Energy

Closer cooperation between European countries and an emphasis on energy efficiency would be more effective at lowering prices in Europe than dreams about an American-style shale gas boom, the EU's climate chief said on Thursday (16 May).

The 22 May EU summit dedicated to energy issues should clearly transform the prevailing talking mode in the energy and climate framework into action mode, Jean-Claude Depail, tells EurActiv.

Ever wondered how the shale gas debate might seem with the benefit of hindsight? So has Stefan Schleicher of the Austrian Institute of Economic Research in Vienna. He predicts that the real game-changer for gas will some from its integration into a low-carbon, Europe-wide energy system.

European authorities have raided offices of oil majors Shell, BP and Statoil in an investigation of suspected manipulation of oil prices, one of the biggest cross-border actions since the Libor rigging scandal.

European companies’ competitiveness is hampered by unnecessary burdensome legislative instruments in climate, energy and environment and policymakers must rebalance industrial strategies towards manufacturing, BusinessEurope president Jürgen Thumann said in an interview with EurActiv. The European Business Summit (EBS) begins today (15 May).

European companies’ competitiveness is hampered by unnecessary burdensome legislative instruments in climate, energy and environment and policymakers must rebalance industrial strategies towards manufacturing, BusinessEurope President Jürgen Thumann said in an interview with EurActiv, as the European Business Summit (EBS) gets underway today (15 May).

The European gas sector is in a disastrous state and without policies to boost investment, the power supply of some countries could be at risk, a top industry official said.

Short-term economic concerns appear to have edged the environment out of the picture ahead of next week’s EU summit dedicated to energy issues, writes Brook Riley.

Without early investment signals, Europe faces a ‘lost decade’ of climate and energy policy inaction between 2020-2030, culminating in a mind-bogglingly expensive sprint to decarbonise in the last two decades before 2050, according to a new report by the European association of electricity producers, Eurelectric.

It appears that Ukraine’s President Viktor Yanukovich has already taken the political decision to cede control over the transit pipeline network to Gazprom, in exchange for lower gas prices and long-term gas transit guarantees, writes Wojciech Konończuk.

The European Commission agreed to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China in a move to guard against what it sees as dumping of cheap goods in Europe, prompting a cautious response from Beijing which called for further dialogue.

Europe’s solar thermal industry is bracing itself for another cold economic year, as consolidation in the building and solar energy sectors continues to hit new energy-efficient housing construction.

Public subsidies constitute a powerful market intervention that indirectly inflate biofuel prices, argues Chris Charles. Industry criticisms of the International Institute of Sustainable Development’s research on the subject fall wide of the mark, he writes.

EXCLUSIVE / EU leaders will grapple with controversial issues including shale gas development and climate change mitigation at an energy summit on 22 May, documents obtained by EurActiv show.

EXCLUSIVE / EU leaders will grapple with controversial issues including shale gas development and climate change mitigation at an energy summit on 22 May, documents obtained by EurActiv show.

EXCLUSIVE / European bans on hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - for shale gas could face lawsuits under a far-reaching investment clause in a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement treaty, seen by EurActiv.

EXCLUSIVE / European bans on hydraulic fracturing - or fracking - for shale gas could face lawsuits under a far-reaching investment clause in a draft Canada-EU Trade Agreement treaty, seen by EurActiv.

The European Parliament wants to reinforce the principle of discrimination in the EU’s draft biofuels directive, setting Europe on a collision course with its obligations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), writes Fredrik Erixon.

The European Parliament wants to reinforce the principle of discrimination in the EU’s draft biofuels directive, setting Europe on a collision course with its obligations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), writes Fredrik Erixon.

EXCLUSIVE / Biofuels companies and associations sent EU cabinet members three e-mails an hour, many containing catastrophic warnings, in the run-up to a recent European Commission proposal to account for greenhouse gas emissions that the fuel crops might indirectly cause.