Energy & Environment
US invests in energy and transport infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe
Est. 4minThe US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced on Tuesday (16 July) its first investments into Central and Eastern European energy and transport infrastructure, as part of a wider €280 million funding commitment aimed at countering Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
Von der Leyen’s speech: The topics that burn
Est. 6minUrsula von der Leyen’s speech on Thursday at European Parliament will be crucial to ensure the majority she needs to be reelected as Commission president, but to convince all pro-EU coalition lawmakers, she will have to address some key EU policy issues.
EU energy ministers talk geothermal in Budapest
Est. 5minGeothermal energy is the first item on the agenda of an informal meeting of EU energy ministers on Friday and Saturday (16-17 July) in Budapest, where they will discuss how to overcome barriers to the deployment of this under-exploited energy source.
Sustainable marine fuels: the key to finally decarbonise shipping?
Est. 7minRecent advancements in low-carbon fuels for ships will likely mean new verification and reporting requirements. But the flexibility of ships has made for unique challenges – and opportunities.
Combatting energy poverty needs local community engagement, says EESC
Est. 6minFor many Europeans, flipping a light switch or turning the faucet for warm water is an unremarkable action, yet around 42 million people across Europe could not warm their homes effectively, the EESC is demanding more action.
Germany awards €200m green hydrogen subsidy to UAE-linked firm
Est. 3minThe German hydrogen funding vehicle H2Global has contracted an UAE-linked firm for a quarter million tonnes of hydrogen for €200 million, to be delivered from 2027.
German minister: Not lifting EU combustion engine ban would be ‘electoral fraud’
Est. 2minAs EU Socialists urge Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to stick to the 2035 ban on new petrol cars, German Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned that refusing to reverse the ban would be a "gigantic electoral fraud".
Eleven energy and environment MEPs to watch
Est. 8minAs leaders of political groups negotiate the composition of committees in the new European Parliament, Euractiv has identified eleven MEPs focused on energy and environment who are worth keeping an eye on.
France unexpectedly includes renewables target in its energy and climate plan
Est. 3minFrance submitted its national energy-climate plan (NECP) to the European Commission, setting a target for the renewable share of gross final energy consumption, while the government has been fighting to have nuclear energy recognised as well.
China accelerates green steel shift as EU levies loom, researchers say
Est. 2minSINGAPORE, July 11 (Reuters) - China approved no new coal-based steel projects in the first half of 2024, researchers said on Thursday, accelerating its shift towards green production as it prepares for the impact of a new carbon levy on exports to Europe.
Local governments approved 7.1 million metric tons of new steelmaking capacity from January to June, but all of it was for cleaner scrap-based electric arc furnace (EAF) projects, rather than coal-intensive blast furnaces, said the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
China's efforts to cut production and recycle more scrap via EAF could reduce CO2 emissions from the steel industry by 200 million tonnes by 2026, equal to the entire emissions of the EU steel sector, CREA said.
China's steel industry, by far the world's biggest, is under growing pressure to decarbonise. It is expected to join China's own emissions trading scheme this year, and exports to Europe will be subject to the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) starting from next year, which could make them 11% more expensive by 2030.
"Chinese steelmakers targeting the EU market will need to take action to reduce the carbon intensity of their products in order to maintain competitiveness," said Xinyi Shen, the report's co-author.
Europe introduced CBAM in order to tackle the problem of "carbon leakage", which allows businesses to avoid carbon costs by sourcing products from countries with weaker climate compliance. Starting from 2026, importers of steel, fertiliser, cement and chemicals will pay levies based on the carbon footprint of the products they buy.
Researchers at China's Institute for Global Decarbonization Progress (iGDP) said last week that China's steel industry could face up to 5.9 billion yuan ($811.09 million) in total CBAM levies by 2030, depending on how much it cuts emissions.
Traditional blast furnace steel could face levies of around 250 yuan per ton by 2030, but scrap-based EAF would not yet face any additional charge, it said. ($1 = 7.2742 yuan) (Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Ribera, optimistic but prudent, about chances of being EU Commissioner
Est. 3minSpanish Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera (PSOE/S&D) is confident she will join the next European Commission, headed for a second time by Ursula von der Leyen, perhaps in the climate or energy portfolio, she told the media.
Environment ministers in Budapest: What’s on the agenda
Est. 3minToday and tomorrow (11 and 12 July) the Hungarian Presidency will host an informal meeting of Environment Ministers in Budapest, where they will discuss COP29, the circular economy's potential to boost competitiveness and water scarcity.
Waiting for a new French government, Brussels can breathe a bit
Est. 6minThe Left's victory in the French parliamentary elections has given Brussels a brief respite, even if the road to a coalition government in France is still long and uncertain.
Austria’s Gewessler launches task force to investigate Gazprom energy contract
Est. 3minThe Austrian energy minister launched a task force of independent experts to examine the country’s long-term gas contract with Russia’s Gazprom, on Tuesday (9 July), including investigating the level of political involvement in the 2018 signing.
Germany embarks on ‘radical change’ to finance renewables
Est. 5minA government compromise in Berlin envisions radical changes to the country’s renewables subsidy approach, alongside creating the foundation for back-up power plants to underpin the coal exit.
German chemicals association: Industry past its rock bottom, but export-driven model might be over
Est. 3minThe chemical industry in Germany has overcome its low point, but the previous model of exporting basic chemical has come to an end, Chemical Industry Association VCI said on Monday (8 July).
2024 could be world’s hottest year as June breaks records
Est. 3minLast month was the hottest June on record, the EU's climate change monitoring service said on Monday (8 July), continuing a streak of exceptional temperatures that some scientists said puts 2024 on track to be the world's hottest recorded year.
EU wields stick and carrot to drive South-Eastern Europe energy integration
Est. 5minFormerly sedate attempts at electricity market integration in South-Eastern Europe have been given a new dynamism amid a concrete EU perspective – and a looming punitive CO2 duty.
Years-long wait for permits blocking European wind farms, industry says
Est. 2minHundreds of gigawatts of wind energy projects are waiting for permits to connect to Europe's power grid, a backlog that threatens to slow the shift to green energy, industry association WindEurope said on Friday (5 July).
Bulgaria pays €142 million to companies that jumped in after Gazprom cut-off
Est. 2minThe Bulgarian government decided on Thursday to compensate natural gas traders who helped fill the state-owned Chiren gas storage facility with 278 million leva (€142 million) after the sudden cut-off of Russian gas supplies in late April 2022.
Cross-border rail remains fragmented as EU countries drag their feet on harmonisation
Est. 3minEU governments' efforts to harmonise rail rules across the EU have been slow and uneven, according to a new report by the EU agency for railways (ERA), resulting in cross-border incompatibilities that are hampering rail use.
German pressure on EU-China trade outcomes piles up as Commission tariffs kick in
Est. 7minPressure from German negotiators to repeal proposed tariffs on Chinese electric cars is set to intensify in the coming weeks after the Commission confirmed on Thursday (4 July) that provisional duties kick in from Friday, pending final approval from the member states.
Von der Leyen urged to shield EU hydrogen industry, with focus on electrolyser producers
Est. 3minThe designated European Commission president is being heavily lobbied by the European hydrogen industry to ringfence the EU’s upcoming €1.2 billion hydrogen subsidy auction to favour EU producers.
Iberian leaders agree to negotiate energy interconnections with France
Est. 3minPortugal and Spain have agreed to participate jointly in meetings with France on energy interconnections, arguing that the issue is a European one and not just one between the Iberian peninsula and France, the environment ministers announced on Wednesday.