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voda 26 mei 2015 16:35

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RWE warning over German govt's emissions charges

Published on Tue, 26 May 2015 58 times viewed

Machinery Market reported that RWE, the German utilities company based in Essen, has warned that it will suffer 'drastically' if plans by Ms Angela Merkel’s government to increase emissions charges for older coal-fired power stations go ahead.

RWE said that it is already being squeezed by the German government’s support for renewable energy. The subsidised expansion of so-called'clean' energy, which now accounts for more than a quarter of electricity generation in Germany, has pushed down the wholesale price of power.

Mr Bernhard Gunther, CFO of RWE, said that “The emissions proposals will have significant economic consequences. We would have to shut down 2 of our 3 lignite mines and 17 out of 20 lignite-fired power stations.”

Coal miners and power-plant workers led protests against the plans at a series of rallies in Berlin last month, warning of job losses. The German Economics Ministry has said that it will review the impact on employment before going ahead with the plans.

RWE’s operating profits from conventional power generation dropped from EUR 559 million to EUR 428 million in the Q1.

Mr Gunther said that “As expected, the crisis in conventional power generation continues and this leads to shrinking profits.”

Source : Machinery Market

voda 1 juni 2015 16:29

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Olieconcerns willen uniforme CO2-heffing

Gepubliceerd op 1 jun 2015 om 14:56 | Views: 2.085

PARIJS (AFN) - Een zestal Europese olie- en gasbedrijven wil een gelijk systeem voor de heffing op de uitstoot van het broeikasgas CO2. De bedrijven, waaronder Shell, hebben maandag een brief gestuurd aan overheden en de Verenigde Naties met de vraag of de bestaande regelingen kunnen worden gelijkgesteld.

,,Onze industrie wordt geconfronteerd met een uitdaging. We moeten aan een grotere vraag naar energie voldoen, maar tegelijkertijd de uitstoot van CO2 verminderen", staat in de brief. Volgens de concerns neemt een gezamenlijke regeling onzekerheden weg en worden bedrijven daarmee aangemoedigd hun uitstoot te reduceren.

De gasconcerns wijzen daarbij ook op de voordelen van gas, die wanneer gebruikt voor het opwekken van elektriciteit normaal gesproken de helft uitstoten ten opzichte van kolen. Naast Shell hebben BG, Total, Statoil, Eni en BP de brief ondertekend.

De bedrijven denken dat vaste kaders ook zullen helpen om investeringen in nieuwe technologieën te stimuleren. ,,Wij roepen overheden op om ons het raamwerk te leveren, en geloven dat onze aanwezigheid zal helpen in het vinden van een methode die zowel praktisch als leverbaar is', aldus de topmannen, waaronder de Nederlander Ben van Beurden van Shell.

voda 4 juni 2015 16:47

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World oil majors' climate call exposes US-Europe rift on carbon price

Published on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 46 times viewed

Reuters reported that the failed attempt by the world's oil majors to speak on climate change action with one voice has laid bare disagreement between US and European companies on putting a price on carbon.

The world's top oil companies have struggled for years to form a joint front in the face of growing criticism for not taking leadership against climate change.

This week's letter calling for a global carbon pricing by Europe's Statoil, Total, BP, Shell as well as ENI and BG showed first signs of such an agreement, albeit without the support of U.S. peers Exxon Mobil and Chevron.

Setting a price for each ton of carbon that emitters produce is meant to encourage companies to adopt cleaner technologies and shift away from using fossil fuels, primarily coal.

Mr Robert Franklin, VP of Exxon Mobil, at an industry conference in Paris said that "While we have had discussions with European majors, and we wish them well, we don't believe we need to join this scheme."

Another source confirmed Chevron had also been approached to join the initiative but that there was no enthusiasm for the proposal, saying a domestic US agreement on carbon pricing was still light years away.

Nonetheless, Mr Rex Tillerson, CEO of Exxon, said at an OPEC seminar in Vienna that if a carbon tax was imposed it had to be revenue-neutral as most economies around the world are unable to shoulder the cost burden of a carbon tax.

Separately, Chevron and Exxon both work with trade group International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association to develop a common position for climate change mitigation.

The IPIECA said that it will put out a consensus view from its members on carbon pricing later this month.

For Europe's oil majors, under growing pressure to act against climate change, introducing carbon price systems where they are lacking is a more pressing issue.

At home, they are already subject to the European Trading System that puts a market price on every tonne of carbon emitted and ties national governments to legally binding targets to reduce emissions.

Mr Bob Dudley, BP Chief Executive, said at the same event that "We got together as a group in Europe very quickly and made a lot of progress in a short period of time."

After months of discussions that started at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January and continued at a roundtable meeting of chief executives in Oslo, the European companies' joint statement was finally agreed at last month's meeting of the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative in Paris, a forum for oil majors created last year ahead of UN climate talks this December.

Source : Reuters

voda 14 juni 2015 16:42

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Japanese steelmakers continue to cut CO2 emissions

Nikkei reported that Japanese steelmakers want to help their country reach its CO2 emissions-reduction target. They want to contribute less to global warming. And they have taken steps such as recycling waste heat and exhaust gases in that direction.

But corporate Japan's largest CO2 emitter by sector needs to go further. The iron and steel industry's goal is to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% by 2050. So it is striving to develop a next-generation steelmaking system.

It takes boatloads of energy to make steel and along the way, vast plumes of CO2 are emitted. Experts estimate that making 1 ton of steel produces nearly 2 tons of the heat-trapping gas.

Japanese iron and steel producers emitted close to 200 million tons of CO2 in fiscal 2013, accounting for 43% of Japanese industry's total emissions and about 10% of the country's aggregate plume

By and large, there are two ways to cut CO2 emissions.

One is to reduce the amount of coke used. The exhaust from coke production is made up of around 40% hydrogen and other combustible gases, such as methane. At the moment, this exhaust is used as fuel in shaft furnaces and hot-blast furnaces. But if the steelmakers can develop the technology to separate the hydrogen from the tar and hydrocarbons that are also contained in the exhaust, raising the concentration of hydrogen, it could be funneled back into the furnace and used in place of coke. That would help cut CO2 emissions.

The other method is to trap the CO2 inside the furnace. The exhaust gas contains not just CO2 but also combustible carbon monoxide, which is used as a fuel. Emissions could be reduced by separating the CO2 from this exhaust.

Compared with their overseas rivals, Japanese iron and steelmakers have already achieved the highest energy efficiency and don't have much room for improvement. So Japanese steelmakers, including Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal, JFE Steel and Kobe Steel, have huddled together to try to tackle the problem. Since 2008, they have been developing next-generation steelmaking technology under a project commissioned by the semipublic New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization. The project is led by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation

The consortium has a test plant in operation next to the No 4 furnace at Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal's Kimitsu Works in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. The steelmakers use a CO2-absorbing amine solution to treat exhaust gas in furnaces. They have already developed a solution that can collect a large amount of CO2 at low cost. The companies have been building a small furnace since autumn that will go into full operation next year. Using this furnace, they plan to test their improved coke oven gas and develop the technology to make the reduction reaction more efficient. They will also check to see whether the CO2-absorbing system works well in conjunction with the blast furnace gas.

The steelmakers plan to develop technology for practical application in steel plants by around 2030. There are 27 blast furnaces across Japan, three of which are scheduled to be shut down. The companies hope to replace, in stages, all of the remaining furnaces with the next-generation units. The process would be completed by around 2050.

Source : Nikkei

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voda 15 juni 2015 16:16

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Minder CO2-uitstoot in EU

Gepubliceerd op 15 jun 2015 om 11:24 | Views: 1.226

LUXEMBURG (AFN) - De uitstoot van koolstofdioxide (CO2) door verbranding van fossiele brandstoffen is vorig jaar in de Europese Unie is met 5 procent gedaald in vergelijking met een jaar eerder. Dat maakte het Europees bureau voor de statistiek Eurostat maandag bekend op basis van voorlopige cijfers.

CO2 speelt een grote rol in de opwarming van de aarde. Ongeveer 80 procent van alle zogeheten broeikasgassen in de EU bestaat uit CO2.

Eurostat becijferde dat de uitstoot in 22 van de 28 landen van de EU is afgenomen. Bulgarije (plus 7,1 procent), Cyprus (plus 3,5 procent), Malta (plus 2,5 procent) Litouwen (plus 2,2 procent), Finland (plus 0,7 procent) en Zweden (plus 0,2 procent) stootten vorig jaar meer uit dan in 2013. De sterkste procentuele daling werd gemeten in Slowakije (14,1 procent) en Denemarken (10,7 procent). In Nederland nam de uitstoot van CO2 met 6,9 procent af.

voda 24 juni 2015 19:34

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China puts USD 6 trillion price tag on its climate plan

The country's lead negotiator for the talks said that it will cost China over USD 6.6 trillion to meet the greenhouse gas reduction goals it will lay out later this month in its strategy for United Nations climate negotiations.

Mr Xie Zhenhua, special representative for climate change affairs at China's National Development and Reform Commission, said that the objectives China will outline by the end of June will be quite ambitious.

Mr Xie was participating in a 3 day Strategic and Economic Dialogue forum in Washington where he met with counterparts in the Obama administration, including US climate negotiator Mr Todd Stern, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Ms Gina McCarthy and Mr Ernest Moniz, Energy Secretary.

Mr Xie said that to meet its objectives, China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, must reconfigure its coal-dependent energy mix and develop new energy sources.

He said that "We will need to carry out international cooperation and research and development to reduce the costs of relevant technologies and to innovate so that we can reach our objectives."

The United States and China announced on Monday they will partner on two new carbon-capture, utilization and storage projects to help commercialise the technology.

While key details of China's plan are not yet known, it is expected to include targets announced in November, when it reached a key climate change deal with Washington to cap its emissions by 2030 and fill 20 percent of its energy needs from zero-carbon sources.

Earlier this month, Mr Li Keqiang, Chinese Premier, reaffirmed the government's commitment to hit a carbon emissions peak by around 2030. The country's coal consumption decreased for the first time in years in 2014, however, leading some to speculate that its emissions could reach their peak sooner.

Mr Stern, the US climate change envoy, said reporters the plans China has already announced with Washington were a quite strong contribution.

But he said that he hopes a final agreement of all countries at this December's key UN climate change conference in Paris contains a strong set of...contributions, which are updated periodically to ensure more ambitious targets.

Mr Stern said that China does not expect public finance to support its climate goals and that it is likely to attract investment as it adopts new technologies.

Source : First Post

voda 25 juni 2015 16:24

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Nederland moet uitstoot broeikas sterk terugdringen

De Nederlandse overheid moet de uitstoot van het broeikasgas CO2 in 2020 met zeker 25 procent hebben teruggedrongen ten opzichte van het jaar 1990. Dat heeft de rechter in Den Haag woensdag besloten in de klimaatzaak tegen de Nederlandse overheid van duurzaamheidsorganisatie Urgenda en bijna negenhonderd mede-eisers.

De rechter zei dat in Nederland de CO2-reductie onder de 17 procent zou blijven, in weerwil van klimaatverdragen. Hij concludeerde dat klimaatverandering wordt veroorzaakt door uitstoot en dat dit ernstige gevaren met zich meebrengt, onder meer door de zeespiegelstijging en voor de voedselvoorziening. De overheid moet burgers hiertegen beschermen.

De controle op de uitstoot in Nederland is een taak van de Staat. De kosten voor het terugdringen van de uitstoot zijn niet onaanvaardbaar hoog. De rechter gelooft niet dat daardoor bedrijven zullen wegtrekken uit Nederland.

Nederland kan zich er volgens de rechter ook niet achter verschuilen dat ook andere landen de doelstellingen niet halen. Ons land moet zijn reductie van 25 tot 40 procent dan ook halen.

Noodzakelijk
De 'actie-organisatie' voor duurzaamheid Urgenda had geëist dat de overheid opdracht zou krijgen de Nederlandse uitstoot van CO2 uitstoot al voor 2020 te verminderen tot het noodzakelijke niveau dat door wetenschappers is vastgesteld: met 40 procent ten opzichte van het niveau van 1990.

Urgenda-directeur Marjan Minnesma reageert verheugd: ,,Alle eisers zijn héél blij met deze uitspraak. Die maakt heel duidelijk dat klimaatverandering een groot probleem is dat veel effectiever moet worden aangepakt en dat staten zich niet meer kunnen veroorloven onvoldoende te doen. Ze dienen hun burgers te beschermen. Als de politiek dat niet uit zichzelf doet, dan kan de rechter de burger te hulp schieten.''

Gejuich
Al tijdens het voorlezen van de bijzondere uitspraak over vermindering van de CO2-uitstoot klinkt in de rechtszaal gejuich en geklap. Een van de vele toehoorders is Maurits Groen. Hij is ook één van de bijna 900 mensen die samen met duurzaamheidsorganisatie Urgenda hebben geëist dat de Nederlandse overheid meer moet doen om de uitstoot terug te dringen.

Groen is ,,ongelooflijk blij dat de rechter dit heeft aangedurfd''. Hij is zelf topman van het 'groene' bedrijf Waka Waka dat opladers en lampen op zonne-energie produceert. ,,Dit is geen vage principiële uitspraak'', laat hij weten. ,,Nederland moet echt alle zeilen bijzetten om aan de opdracht die de rechter heeft neergelegd te voldoen. Vrijblijvendheid hierin is niet meer op zijn plek.''

Lachertje
Ook Milieudefensie is tevreden: ,,Dit is fantastisch, een historische overwinning. Wij feliciteren duurzaamheidsorganisatie Urgenda van harte. Er gaat nu eindelijk iets gebeuren, er moet nu veel meer ruimte gemaakt worden voor duurzame energie. Het huidige aandeel hernieuwbare energie van 4,5 procent is een lachertje.''

En Greenpeace: ,,Echt heel goed nieuws. Juridisch gezien is dit een revolutionaire uitspraak. Er zijn nu al signalen dat we de doelstellingen van het Energieakkoord niet gaan halen. Met deze uitspraak kan de overheid zich dit niet meer veroorloven.''

Strategie
De organisatie Urgenda ontstond op 21 juni 2007, tijdens een Midzomernachtfestival. Ideeën en strategie voor een urgente agenda inzake klimaatverandering, de 'Urgenda', werden gepubliceerd in de NRC en leidden tot duizenden reacties. Vanuit ,,dit enthousiasme is de Stichting Urgenda opgericht, begin 2008'', aldus de stichting op haar website.

Urgenda-directeur Marjan Minnesma probeert mensen te motiveren voor de strijd tegen klimaatverandering: ,,We weten wat er moet gebeuren. Laten we samen aan de slag gaan en anderen meesleuren in ons onstuitbaar enthousiasme.''

Bij de organisatie werken mensen naast klimaatbeleid, onder meer aan duurzame mobiliteit, energieneutrale woningen, duurzaam voedsel, gebiedsontwikkeling en duurzame zorg.

www.ad.nl/ad/nl/5596/Planet/article/d...

voda 29 juni 2015 16:11

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Grontmij ontvangt opdracht voor ombouw Deense energiecentrale

AMSTERDAM (Dow Jones)--Ingenieursbureau Grontmij nv (GRONT.AE) heeft van Helsingor Utilities de opdracht ontvangen om de Deense verwarmings/elektriciteitscentrale Helsingor om te bouwen naar biomassa van gas, meldt het concern maandag voorbeurs.

Financiele details van de opdracht worden niet vermeld.

Met de bouw van een nieuwe boiler-divisie en de herontwikkeling van bestaande faciliteiten streeft het concern naar een verlaging van de CO2-uitstoot.

Het aandeel sloot vrijdag op EUR4,32.

- Door Patrick Buis; Dow Jones Nieuwsdienst; +31 20 571 52 00; patrick.buis@wsj.com

voda 1 juli 2015 17:08

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China intensifies carbon reduction, reaffirms 2030 emissions target

Sydney Morning Herald reported that China, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, has submitted a new carbon intensity reduction target to the United Nations while reaffirming its goal to curb carbon emissions by 2030 or even earlier.

Premier Mr Li Keqiang made the announcement while during a visit to Paris, where the global climate conference will take place at the end of the year.

Mr Li said in a statement after meeting with French President Mr Francois Hollande that "China's carbon dioxide emissions will peak by around 2030 and China will work hard to achieve the target at an even earlier date."

Chinese commuters wear face masks as heavy air pollution shrouds Beijing in February 2014. China's cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations and industry, as well as vehicle use.

Chinese commuters wear face masks as heavy air pollution shrouds Beijing in February 2014. China's cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations and industry, as well as vehicle use.

He said that China aims to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of gross domestic product by 60% to 65% from 2005 levels.

The world's 2nd largest economy also aims to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in its primary energy consumption to about 20% by 2030.

The 20% target, as well as the headline goal of having carbon emissions peak by 2030, were consistent with its pledge made in a joint climate announcement with the United States in November last year.

But China has now formally made those commitments as part of its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions climate plan ahead of the year-end UN conference in Paris, while crucially also outlining its carbon emissions intensity reduction targets.

Most analysts consider China's target to peak emissions by 2030 as conservative given the dramatic shifts in its energy mix which have already taken place.

Coal consumption in China peaked last year and has continued to fall and at a faster rate in the early months of this year, driven by slowing economic growth and an urgent government push toward cleaner energy to alleviate air pollution and other environmental damage that has sparked popular outrage in China.

Mr Li Shuo, climate analyst for Greenpeace China, said that "Today's pledge must be seen as only the starting point for much more ambitious actions. It does not fully reflect the significant energy transition that is already taking place in China. Given the dramatic fall in coal consumption, robust renewable energy uptake, and the urgent need to address air pollution, we believe the country can go well beyond what it has proposed today."

Mr Jiang Kejun, a key government adviser and director of the National Development and Reform Commission's Energy Research Institute, said the speed at which renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydro and nuclear have formed a substantial role in China's energy mix had exceeded expectations.

Having predicted three years ago China's carbon emissions would peak by 2025, his team's model, updated last August, now suggests that will occur considerably earlier.

Mr Jiang said that "Our newest modelling shows that it is very likely carbon emissions will peak just after 2020."

China's frenetic economic boom fuelled almost all the growth in global coal demand since the turn of the century. The country is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and consumes nearly as much coal as the rest of the world combined.

Some environmentalists had hoped Beijing would commit to more aggressive targets in its INDC, but Greenpeace's Mr Li Shuo said in submitting its long-term climate plan to the United Nations, China was following the lead of the US and European Union and allowing room to bargain come Paris.

Mr Li said that "People should not overlook the political layer of this plan. We all understand nobody will play all of their cards at this early stage."

Source : Sydney Morning Herald

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voda 3 juli 2015 21:38

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Oklahoma AG Mr Pruitt challenges EPA's clean-air plan

The Associated Press reported that a plan by the US Environmental Protection Agency to reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants would threaten the reliability and affordability of electricity and cause substantial economic injury to the state, Attorney General Mr Scott Pruitt claims in a federal lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit in federal court in Tulsa argues the EPA's Clean Power Plan exceeds its authority and seeks an injunction that would prohibit the federal agency from regulating coal-fired electricity plants in Oklahoma.

Mr Pruitt said in a statement that "The EPA is ignoring the authority granted by Congress to states to regulate power plant emissions at their source. The Clean Power Plan is an unlawful attempt to expand federal bureaucrats' authority over states' energy economies in order to shutter coal-fired power plants and eventually other sources of fossil-fuel generated electricity."

Mr David Gray spokesman of EPA defended the plan in a statement late Wednesday, saying that it will be affordable, will drive American innovation and American jobs, and will demonstrate our leadership in the international community.

Last year, Mr Barack Obama, President of US, rolled out a plan to reduce earth-warming pollution from power plants by 30% by 2030, setting in motion one of the most significant US actions ever to address global warming. Once completed this summer, the rule will set the first national limits on carbon dioxide from existing power plants, the largest source of greenhouse gases in the US.

The administration says the rule is expected to raise electricity prices by about 4.9% by 2020 and spur a wave of retirements of coal-fired power plants.

Oklahoma Governor Ms Mary Fallin already issued an executive order in April prohibiting the state from developing a plan to reduce its carbon dioxide emission from power plants and Indiana's governor has said his state also will not comply.

And last month, the Republican-controlled US House approved a bill that would allow states to opt out of the plan if its governor determines it would cause significant rate hikes for electricity or harm reliability of service.

Source : The Associated Press

voda 6 juli 2015 21:31

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Clean Power Plan battle looms - Report

Toledo Blade reported that advocates and critics of a proposal to fight climate change are gearing up for a battle as the Obama Administration nears completion of its Clean Power Plan, which aims to cut 1 billion tonne of carbon dioxide and other types of harmful emissions from the atmosphere by 2030.

Advocates claim the proposal will add no more than 5 cents a week to average household electric bills, while critics assert it will put thousands of people out of work and force utilities to prematurely shut down more coal-fired power plants.

Closing coal-fired plants is under way as hydraulic fracturin or fracking, has led to massive growth in electricity produced by natural gas and as several states have mandated more renewable power.

Days from being finalized, the Clean Power Plan has major implications for Ohio, one of the nation’s most coal-reliant states and traditionally a swing state in presidential elections.

It calls for tougher rules on coal-fired power plants, which Gov. John Kasich, a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2016, has worked with utilities to fight.

The Clean Power Plan also is the cornerstone of the environmental legacy President Obama hopes to leave behind.

His administration rolled out this plan, acknowledging it would be fought vigorously in court and test the U.S. EPA’s strength on Capitol Hill for decades to come.

Late last month the Supreme Court rejected the Obama Administration’s attempt to impose stronger rules on mercury, another major pollutant caused by burning coal. Mercury is a neurotoxin shown to affect brain development of young children.

When mercury migrates into the Great Lakes and other bodies of water, it contaminates fish that people eat. Mercury has been one of the leading causes for fish-consumption advisories.

Despite that setback, the Obama Administration is moving ahead with its attempt to impose tougher rules on carbon dioxide.

On June 23rd the White House held a summit on the health effects of climate change. The event piggybacked a global call for action by Mr Pope Francis, who described climate change as a moral and scientific issue. High-profile figures, including US Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy and U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarty, echoed that at the White House summit.

Doing nothing will cost the American public USD 3.8 trillion a year by the end of the century, or 3.6% of the nation’s gross domestic product in today’s dollars, according to a 2008 study done by researchers at Tufts University for the Natural Resources Defense Council. Half of that, USD 1.9 trillion a year more a year, will just come from hurricane damage, real estate losses and increased costs for water and energy.

Source : Toledo Blade

voda 6 juli 2015 22:14

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Australia's power sector emissions up 1 year after carbon tax's demise

Sydeney Morning Herald reported that emissions from Australia's main power sector are rising at an increasing rate one year after the end of the carbon price, with plants in Victoria fired by brown coal the biggest contributors, according to an energy consultancy.

According to Pitt & Sherry's monthly Cedex report, in the year to June, emissions from the National Electricity Market jumped by about 6.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or about 4.3%.

Brown coal's share of the NEM, which supplies the eastern states and about 80% of Australia's population with electricity, rose by about 2 percentage points in the 12 months since the carbon tax was scrapped, to 24.3%. Black coal increased its share by half as much, to 51.5%.

Combined, coal plants supplied 75.8% of NEM power, up from 72.7% from June 2014, with zero-emissions hydro power giving up most of the share.

Mr Hugh Saddler, Pitt & Sherry's principal consultant, said that “Demand for power, meanwhile, is beginning to bounce back after sliding for the past five years as demand for the electricity-hungry liquefied natural gas industry increases. The combination of rising demand and a more carbon-intensive energy mix means emission increases are quickening.”

He said that "All demand growth is going to be supplied by coal, and when you add in the LNG consumption, it will definitely be an acceleration."

Mr Greg Hunt, Environment Minister, has downplayed the impact of the carbon tax, which raised electricity prices by about 10%, although residential users were mostly compensated for the increase.

Source : Sydney Morning Herald

voda 3 augustus 2015 19:42

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Mr Obama launches Clean Power Plan to cut carbon emissions

Denver Post reported that Colorado conservationists joined their counterparts nationwide rallying behind President Mr Obama's Clean Power Plan, being unveiled Monday, to cut US emissions of greenhouse gases by targeting existing coal-burning power plants.

A White House statement said that “Mr Obama called this 'the biggest most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change.' The plan requires an overall 32% cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 as measured against 2005 levels. We cannot condemn our kids and grandkids to a planet that's beyond fixing."

That's up from the 30% cut the EPA proposed last year. It's unclear how much individual states must do. Legal challenges loom. Some governors have threatened not to comply.

Colorado has been seen as relatively well-positioned. State lawmakers under a Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act in 2010 required regulated utilities to develop plans for reducing air pollution. These plans launched utilities on efforts to replace coal plants with energy generated using renewable sources and natural gas. Colorado's largest utility, Xcel Energy, is on track to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 28%.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment now must ensure overall compliance with the national plan.

Mr Vickie Patton, Boulder based director of the Environmental Defense Fund's national and regional clean air programs, said that "Colorado can build on a rock solid foundation of clean air solutions by scaling up our proven energy efficiency programs for low income families and investments in low cost wind power, and driving down the pollution from high-emitting power plants."

A combination of investments in low-carbon technology, greater efficiency in generating electricity, and shifting coal-fired power plants toward natural gas put Colorado on course. State voters in 2004 passed a measure requiring use of renewable sources to generate a portion of electricity. In 2010, state lawmakers also set a target: 30% of electricity used in Colorado by 2020 must be generated from renewable sources.

Source : Denver Post

voda 3 augustus 2015 19:45

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Mr Obama to unveil revised climate change plan - Official

Published on Mon, 03 Aug 2015 59 times viewed

A senior administration official said that Mr Barack Obama, President of US, will unveil the final version of his plan to tackle greenhouse gases from coal-fired power plants as he aims to cement his legacy on climate change.

The revised Clean Power Plan will seek to slash carbon emissions from the power sector 32% from 2005 levels in 2030, a 9% increase over a previous proposal.

The regulation will usher in a sweeping transformation of the US electricity sector, encouraging an aggressive shift towards more renewable energy away from coal-fired electricity.

Industry groups and some lawmakers from states that have relied on coal-based energy have said they will challenge it in the courts and through Congressional maneuvers, accusing the administration of a regulatory assault that will drive up energy prices. The White House was defiant, and said the release of the plan was the starting gun for an all-out climate push by the president and his cabinet.

Mr Obama said in a video posted by the White House on Sunday midnight that “My administration will release the final version of America’s Clean Power Plan, the biggest, most important step we have ever taken to combat climate change.”

He said that there have been no federal limits to date on carbon pollution from power plants, the biggest source of US greenhouse gas emissions.

The plan will be central to the United States’ contribution to a United Nations agreement to tackle climate change, in which the Obama administration has vowed to play a leadership role. Each state will be required to submit a plan to the Environmental Protection Agency next year, spelling out how it will meet an emission-cutting goal assigned to it.

Five governors who have opposed the rule have already said they will not comply.

The final version will accelerate the deployment of renewable energy based on updated projections that the share of renewable energy generation capacity in 2030 will be higher at 28%, compared to 22% in last June’s version.

The Obama administration also changed its projection about the share of natural gas in the US power mix in 2020, avoiding what it said would be an early rush to gas away from coal.

Source : Reuters

voda 5 augustus 2015 17:05

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EPA power plant rules will raise cost of electricity in US

The White House has announced final Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring existing electricity generating utilities to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 32 percent in the next 15 years, and effectively mandate that new coal-burning power plants use unviable carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) expressed strong concerns about the regulations, saying they will raise electricity costs for domestic steel companies and threaten the industry’s ability to remain internationally competitive.

Mr Thomas J Gibson president and CEO of AISI said “This rule puts the affordability and reliability of electricity for steel producers at serious risk. The leading steel producing states in the U.S. are heavily dependent on coal for electricity production. This rule will have a disproportionate impact on coal-fired utilities and, in turn, impede economic growth for steelmakers.”

Mr Gibson added that the steel industry competes with steel producers in countries where energy costs are often subsidized. He said, therefore, “Limitations on CO2 emissions instituted in the US must also apply at the same level of stringency to other major steel producing nations, such as China. Otherwise, steel production and manufacturing jobs will shift to other nations with higher rates of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”

AISI and sixteen other pro-manufacturing groups submitted joint comments to the EPA in December stating that these regulations could severely harm the international competitiveness of critical U.S. industries.

Source : Strategic Research Institute

voda 7 augustus 2015 19:50

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UK power plant could absorb more carbon than it emits

CNBC reported that one of the world's worst-polluting power plants may become the first in the world to absorb more greenhouse gases than it emits.

The Drax Yorkshire power plant supplies one tenth of the United Kingdom's power, and is one of the biggest carbon-emitting facilities in the world.

That may change. The owners are switching from burning coal to wood pellets, an increasingly popular form of fuel in Europe. The pellets come from trees grown in the southern United States and elsewhere. The carbon that the plant emits will be pumped into deep underground chambers below the North Sea. Drax's owners intend to plant new trees to replace the ones they cut, which, in theory, will suck up even more greenhouse gases.

Critics said that the rate at which the replanted trees grow and absorb carbon will create a lag time during which carbon emissions will still rise. Others point out that the reforested areas might end up being cleared for other uses.

Source : CNBC

Bijlage:

voda 7 augustus 2015 22:46

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Carbon emissions from the power sector hits a 27 year low - EIA

According to new figures from the US Energy Information Administration, carbon dioxide emissions produced by the U.S. electric power sector hit a 27-year low in April, the lowest amount for any month since April 1988.

The finding comes days after the EPA finalized the Clean Power Plan, a landmark regulation that aims to accelerate carbon cuts from existing power plants, to achieve a 32% industry-wide reduction by 2030.

Carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector already fell by 15% between 2005 and 2013, stemming from slower economic activity during the 2008 recession, the substitution of the less-carbon-intensive natural gas for coal and petroleum, and growth in non-carbon generation, especially renewables such as wind and solar.

The Clean Power Plan calls for reducing emissions another 17% between 2013 and 2030.

April is typically the least polluting month for the power industry, because of reduced demand for heating and cooling in the spring. This year, both coal and natural gas fell from their March values, 18% and 6%, respectively.

The greater drop in coal generation, which produces 71% to 79% more carbon dioxide emissions than natural gas, was largely responsible for the overall decline in power sector emissions. It also caused electricity generation from natural gas to surpass coal generation for the first time since the EIA started collecting data in 1973.

The switch only lasted for one month, however. On an annual average basis, coal has lost generation share to natural gas and, increasingly, renewables, but it is expected to remain the dominant source of electricity generation through 2015. How much of the electricity mix each fuel type makes up going forward will depend on how much each fuel costs, as well as overall levels of electricity demand.

According to the EIA, looking at historical trends, it seems unlikely that coal will remain king for much longer. Between April 1988 to April 2015 natural-gas consumption in the electricity sector more than tripled, renewable energy consumption more than doubled, nuclear energy consumption increased 47% and coal consumption decreased 17%.

Source : Greentech Media

Bijlage:

voda 6 september 2015 15:38

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Indonesia won’t achieve its emissions cut target - Greenpeace

Greenpeace said that Indonesia will never achieve its proposed targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions as long as the government continues to allow deforestation at the current pace and remains fixated on coal to generate electricity.

Mr Yuyun Indradi, a forest campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said that “The government [hasn’t] proposed [any] new measures to curb peatland and forest destruction, which makes up 63% of Indonesia’s emissions.”

He said that the government has also failed to propose reforms needed to support the private sector’s no-deforestation commitments.

Mr Arif Fiyanto, a climate and energy campaigner at the environmental NGO, also pointed to President Joko Widodo’s recent commitment to generate an additional 35,000 megawatts of electricity for the national grid, two-thirds of which will come from building new coal-fired power plants. Greenpeace estimates that the new plants will contribute an additional 1.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions from 2019 to 2030.

Mr Arif said that “The government’s target to reduce carbon emissions will never be achieved with its current energy policy. It’s critical that Indonesia moves away from coal, and embrace what could potentially be abundant sources of clean and renewable energy.”

Countries across the globe have committed to creating a new international climate agreement by the conclusion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Paris in December this year.

Indonesia has set a more ambitious emission reduction target of 29% by 2030 in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, a proposal outlining the post-2020 climate actions it intends to take and which will be submitted on Sept. 10, ahead of the UNFCCC summit.

Mr Siti Nurbaya, Environment and Forestry Minister, said that the government had set the new projection after considering various factors, including infrastructure development policies.

The target is higher than the country’s previous goal of a 26% reduction by 2020 from 2009 levels. The government claims to have achieved about half of that goal to date.

Source : Jakarta Globe

voda 8 september 2015 20:09

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Geen broddelwerk: 5 zinnige suggesties om CO2-uitstoot te beperken

Gepubliceerd: 07 september 2015 16:10 | Laatste update: 08 september 2015 15:07

Vorige week kwamen onderzoekbureaus ECN en PBL met de ‘Quickscan emissiereductie 2020’, een rapport dat in de media werd afgeschoten als ‘broddelwerk’. Zelfs de opdrachtgevende minister haastte zich afstand te nemen. Toch vormt de studie een bruikbare verlanglijst om méér te doen aan CO2-reductie, stelt Siebe Schootstra van Energiebusiness.nl

De Telegraaf sprong afgelopen week als een van de eersten op de commotie die zou zijn ontstaan op het Ministerie van Infrastructuur, vanwege een rapportage van onderzoeksbureaus ECN en PBL.

Het rapport, met de titel ‘Quick scan mogelijke aanvullende maatregelen emissiereductie 2020 ten behoeve van Urgenda klimaatzaak’, zou gebaseerd zijn op achterhaalde cijfers. Ambtenaren noemen het ‘een haastklus’ en ‘broddelwerk’, zo schreef De Telegraaf.

Boodschapper aan de schandpaal genageld

De Telegraaf citeert handenwrijvend een ambtenaar: “Het is geen coherent onderzoek. ECN en PBL hebben wat laatjes opengetrokken met verouderde input.” De ambtenaar vermoedt dat het rapport snel in een la zal verdwijnen. Staatssecretaris Mansveld van Milieu liet haastig weten: “We nemen kennis van deze suggestie die is aangedragen door PBL en ECN. Ze zeggen zelf dat ze een heleboel dingen buiten beschouwing hebben gelaten. Het steunt het kabinet in de gedachte dat er naar de CO2-reductie nader onderzoek moet worden gedaan.”

Mansveld toonde in haar reactie weinig ruggengraat en de roep voor meer onderzoek is de typische politieke dooddoener in de door lobbygroep Urgenda aangezwengelde discussie over het tempo van de reductie van broeikasgassen. Het was beter geweest de inleiding op het rapport te lezen, op het voorblad afgedrukt nota bene, waarin de samenstellers schrijven: “Deze quickscan omvat geen nieuw onderzoek, maar is gebaseerd op direct voorhanden kennis van ECN- en PBL deskundigen.”

Dit wordt ook uitgelegd door Pieter Boot, hoofd Klimaat van het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving: “Het is een quickscan, niet meer dan dat. Dat staat er ook op. De marges die we noemen zijn wel degelijk accuraat.” In die zin vormt het rapport en de daarin opgenomen lijst van mogelijke maatregelen een prima verlanglijst voor snel in te voeren beleid.

ECN en PBL hebben gepoogd te becijferen welke aanvullende maatregelen nodig zijn om de in de klimaatzaak afgedwongen doelstelling van 25 procent reductie van binnenlandse broeikasgassen in 2020 te realiseren. Staand beleid is onvoldoende en komt hopelijk uit op 18 procent. Dan is een extra reductie van 16 megaton CO2 benodigd. Hieronder de samenvatting van het verlanglijstje.

1. ‘Sluit alle kolencentrales’

Het rapport noemt emissiebeperking bij kolencentrales door bijstook van biomassa, afvang en opslag van CO2, en vervanging door gascentrales als eerste optie, samen goed voor 5 megaton (CO2-equivalenten). In juni liet topman Arnoud Kamerbeek van energiebedrijf Delta al weten voorstander te zijn van het volledig sluiten van álle kolengestookte centrales. Sluiting van een deel van de centrales was al voorzien in het Energieakkoord, maar dat besluit werd later teruggedraaid door Minister Kamp van Economische Zaken. Je kunt ECN en PBL dus moeilijk verwijten met onzin te komen.

2. Kilometerheffing

Een tweede grote slag heeft volgens ECN en PBL te maken met kilometerbeprijzing en het aanpassen van de maximumsnelheid. Het ‘K-woord’ is samen met het VVD-troetelkindje van de maximumsnelheid de belangrijkste reden voor alle commotie rond het rapport. Toch is de potentiële reductie van CO2 in de transportsector volgens het rapport het grootste: maar liefst 6 megaton zou hier te besparen zijn. Die omvang is op zich al voldoende reden om verder te kijken.

3. Industrie aan zet

De derde grote klap die gemaakt kan worden, betreft de industrie: verantwoordelijk voor bijna de helft van het nationale energieverbruik, zo schreef ondernemersorganisatie FME vorige week nog op Energiebusiness.nl. Het rapport becijfert een reductie van 2 megaton en dat lijkt niet veel. Alleen al door stimulering van energiebesparing, te financieren uit een revolverend fonds, zo stelt het rapport voor, kan 1 megaton reductie bereikt worden. Energiebesparing in de industrie is business, vanwege de samenhangende kostenbesparingen op energie-inkoop.

4. Energie-efficiëntie gebouwde omgeving

Nog 2 megaton is te halen uit een verbeterde energie-efficiëntie in gebouwen van handel, diensten en overheid en de bestaande woningvoorraad. Het verbeteren van de energieprestatie in gebouwen is óók business, en als de overheid de juiste randvoorwaarden inricht, zou de markt tot veel grotere resultaten in staat zijn. Zo veel zegt ook voorman Bram Adema van adviesbureau CFP op EnergieVastgoed.

5. Landbouw mag ook bijdrage leveren

Methaanreductie in de landbouw door mestvergisting is een mes dat aan twee kanten snijdt. De productie van biogas in Nederland blijft achter en door grootschalig in te zetten op mestvergisting is daar een inhaalslag mogelijk. De bijdrage in de reductie van broeikasgassen becijferen onderzoeksburaus ECN en PBL op 1 megaton.

Waarschuwing aan beleidsmakers

In plaats van de quickscan af te schieten, mogen beleidsmakers zich achter de oren krabben. Het rapport zegt: “Er zijn in principe genoeg technische maatregelen beschikbaar voor een extra reductie. Om uiteenlopende redenen is het echter een enorme uitdaging om de benodigde 15 megaton daadwerkelijk te realiseren. Met name de korte termijn tot 2020 maakt het lastig: snelle reductie vereist maximale vaart in de besluitvorming en effectieve invoering van het extra beleid.”

Om dat nog wat scherper neer te zetten, schrijft het rapport in de inleiding: ‘We hebben ook een ruwe schatting gemaakt van wat nog praktisch mogelijk is als over de hele linie een jaar vertraging in de besluitvorming optreedt. Onze schatting komt bij een dergelijke vertraging uit op ongeveer 13 Mton CO2-eq. In dat geval is de vereiste emissiereductie niet meer haalbaar. Om de 25% reductie te halen, is het dus noodzaak niet te wachten met extra maatregelen.”

Siebe Schootstra is hoofdredacteur van de sites EnergieBusiness.nl, EnergieOverheid.nl en EnergieVastgoed.nl.

www.z24.nl/economie/geen-broddelwerk-...

voda 30 oktober 2015 17:07

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Swedish Vattenfall to shut two German lignite plants

Swedish utility Vattenfall has agreed to phase out two lignite coal plants in Germany as part of government plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Vattenfall will close two units of its Janschwalde power plant in October 2018 and October 2019. They have a combined capacity of 1,000 megawatts, corresponding to 8 million tonnes of CO2-emissions.

The two 500 MW plants will remain in standby mode before complete shutdowns in 2022 and 2023.

Vattenfall has agreed a deal with the German Ministry of Economy and lignite operators to reduce lignite power capacity by 2,700 MW until 2020 – as part of Germany’s climate protection action programme.

According to the agreement plant operators will be compensated for the stand-by availability, amounting in total for all operators to approximately 230million euro per year over seven years.

Mr Magnus Hall, Vattenfall chief executive, said that “Closing down the plants will be a clear contribution to Germany achieving its climate target. The agreement also addresses the concern for security of supply and provides more certainty for the conditions of the remaining lignite business in Lusatia.”

Source : Energy Voice

AEX 907,51 -2,00 -0,22% 11:08


Germany40^	23.132,80	+0,22%
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Europe50^	5.471,15	-0,33%
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Gold spot	2.894,14	-0,85%
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Air France-KLM	+20,82%
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