Energy

EU has ‘strong’ interest in safeguarding post-Brexit energy supply – UK minister

Preparing for a no-deal break with the EU’s energy market is tricky because it depends on other countries, Claire Perry said

Bill Gates throws new weight and cash into climate fight

In back-to-back events this week, the billionaire launched projects to slow global warming and limit the damage it causes

$UK court frees fracking protestors from 'excessive' prison sentences$

UK court frees fracking protestors from ‘excessive’ prison sentences

Three protesters were sentenced to jail for 2017 blockade, but court of appeal found that a community work order would have been appropriate

Fracking ‘part of a low carbon future’, says UK minister, as drilling restarts

Claire Perry requested a net-zero emissions probe on Monday but defended fracking, saying gas was ‘absolutely part of our future’

Brexit: Avoiding the nuclear fallout

UK government report card on replacing the EU’s atomic energy community shows progress, but no deal on March 29 still threatens power and medical supply

Modern bioenergy is critical to meeting global climate change goals

It is controversial and often overlooked, but bioenergy is the only renewable energy today that can supply all sectors, say Kimmo Tiilikainen and Fatih Birol

Brexit: What it means for UK-EU energy trade

The UK says it wants to keep ties with the EU energy market – but it’s complicated

World Bank dumps Kosovo plant, ending support for coal worldwide

The Kosovo e Re lignite plant could not compete with renewables on price, said bank president Jim Yong Kim

Energy

Renewable Energy

Saudi Arabia eyes Ethiopian hydropower link to cut reliance on oil and gas

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s grid operator is studying the feasibility of a cable to Ethiopia, which would run through currently war-torn Yemen

Green power set to surge while fossil fuels decline: report

Electricity will be dominated by renewables and supply nearly half of total energy demand by 2050. Yet the rise is not enough to meet the Paris Agreement goals

As he prepares to host climate bash, will California’s Brown bring gifts?

With a sweeping climate bill waiting for signature and an oil industry of his own, activists pressure governor Jerry Brown to live up to the vision of his own summit

South Australia to hit 100% renewable power by 2025 – market operator

Contrary to federal government modelling, as old gas turbines switch off in the next decade, renewable electricity share will soar

China solar industry struggles through sudden subsidy cuts

After years of breakneck growth, solar panel manufacturers are tightening their belts as the government slashes support

Why are German coal workers so powerful, when there are so few?

With Germany slipping from its position as a climate leader, an industry with just 20,000 jobs is dictating policy to the federal government

Three ways the global business elite is underestimating clean energy

A Financial Times reader survey found most see climate change as important, but are conservative on how fast the global energy mix can shift

German renewables overtake coal power generation for six months

Wind, solar, hydro and biogas met 36.3% of electricity demand in the first half of 2018, industry data show, while coal dropped to 35.1% of the mix

Renewable energy

Fossil Fuels

World Bank branch to prefer private banks that exit coal

International Finance Corporation will require partners to publish their support for coal and seek those with plans to divest

South Korean province joins international coal phase-out club

South Chungcheong becomes the biggest coal user and first Asian region in the Powering Past Coal Alliance, reflecting local opposition to polluting plants

$UK anti-fracking protestors jailed over blockade$

UK anti-fracking protestors jailed over blockade

The men ‘deserve our gratitude, not a prison term’, Greenpeace’s executive director said, after judge handed them 15-16 month sentences

Leaked: Draft UN declaration to ‘ensure decent future’ for fossil fuel workers

Proposal by Polish climate presidency calls for a programme to monitor national efforts to protect communities impacted by climate action

Poland’s coal miners: ‘EU climate proposals terrify us’

The host city of this December’s UN climate summit is keen to share a story of post-mining transformation, but the coal industry still holds sway

Exxon, Chevron first US companies to join oil and gas climate alliance

ExxonMobil, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum join ten other major fossil fuel producers that say they recognise the goals of the Paris climate deal

UK offers green assurances for no-deal Brexit

London says it will carry over EU emissions rules for cars, coolants and industrial plants even if it crashes out in March with no negotiated deal

End of coal power in Australia ‘inevitable’ – report

Market forces alone will see huge drop in coal use over next decade, academics find, adding that planning for a future without coal is ‘prudent risk management’

Fossil Fuels

Nuclear energy

US launches nuclear initiative to cut carbon with Canada, Japan, UK

While the Trump administration generally avoids discussion of climate change, it is participating in a coalition to promote “clean, reliable” nuclear power

Wind, solar costs undercut new coal plants in South Africa

Wind and solar power are 40% cheaper than new coal generation today, analysis of government data shows

Atomic politics: UK mends China links with Hinkley deal

Choosing your power source should come down science and economics, but as the UK’s Hinkley saga shows it’s also a deeply political game

Atomic shambles: UK nuclear plans need urgent rethink

Planned celebrations by the nuclear industry were cancelled last week following the shock decision to put the world’s largest electricity project on hold

Could every UK town have a small nuclear reactor?

Industry poll shows that backing from the UK government is seen as a beacon of hope for a new breed of small nuclear reactors

Can nuclear really deliver 25% of global electricity by 2050?

Despite a record-breaking year of global nuclear construction in 2015, a report by the industry recognises that it still faces unresolved problems and uncertainties

Are small nuclear reactors a clean energy solution?

NEWS: Nuclear companies meet to discuss licensing the controversial modular reactors set to cost billions of dollars and be built near towns

As memory of Chernobyl, Fukushima fades, activists renew nuclear warning

BLOG: 2011 disaster survivors urge UK to ditch atomic plans: “Don’t consider Fukushima as something that could never never happen to you. It could.”

Nuclear Energy

Efficiency

UK government refuses to commit to EU clean energy targets after Brexit