Energy

Sanctions against Russia could spur $150 oil – Former BP chief
Western sanctions against Russia, coupled with ongoing political instability in Libya and the advance of ISIS militants in Iraq, could leave the global oil supply exposed and push up oil prices to $150 per barrel, former BP chief Tony Hayward has warned. The former CEO of BP and now chairman of Glencore Xstrata said the recent boom in US shale production has painted an unrealistic image of the [...]
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US should commit to sending oil to Europe – EU Trade Commissioner
EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht wants to see oil and natural gas exports from the US to Europe included in the forthcoming transatlantic trade deal which will create the world's largest free trade zone. Europe wants US oil and gas to help offset its dependence on Russian energy. About 30 percent of Europe’s total gas requirement comes from Russia, approximately half of that is vulnerable [...]
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Coming soon: 3D printable solar panels capable of powering… anything
Printable solar panels are going to be available to us very soon and could power "entire skyscrapers," Australian researchers say. The very near future will see personal electronic charging transformed, but the potential is growing quickly. A team of 50 scientists in various fields worked for years to develop paper-thin, printable solar panels as part of the Victorian Organic Solar Cell Consort [...]
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Ukraine gas chief takes on Russia’s Gazprom in race with winter
PRAGUE — Andriy Kobolyev, 36, faces the daunting task of keeping Ukraine warm this winter. With tensions rising daily between Russia and Ukraine, Kobolyev, chief executive officer of Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz, must try to negotiate a continued flow of gas from its Russian supplier Gazprom, weed out graft and corruption, and find alternative supplies from the European Union. Perhaps [...]
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Energy-pinched Ukraine orders 1mn tons of coal from South Africa
Ukraine has agreed to import 1 million tons of coal from South Africa according to Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk. Fighting in the east has shut down production at half the country’s coal mines, and stocks will only last until November. The first ship has already been loaded for delivery to Ukraine, which has found itself in an energy-pinch since fighting erupted in eastern Ukraine. [...]
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China energy deals “launch pad” for Russia’s gas diversification – Moody’s
Moscow's 15-month marathon of energy deals with China will boost the credit of Russian oil and gas companies and reduce Russia's reliance on European energy markets, Moody's Ratings Agency said in a note. Russia’s oil majors- Rosneft, Gazprom, and Novatek have all struck major deals with Chinese partners, which provide long-term financial stability for the companies, which are at risk of West [...]
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EU prepares emergency “Plan B” blueprint in case Russia halts gas – report
The European Union may ban the "re-selling" of gas and limit industrial use as part of a contingency plan to create a stockpile for next winter, in case Russian gas stops flowing through Ukraine, according to a European Commission source. Foreseeing a possible halt in supplies over the political standoff between Russia and Ukraine, Europe has an emergency plan to stock up on energy supplies, th [...]
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Putin launches world’s biggest gas pipeline network to China
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli have launched the construction of the first part of Gazprom’s Power of Siberia pipeline - which will deliver 4 trillion cubic meters of gas to China over 30 years. “The new gas branch will significantly strengthen the economic cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region and above all - our key partner China, [...]
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Ukraine must ensure gas transit to Europe – EU energy chief
Russian-EU gas talks have progressed, but no solution was reached Friday over Russia and Ukraine's gas standoff. Moscow says their $100 gas discount to Kiev stands, and the EU doesn't want gas negotiations to be used to escalate the Ukraine crisis. The gas situation is ‘critical’ Russia’s Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said after meeting with EU energy chief Gunther Oettinger in Moscow o [...]
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Russian gas sector should not be sanctioned – EU energy chief
Russian gas sector should not be subjected to EU sanctions despite the situation in Ukraine, EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said Thursday. "Gas is not a suitable sector for sanctions, as in this case everyone will lose - Russia, Ukraine and the European Union," RIA Novosti cites Oettinger as saying. [...]
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Europe to depend on Russian gas for at least a decade – Fitch
Europe will remain heavily reliant on Russian gas for at least until the 2020s and potentially much longer due to the lack of an alternative, according to a report from Fitch Ratings. The substitution of Russian gas is not expected, given the weak prospects for shale gas production, the lack of available imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the absence of significant pipeline projects in Eu [...]
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Energy ballet-2: Syria, Ukraine & ‘Pipelineistan’
As much as Iran, Russia, the US and the EU are involved in a sophisticated nuclear/energy ballet, Syria and Ukraine are also two key power play vectors bound to determine much of what happens next in the New Great Game in Eurasia. And both Syria and Ukraine also happen to be energy wars. The Obama administration’s Syria master plan was ‘Assad must go’; regime change would yield a US-su [...]
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Hundreds rally in DC against fracked gas exports
Hundreds marched through Washington DC and rallied at the Capitol on Sunday to protest plans for a new liquid natural gas (LNG) export facility in Maryland. Local residents fear possible environmental risks. The plan is to build a new terminal at the Cove Point, Maryland LNG facility, which could be used for exporting fuel to Asia. It’s proposed by a Virginia-based company, Dominion Resources, a [...]
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Ukraine gas debt exceeds $5bn, no June payments made – Gazprom
Ukraine's gas bill has risen another $838 million, after Kiev failed to make a payment for 1.7 billion cubic meters of Russian gas supplied in the first half of June. “The deadline for paying June bills expired yesterday; we again didn’t receive the money from Naftogaz Ukraine. As a result Ukraine’s debt to Gazprom for the 1.7 billion cubic meters supplied from June 1 through June 16 rose to [...]
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Solar has won. Even if coal were free to burn, power stations couldn’t compete
Giles Parkinson: As early as 2018, solar could be economically viable to power big cities. By 2040 over half of all electricity may be generated in the same place it's used. Centralised, coal-fired power is over. Last week, for the first time in memory, the wholesale price of electricity in Queensland fell into negative territory – in the middle of the day. [...]
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Russian companies “de-dollarize” and switch to yuan, other Asian currencies
Russia will start settling more contracts in Asian currencies, especially the yuan, in order to lessen its dependence on the dollar market, and because of Western-led sanctions that could freeze funds at any moment. [...]
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Austria and Russia sign South Stream gas pipeline treaty
Russia and Austria have agreed on a joint company to construct the Austrian arm of the $45 billion South Stream gas pipeline project, which is expected to deliver 32 billion cubic meters of Russian gas to the country, bypassing Ukraine. [...]
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Gas transit pipeline explodes in E. Ukraine
An explosion has struck a pipeline in the central Ukrainian Poltava region. Witnesses say flames from the blast are up to 200 meter high. “The explosion occurred at about 14:45 local time in a field,” the local police press-service said in a statement. Due to the “flame and the high temperatures,” it was “impossible to get closer to the epicenter.” [...]
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Gazprom puts Ukraine on gas prepayment plan after “€˜chronic”€™ failure to pay debt
After failing to pay its gas bill, Ukraine now has to pay in advance for any natural gas from Russia, Gazprom said on Monday. Both companies have filed lawsuits against each other at the Stockholm Arbitration Court. “This decision was taken due to systematic failure of Naftogaz Ukraine to pay. [...]
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