improve energy efficiency. David Buchan argues Brussels is right to look east for further emission reductions and that extra […]
In November 2007, after over ten years of gas market integration, the European Commission acknowledged that ‘a regulatory gap remains on cross-border issues’
The dispute between Russia and Ukraine is causing substantial suffering in central and east European countries which have few, if any, other sources of gas, and very limited opportunity to switch to other fuels. Jonathan Stern proposes the resumption of Russian gas deliveries to central and east European countries on humanitarian grounds.
David Buchan argues the EU’s December 2008 agreement raises almost as many questions as it settles.
Decarbonisation of heat in Europe: implications for natural gas demand https://t.co/bnWnCyubvF
Future of Petroleum in Lebanon: Energy, Politics and Economic Growth https://t.co/75ZpTs8WFA
Market design for resource adequacy: an insurance overlay on energy-only electricity markets https://t.co/gQpHHXIXwC
Meidan quoted on oil tankers idling off China: ships likely waiting for more sanction clarity after Dec. 20; unless… https://t.co/f9sGPNl023