First steps towards into the unknown. The possibilities prospects of unconventional gas extraction in Ukraine

By Mykhailo Gonchar, Centre for Eastern Studies

Ukraine’s deposits of unconventional gas (shale gas, tight gas trapped in non-porous sandstone formations, and coal bed methane) may form a significant part of Europe’s gas reserves. Initial exploration and test drilling will be carried out in two major deposits: Yuzivska (Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts) and Oleska (Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts), to confirm the volume of the reserves. Shell and Chevron, respectively, won the tenders for the development of these fields in mid 2012. Gas extraction on an industrial scale is expected to commence in late 2018/ early 2019 at the earliest. According to estimates presented in the draft Energy Strategy of Ukraine 2030, annual gas production levels may range between 30 billion m3 and 47 billion m3 towards the end of the next decade.

Current German Energy Policy - the "Energiewende": A UK and climate change perspective

By John Rhys, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

This comment considers German energy policy, as set out in the Energiewende, as seen from the perspective of attempts to reduce CO2 emissions, and the ambitions of the EU to be considered global leaders on this issue. 

Profile: Jochen Homann, Marathon Man for the Energiewende

By Paul Hockenos, Berlin

The Merkel government thought it was getting something different when it appointed Jochen Homann to the powerful post of President of the Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur, BNetzA) just over a year ago. After all, the 59-year old Homann – even though member of no political party – had been a loyal cog in the machinery of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, a bastion of neo-liberal conservatism, where he served as State Secretary since 2008 and in other functions since 2001.

Vattenfall – is the state the right and a good owner?

By Reiner Gatermann

Vattenfall is Sweden’s by far largest utility. In the year 2000, the state owned company left its national territory to become Germany’s third and Europe’s seventh largest electricity supplier. In general it has become a success story. However, not everyone, especially in Sweden, sees it that way, and even less so after the acquisition in 2009 of the Dutch gas company Nuon for €8.5 billion. Some, among them the newly elected leader of the social democratic opposition party, Stefan Löfven, calls it the “worst business transaction in Swedish history”.

East Africa Gas - The Potential for Export

By David Ledesma, The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

In the world of upstream oil and gas, the emergence of a major new prospective area always creates a frisson of excitement. David Ledesma's paper on the prospects for gas in Mozambique and Tanzania captures the excitement of the confirmation of a major new hydrocarbon play and conveys the pace at which resources were mobilised and the sheer scale of the discoveries made over a very short time period.

The Netherlands has to speed up its transition efforts

By Gert van Wijland

With its strategic location, huge gas reserves, highly developed infrastructure and well-developed information economy, the Netherlands is a crucial link in the northwest European energy market. But due to the lack of a long term vision – combined with its economic dependence on fossil fuels – its much-needed transition to a sustainable energy supply has barely taken off. A badly managed transition could severely damage the economy, but failing to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels is both economically and environmentally unsustainable.

Nordic Balance Settlement, cornerstone to a common Nordic power retail market

By Reiner Gatermann

The EU has many visions, more or less realistic ones. One vision is the creation and establishment of an European common retail market for electricity. On the way to this goal there are many obstacles to be removed. It begins with the insufficient political will, continues with fragmented legislation and ends with technical problems. Norway, Sweden and Finland however are convinced that all these barriers are surmountable. Their goal: To start in 2015 their own common power retail market with many positives (legal and technical harmonisation and long term savings) and a few negatives (high start up costs). And their hope: To present an effective and workable example to the up to now hesitant partners in the EU.

The True Challenges Facing the German Energiewende

Two years after Fukushima the road to a renewable future is gradually becoming clear

by Rainer Baake, Director of Agora Energiewende

A new German expression is making its way into the English language, joining Kindergarten and Zeitgeist – Energiewende. Directly translatable as "energy transformation," it refers to the broad effort underway in Germany to remake the country's energy economy and transition to renewables. This effort has attracted international attention. And the adoption of the term in English reveals a certain sense of wonder. For indeed, if the phasing out of coal, gas, and nuclear in favour of wind and solar were an everyday affair, there would be little reason to memorize a cumbersome new German term.

Battleground Energiewende, part II

The Lost Honor of Germany's Energiewende: An Analyst Returns Fire in the War of Words

By Paul Hockenos

Claudia Kemfert, Director of the Energy, Transportation, and Environment Unit at the prestigious Deutsche Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung in Berlin and one of the best-known energy experts in Germany, has had enough of the "Energiewende-bashing" that she feels has stymied the progress of the country's energy transition and sullied its reputation. She has set out to explode the myths and lies that are being spread by Energiewende-sceptics. "When these myths are repeated again and again, they sink in," she tells EER's Paul Hockenos in Berlin. "Not so long ago Germans were extremely concerned about climate change and the dangers of nuclear power. Now they're scared of the Energiewende."

Kosovo's complex energy crisis might be solved by the Turks rather than Europe or the US

Blackouts, black clouds and guns

By Ana-Maria Tolbaru

Kosovo's single energy distribution and supply company has recently been taken under the care of a joint-venture of two Turkish companies, Limak Insaat and Calik Holding, who won a long-drawn out bid. The acquisition is part of a wave of privatisation of the state's assets, which started in 2008, to attract investments in one of Europe's poorest countries. Limak and Calik bought the company in June 2012 at what many considered to be a rather advantageous price for such an asset: €26.3 million. But the package includes some treats that most energy companies would not very much relish: regular electricity cuts, non-payment of energy bills, political duties and even the possibility of having to deal with future civil unrest are just some of the daunting challenges the Turks will face.

German and Polish Energy Policies: Is Cooperation Possible?

By Jaroslaw Cwiek-Karpowicz, Aleksandra Gawlikowska-Fyk, Kirsten Westphal

Neighbours Poland and Germany have recently started to engage and intensify their dialogue on bilateral energy issues. This may prove to be an indispensable step forward in the future design of integrated EU energy and climate policies.

Battleground Energiewende, part I

How Germany's conservatives are trying to navigate the stormy waters of renewable energy in election year 2013

By Paul Hockenos

Germany's environment minister Peter Altmaier of the CDU opened the election year debate over the Energiewende with a bombshell: he proposed that the renewable energy surcharge paid by consumers (currently 5.3 cents kWh) be frozen for two years, that some previously exempt industries step up to pay at least some of the costs, and that owners of clean energy production facilities chip in to cover costs. The proposals led to a storm of criticism. Regardless of who is wrong and right, what the affair illustrates above all is that the Energiewende is already a prickly, fast-moving campaign topic. The conservatives (CDU and CSU)  in particular often reveal an ambivalent attitude towards their own Chancellor's prestigious project. In the first part of a two-part series, Berlin correspondent Paul Hockenos explains the conflicting attitudes of the various conservative factions towards green policies.

Why the UK's new energy master plan sets an example for the rest of Europe

By Robert Hensgens

The UK once set the trend for the rest of Europe with the liberalisation of its energy market. Now, with a series of new legislative and policy proposals, London seems to be turning back the clock on liberalisation and returning to considerable state intervention in the energy market. Many observers have criticised the UK for having "lost faith in the market". But according to Robert Hensgens, the UK government deserves credit for its ambitions and the way it faces up to the twin challenges of the energy transition and security of supply. Although he is critical of the UK's unilateral approach, he believes London may well once again be leading the way in Europe.

Germany's Little Energy Co-ops Make a Big Splash

By Paul Hockenos, Berlin

When Germany's environment minister Peter Altmaier addressed the first-ever congress of energy cooperatives in Berlin on November 19, he knew he was looking out over one of the Energiewende's core constituencies. "If all Germans were as engaged as you," he said, "my job would be a lot easier. But we're not that far yet," he joked. Locally based co-ops have become hugely popular in recent years, their numbers tripling in size since 2010 to over 600. Every second day a new clean energy co-op is formed in Germany. Moreover, this tradition-imbued model is now entering a new phase, becoming professionalised as they grow in size, enter into onshore wind power production, and find adherents in big cities, including Berlin. From Germany's capital, Paul Hockenos reports.

UK goes for gas

By Karel Beckman

Sighs of relief were no doubt breathed across the European gas industry when the UK government last week unveiled its gas generation strategy. The European gas market is in the doldrums currently as electricity producers are massively turning to cheaper coal and renewable energy. Many wonder what the long-term prospects are for gas in the European power sector. The UK government's clear statement in favour of gas-fired power production brightens those prospects considerably.

UK Electricity Market Reforms: Cash is King

Malcolm Keay, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

After much discussion and debate, the Government has come to an agreement on the contents of the Energy Bill to be introduced next week. This comment, by Malcolm Keay, looks at the implications of the new agreement.

Italy finally has an energy plan

By Heather O'Brian

Italian energy policy is widely seen as suffering from a lack of national planning, but now the country's economic development ministry has set about to change that. It has published a draft version of a new Strategia Energetica Nazionale (SEN), which is out for consultation and comments until the end of the month, and should be finalised by January. "The aim is to provide a clear and a shared vision of the direction for energy," Leonardo Senni, the head of the ministry of economic development's energy department, told European Energy Review. The government wants to continue to promote renewable energy, although it wants to scale down support. It also wants to establish a competitive gas market, reduce import dependence by promoting hydrocarbon production and take decision-making powers away from local governments.

Energiewende collides with Czech and Polish nuclear power projects

Germans and Central Europeans lock horns over energy

By Paul Hockenos

With winter creeping nearer, the Czech Republic has warned Germany in explicit terms that it will not tolerate surges of excess German electricity swamping its transmission grid this winter. It has stated plainly that it will shut its grid to Germany if blackouts threaten. The Germans for their part aren't pleased in the least with the plans of the Czechs to build new units at their Temelin nuclear plant, just 60 kilometers from the German border in Bavaria. With Slovakia and Poland taking the Czech side and Austria backing Germany, the energy imbroglio in Mitteleuropa is complete. EER's Berlin-correspondent Paul Hockenos reports from Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

A fossil-free future? The Danes just do it!

By Walt Patterson

Acclaimed author, energy thinker and nuclear critic (and nuclear physicist) Walt Patterson visited north-western Denmark to discover what a fossil-free future might look like in practice. Although Walt is a veteran proponent of renewable energy - and has long argued that we should radically redesign our energy systems - he was still impressed by the routine, matter-of-fact manner in which the Danes show how accessible a sustainable energy future really is.

What Germany can learn from the Nordic Energiewende

By Paul Hockenos

The German government belatedly seems to realise that it may have been a mistake to pursue its Energiewende and nuclear phase-out without involving its neighbours. At a recent German-Nordic conference in Berlin, German Environment Minister Peter Altmaier said he regretted the unilateral course his country had taken. He proposed setting up an international club of countries going renewable and called for more cooperation between Germany and its neighbours to ensure the success of the Energiewende. The Nordic countries, which are much further advanced on the energy transition than Germany, appear eager to extend a helping hand. The most important secret to their success? "We trust in trade with one another." Reporter Paul Hockenos reports from Berlin.

Interview Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland:

"We are aiming for a transformation - a re-industrialisation along the lines of a green economy"

By James Stafford, Oilprice.com

No other country in the EU has more ambitious renewable energy plans than Scotland. One of the chief architects of the Scottish sustainable energy drive is government leader and leader of the Scottish National Party Alex Salmond, who also intends to lead the Scots into independence from the UK in 2014. In a wide-ranging interview with James Stafford of Oilprice.com, which Oilprice.com consented to share with European Energy Review, Salmond discusses his views of Scotland's radical new energy future: "We want to make Scotland the destination for international investment in low carbon, and for the development of the financial architecture for a global low carbon economy", he says. "We are aiming for a transformation - a re-industrialisation along the lines of a green economy."

The UK's far-reaching energy plan: not perfect, but the only realistic road to decarbonisation

By Jonathan Lane

Some of the key provisions of the UK government's draft energy bill, released in May 2012, have come under sharp criticism. This applies in particular to the new scheme aimed at supporting investment in low-carbon generation (nuclear power and renewable energy), which will give producers government-guaranteed prices for their output. Yet, according to independent energy analyst Jonathan Lane, the government has little choice but to go ahead with its plan if it is to deliver on its decarbonisation agenda. The main problem will be in getting the details right once the bill is passed in the second half of 2012.

German government backtracks on the Energy Transition

By Katharina Mikulcak

The "Energiewende" is still on the political agenda in Berlin, but there is also a firm amount of backtracking going on in the German capital. The Merkel government now stresses that fossil fuels will remain the foundation of German energy supply for many years to come. It has also announced it will produce a new national energy plan in 2013, "with support from all institutions". In the meantime, the energy transformation is entering a chaotic phase.

The Energiewende - Germany's gamble

By David Buchan, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Germany has set itself a huge challenge in trying to move away from fossil fuels and abandon nuclear power, while remaining a major industrial economy. This challenge to create an Energiewende – an energy turnaround or transformation – has ambitious targets.

Free to choose, can German consumers remake their energy sector from below?

By Paul Hockenos

Although Germany's energy sector has been liberalized for over a decade, German consumers have been slow to embrace the opportunities of the free market, certainly compared to countries like the UK and Ireland. The main reason is that they are fearful of being cheated and uncertain about the advantages. Still, the German energy market is changing slowly but surely. New green (and nuclear-free) energy providers are making inroads, the big incumbent suppliers are offering new products and, most surprising of all, the old Stadtwerke are being bought back by municipalities and eagerly competing in the market. The government in Berlin meanwhile has adopted new laws designed to make switching a piece of cake, which could give another boost to the free energy market in Germany. Paul Hockenos reports from Berlin.

Czech solar energy industry faced with retroactive change in support

Alliance for Energy Independence

Czech politicians have created conditions for investing in green technologies that are similar to conditions in other countries in the European Union. Despite this, the Czech Republic has become the only country that has decided to hamper the solar energy industry with a retroactive tax.

Death by a thousand regulations: the new Energy Bill

Malcolm Keay, Oxford Institute of Energy Studies

An earlier Oxford Energy Comment (Electricity Liberalisation in the UK – the end is nigh from February 2009) forecast that the liberalised UK electricity industry was likely to die not with a bang (renationalisation) but with a whimper, suffocated by an increasingly complex network of regulation.

Germany's stalled energy transition: waiting for the master plan

By Paul Hockenos

The Merkel government's "energy revolution" was hailed across the political spectrum in Germany as an inspired step forward. But after a forceful start following the Fukushima disaster, the Energiewende has stalled, partly as a result of internal bickering but also because of the tremendous challenges involved in its implementation. Critics are calling on the government to come up with a master plan that will show how the Energiewende's ambitious targets can be met. "Where we want to be is in black and white. The problem is how to get there", notes one German expert. The world is watching for the next moves from Berlin.

How Germany's powerful renewables advocacy coalition is transforming the German (and European) energy market

By Rick Bosman

German energy policy is increasingly being dominated by a diverse and growing group of renewable energy supporters, who enjoy broad political and public support. These forces have convinced the Merkel government to transform the nuclear and fossil-fueldominated energy system into one based predominantly on renewable energy sources: the "Energiewende". Germany's nuclear sector has been the first victim, but pressure on the coal sector is growing as well. The German renewables advocacy coalition will likely be able to continue to use their clout to tilt the energy playing field in their favour. Their biggest challenge will be to convince neighbouring countries of the merits of the Energiewende.

From Civil War and Braveheart to the Battle of the Pylons

The fight over UK wind power is not over yet

By Chris Cragg

As far as the UK Government is concerned, the battle over onshore wind power is won. Wind farm capacity has been growing rapidly both on and offshore and there is much more to come. Given the incentives offered this is not a surprise. However as more and more turbines begin to dominate the British skyline, local opposition is by no means finished. Indeed it may have just begun, especially as another front is opening up, namely the grid expansion necessary to connect the turbines. A possible "nuclear renaissance" in the UK will only serve to complicate the picture. Chris Cragg reports on the UK's Battle of the Pylons - which has some surprisingly deep historical roots.

"Netherlands needs to step up its efforts on all fronts"

Dutch energy companies show the way to a low-carbon future

By Karel Beckman

It is "technically possible" to achieve a 40% CO2 emission reduction in the Netherlands in 2030 compared to 1990. A "least-cost" approach to realise this would lead to a "total additional cumulative cost to society" of between €20 and €50 billion. This translates into a cost of €100 to €300 per household per year.These are the main conclusions of a study carried out by Energy Forum NL, a group of seven energy companies active in the Netherlands (Dong Energy, EBN, Eneco, Gasterra, Gasunie, GDF Suez and Shell).

The ambitions of Gottfried Steiner, CEO of Austria's Central European Gas Hub

"This will be a heaven for traders"

By Alexander Bakst

Austria's Central European Gas Hub (CEGH), situated at the crossroads of gas routes between East and West, wants to become one of Europe's major trading hubs. In an interview with European Energy Review, CEO Gottfried Steiner reveals CEGH's strategy to expand the hub's spot-market trading, raise its liquidity and diversify the supply lines to the physical hub at Baumgarten that is connected with the CEGH. 'There will be a lot of gas from different sources all coming to Baumgarten. It will be like heaven for traders.'

Denmark, holder of the next EU Presidency, goes for 100% decarbonisation

Danes decline oil, gas, coal and nuclear

By Frede Vestergaard

The newly elected Danish centre-left government has set Denmark on a radical decarbonisation course. It has raised the CO2-reduction target from 20 to 40 per cent by 2020 and wants a complete phasing out of all fossil fuel use by 2050. Denmark, poised to take up the EU Presidency in January, already has the highest energy prices in Europe, but the government believes its new ambitious green policies will be good for the economy: they will stimulate green technology with a big potential for jobs and exports.

Europeanising the German Energy Transition

Severin Fischer, Oliver Geden, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP)

Germany's so-called »Energiewende« (energy transition) of summer 2011 could be the final episode of a long-running political conflict over the use of nuclear energy.

Dutch natural gas strategy: historic perspective and challenges ahead

R. Weijermars and S.M. Luthi

This paper in the Netherlands Journal of Geosciences discusses the history and the future of Dutch natural gas strategy.

French Parliament: blind to the bigger energy picture

By Boris Martor and Raphaël Chétrit

In October, two new bills will be examined in the French Parliament, which, if adopted, will halt any further development of shale gas and oil in France. The bills aim at forbidding the exploitation of shale oil and gas irrespective even of future innovations in exploitation techniques. According to Boris Martor and Raphaël Chétrit, the shale gas debate in France is not based on rationality or science, but on ideology and electoral posturing. The outcome is likely to cost France billions of euros and hurt the EU's security of energy supply.

The Impact of Import Dependency and Wind Generation on UK Gas Demand and Security of Supply to 2025

Oxford Institute of Energy Studies

This paper by Howard Rogers challenges the assumption of UK government policy papers and projections that, as a result of substantial increases in renewable and other low carbon generation capacity, the role of gas in the will decline rapidly over the next decade and beyond. The study suggests that gas will retain a central and undiminished role in the UK power generation sector.

The Spanish Gas Market: Demand Trends Post Recession and Consequences for the Industry

Oxford Institute of Energy Studies

In parallel with a flourishing economy, the natural gas industry in Spain was characterised by rapid consumption growth in the late 1990s and 2000s. Infrastructure and supplies were designed to meet the needs of a gas market growing at double digit rates each year.

Return of the P-word: the Government’s Electricity White Paper

Malcolm Keay, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

The P-word is back – the Government’s latest White Paper on electricity market reform (published on 12 July) is entitled Planning our electric future. For many decades, planning seemed to have been dropped from the electricity policy maker’s tool kit, indeed to have become something of a dirty word, but it has now returned, and apparently without shame.

France's 'green vote' kills shale gas - and targets nuclear power as well

By Yves de Saint Jacob

France became the first country in Europe to explicitly outlaw hydraulic fracturing. The move is symptomatic of a wider change in French public opinion, which is increasingly critical of technologies such as genetically manipulated organisms (GMO's), nanotechnology, and even nuclear power. The 'green vote' has become a firm reality in France, reports our correspondent Yves Saint de Jacob from Paris. With Senatorial elections this year and Presidential and General Elections next year, the energy sector will feel the impact.

The coming UK energy meltdown

By Hugh Sharman

The UK desperately needs a new energy strategy based on a realistic assessment of its assets, its needs and the options available to it. Unfortunately, its freedom for technical and financial manoevre is deeply restricted by its self-imposed Climate Change Act and its commitment to the EU's 20-20-20 targets. Its technically illiterate, if financially canny politicians and civil service do not appear to understand that the world’s financiers are not likely to place the required £200 billion of long-term investment into their vision of a "low carbon" infrastructure while this concept remains so woolly and badly defined. If the UK government continues on this course, it will lead the country toward certain energy failure.

Dutch gas production can be maintained at current level

EBN

The total production of natyural gas in the Netherlands can remain at the current level until at least 2030 if the right measures are taken. This is one of the major conclusions of the annual gas report of EBN (Energie Beheer Nederland), the Dutch government institution that manages the gas reserves of the Netherlands.

UK energy situation: near the tipping point - speech at Economist Energy Summit

Sam Laidlaw, Chief Executive Centrica

(23 June 2011) Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for inviting me to make the keynote address at the Economist energy summit. It’s a very timely event and very topical. It seems that scarcely a day goes by without the issue of the nation’s energy security raising its head, whether it’s the debate about building a new generation of nuclear power stations, or the impact on oil prices of events in the Middle East and North Africa.

Shale gas doesn't make Poland the new Norway yet

Ekke Overbeek

Poland is being hailed as Europe's new Qatar. Located deep beneath its rolling landscape are 5300 billion cubic metres (bcm) of recoverable shale gas, more than enough to meet the country’s needs (currently 14 billion bcm per year) for centuries to come. This has captured the imagination of a country that sees its dependency on Russian gas as a threat to national sovereignty. But Poland already seems to have sold its resources to American oil companies – and they might find it more lucrative to sell into the Russian-controlled pipeline network. As one analyst puts it, ‘Poland is not on course to become a second Norway, more a second kind of Turkmenistan.’ Ekke Overbeek reports from Warsaw.

Vattenfall - multinational on a leash

By Reiner Gatermann

Vattenfall, Sweden's largest, Germany's third-largest and Europe's sixth-largest electricity producer, is not having it easy. Technological failures, poor communications, heavy reliance on fossil fuels and overgenerous bonuses for its top management have tarnished the company's reputation. Its owner, the Swedish government, is sending out conflicting signals. It does not want to forego the large profits it makes from the supply of coal-based energy, yet wants to establish the company as a model of green energy. Meanwhile Vattenfall's ambitious carbon capture and storage activities in Germany are facing strong public resistance. The government is now pondering what to do with its energy champion. One solution being discussed is to split it into a public Swedish division and an international private one. As Norwegian CEO Øystein Løseth is careful to wait for directions from the government, a lot may depend on the new Chairman, Lars Nordström, who was appointed last Friday.

EIA examines alternate scenarios for the future of U.S. energy

Energy Information Administration

The complete version of Annual Energy Outlook 2011 (AEO2011), which includes 57 sensitivity cases that show how different assumptions regarding market, policy, and technology drivers affect the previously released Reference case projections of energy production, consumption, technology, and market trends and the direction they may take in the future.

Will UK competition be sacrificed at the altar of low-carbon power?

By Alex Forbes

Next week is the deadline for consultation on market reforms aimed at decarbonising electricity generation in the UK. The government has yet to publish the responses. But at a recent Ofgem seminar in London it was clear that the spread of views will be wide. Power company EDF Energy supports the proposals because they would create strong incentives for investment in low-carbon energy sources, such as nuclear power and renewables. But investment bank Rothschild fears they would unravel all the work of recent decades to make electricity generation competitive.

Country Analysis Brief on Egypt

Energy Information Administration

The US Energy Information Administration has released an update of its Country report on Egypt. Timing of this publication is coincidental, but the report is no doubt useful at the moment to analysts.

Germany’s coming civil energy war

By Stefan Nicola

Germany’s Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen calls the new German energy strategy a ‘civil revolution’, but he could just as well have described it as the making of a future civil energy war. The extremely ambitious strategy is pitting the coddled renewable energy sector against the neglected gas sector. It requires the building of large new power grids, which are being sharply opposed by the public. And it is setting up Germany’s four major utility companies, which demand an EU-wide renewable energy policy, against the German Environment Ministry, which wants to create renewable energy jobs – in Germany.

The Dutch lose faith in windmills

Karel Beckman and Alexander Haje

The new Dutch right-wing government has announced a radical overhaul of Dutch energy policy. It is cutting subsidies for most forms of renewable energy drastically, and is even putting an end to all subsidies for offshore wind, solar power and largescale biomass. It has also announced a warm welcome for new nuclear power stations – the first time a Dutch government has done so since the Chernobyl-disaster in 1986. However, not all is lost for the renewable energy sector: the cabinet is still brooding on a long-term strategy and a “Green Deal” that might yet put the Netherlands back on a “greener” course.

California's Climate Policy - A Model?

David Buchan, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

California’s energy and climate policies deserve study for three new reasons. First, the impasse on climate legislation at the US federal level leaves climate action largely to individual states, of which California is the biggest. Second, California’s politicians have taken climate policy further than those of any other US state, and won popular backing in the world’s only direct referendum on greenhouse gas reduction in November 2010. Third, in the absence of any new legally-binding agreement in the United Nations climate negotiations, California, which on its own would be the world’s eighth largest economy, is increasingly vaunting itself as a model of how a sub-national entity can take climate action irrespective of its national government’s immobility on climate policy.

Baltic Rim Economies

Pan-European Institute

The Pan-European Institute publishes a bimonthly discussion forum, Baltic Rim Economies (BRE), which focuses on the development of the Baltic Sea Region. In BRE, high-level public and corporate decision makers, representatives of Academia and several other experts contribute to the discussion.

Annual Energy Outlook 2011

Energy Information Administration

The AEO2011 presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2035 based on results from EIA's National Energy Modeling System (NEMS).  The AEO2011 Early Release Overview is the first document released as part of AEO2011.  This release only includes the Reference case.  The full publication, including many additional cases and a complete discussion of the projection results and energy market issues, will be released in March 2011.

Report: creation of "gas hub" good for Dutch economy

Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands

The strategy of the Dutch government to strengthen the position of the Netherlands in the European gas market - to become "the gas roundabout" of North-West Europe - has a positive overall impact on the Dutch economy.

Possibilities of renewable energy generation in Ukraine

Uliana Pysmenna, Galyna Trypolska, Roman Podolets, Oleksandr Diachuk, Viktor Tochylin

In Ukraine, deployment of traditional and renewable energy generation technologies is gradually moving forward. Potential of renewables in Ukraine is significant.

Azerbaijan Country Analysis Brief

Energy Information Administration - 01/12/2010

Azerbaijan is emerging as one of Caspian region’s most important strategic export openings to the West and increasingly becoming an important exporter of oil and natural gas. Oil production in Azerbaijan more than quadrupled between 1997 and 2008 to 875,000 bbl/d and is expected to increase further as new wells come online.

Realigning UK energy policy: does the government have the will?

By Nick White, Murray Hartley and Kirsty Ingham of Arthur D Little

For more than a decade, the UK Government has pursued a series of inconsistent policies in the electricity sector, flip-flopping between conflicting policy objectives that if implemented would likely lead to a high cost, but low quality, electricity system that will not deliver the desired climate change objectives. We question whether the current policies offer good value for money for consumers. Lower cost solutions are possible, which would be easier to implement and produce a better quality outcome while still achieving worthwhile reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The question is whether or not the coalition Government has the political will to change direction: if it can, there is a sizeable prize at stake for UK plc – a lower cost way to achieve the energy policy objectives will free up resources for use in other areas. The first Annual Energy Statement published on 27 July 2010 shows that the Government is willing to grapple with the challenge.

German government unveils ‘road map into the age of renewable energy’

By Stefan Nicola

The German government Monday unveiled a first draft of its energy strategy, a long overdue overhaul for the energy policy of Europe’s largest economy. The plan banks on renewable energy sources, energy efficiency measures and climate protection programs. Yet it will also extend the running times of the country’s 17 nuclear reactors by an average of nearly 12 years, a decision that has at least half the country fuming.

Eastern Europe’s energy challenge: meeting its EU climate commitments

David Buchan - Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

This study of eastern Europe's painful energy adjustment over the past 20 years concludes that the region has, overall, done well in wasting less energy and in cutting CO2 emissions, but stresses that it could do far better. Central and eastern Europe is still a veritable orchard of low-hanging fruit, in terms of potential efficiency improvements and renewable energy increases, for the European Union to grasp.

Baltic Sea region needs cooperation, not nationalism

by Karel Beckman

The countries around the Baltic Sea would do well to integrate their energy policies as much as possible with each other. Only in this way will it be possible for them to integrate large-scale renewable energies, such as offshore wind power, into their energy mix in an economical way.

Energy market assessment

UK Department of Energy and Climate Change

The energy market in Britain has delivered significant benefits for businesses and households over the past 20 years. It is already delivering investment in the new infrastructure necessary to decarbonise and ensure continued security of supply to 2020. But the challenges of the decades ahead are significant and the Government must ensure that the right choices are taken for the long term so that the UK has the clean, secure, affordable electricity supplies it needs to deliver its 2050 climate change objectives.

Bridging Britain’s generation gap – an industry view

by Alex Forbes

After more than a year of intense debate on what Britain should do to address its looming generation gap, the electricity industry is awaiting new proposals from the government. They are due to be published jointly by the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the Treasury on Wednesday – Budget day – in an ‘energy markets assessment’ document. In an exclusive interview, European Energy Review asks Sara Vaughan, director of regulation and energy policy at Eon UK, one of the country’s biggest electricity generators, what kind of policies would be helpful, given the company’s investment strategy – and the country’s needs.

Liberalisation called into question

Britain’s electricity sector headed for a cliff edge

by Alex Forbes

Britain is careening towards a ‘cliff edge’ when it comes to generating enough electricity to meet demand post-2015. That was a major conclusion of a report published last month by regulator Ofgem. It urges rapid action to ensure the looming generation gap is bridged. The British government faces tough choices: it has huge climate ambitions – but cannot let the lights go out. The big question is whether and to what exent the government will intervene in the free electricity market.

Bulgaria – gas consumer or future gas hub?

by Atanas Georgiev

Being situated at one of the important crossroads between East and West, Bulgaria is frequently seen as a country that could help to improve the EU’s overall energy security. However, the country has not done much yet to live up to this expectation. As member of the EU, Bulgaria will have to prove itself as a positive factor for European gas security of supply. Otherwise it will remain just a heavily-dependent gas consumer.

Natural Gas in the UK:

An Industry in Search of a Policy?

John Elkins, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

Natural gas plays a central role in the UK (and the world) energy market in the first decade of the 21st century, but is facing the prospect of a decline in its importance as environmental factors combine to reduce the importance of natural gas and the other carbon-based fuels. This will inevitably result in the future of the gas industry becoming dependent on wider considerations, which can be summed up as ‘environmental energy policy’.

British government must take control of oil and gas sector

by Peter Odell

UK oil and gas production has been steadily declining since 1999. The reason is that the UK government, unlike those of most other countries, has abandoned oil and gas production to the private sector and has failed to create attractive conditions for private companies to invest more. The government should follow the example of Norway and many other countries by setting up a Hydrocarbons Authority which would initiate new private-public partnerships to engage in offshore oil and gas production. This would generate many billions of £s in highly-needed revenues.

UK government must take control of oil and gas production

by Peter Odell

UK oil and gas production has been steadily declining since 1999. The reason is that the UK government, unlike those of most other countries, has abandoned oil and gas production to the private sector and has failed to create attractive conditions for private companies to invest more. The government should follow the example of Norway and many other countries by setting up a Hydrocarbons Authority which would initiate new private-public partnerships to engage in offshore oil and gas production. This would generate many billions of £s in highly-needed revenues.

The Role of Natural Gas in the Dutch Energy Transition:

Towards low-carbon electricity supply

Floris van Foreest, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

The issue of climate change and its consequences is increasingly acknowledged on a global level and the idea of moving towards a low-carbon economy is increasingly becoming conventional wisdom. However, the actual implementation of emission reduction measures is a complicated process that is subject to many uncertainties and conflicting political and economic interests. Meanwhile, global CO2 emissions further increased in 2008. According to the IPCC, without serious measures, CO2 emissions will increase by 60% in the coming 25 years, which could lead to a global temperature rise of 2-4°C.

“Electric” Turkey poised to enter Europe

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Whether it ends up joining the EU or not, Turkey will soon join the European electricity network – and market. Already next year a full integration of the Turkish network within the European continental electrical network ENTSO-E (formerly UCTE) will take place, leading to new opportunities for international energy companies. 

Vattenfall’s crisis of confidence

by Reiner Gatermann

The Swedes are not really sure whether they should embrace “their” national champion Vattenfall for the dividends it generates, or whether they should despise it for its “dirty” electricity production, particularly in Germany. The company itself does not help matters, having made a complete failure of its communications. And as for the Swedish government, it seems to have no idea in which direction it should steer its treasured enterprise.

The lights are back on in Albania

by Anke Truijen

After years of major power shortages, the Albanian energy sector is finally getting back on its feet, thanks to new government policies and privatisations. Environmental groups, however, are critical of the lack of transparency surrounding all the new investments.

A new nuclear deal – at a price

By Stefan Nicola

The new German government will give nuclear power a second chance. That may seem like a good deal for the big German energy companies, Eon, RWE, ENBW and Vattenfall. But they don’t get it all their own way. Berlin has vowed to increase energy competition and to create an independent grid operator, measures which will undermine the dominant position of the “Big Four”.

View from Moscow

by Jeroen Ketting

Russia's green Olympics

View from Paris

by Yves de Saint Jacob

Carbon complexities

Interview Pippo Ranci

by James Osborne

‘An Italian gas hub will reduce Eni’s market power’

The start of the LNG terminal at Rovigo could be a turning point in the development of a competitive Italian gas market, says Professor Pippo Ranci, Italy’s former energy regulator. But there are still many regulatory and political hurdles to take. ‘Anyone who wants to pursue the true advantages of size should encourage the removal of barriers and strong antitrust regulation.’

New LNG-terminal shakes up Italian market

by James Osborne

It has taken more than 10 years, but Italy’s first liquefied natural gas terminal since the 1970s signals big changes for Europe’s No. 3 gas market. Many more plants are planned and may help reduce European reliance on Russian and Algerian imports.

View from Berlin

by Stefan Nicola

Volkwagen's visionaries

From powerhouse to poorhouse

by Anke Truijen

As the crisis bites, Romanians seem to have forgotten the heavy labour and unhealthy living conditions that characterised working life under the communist regime. The last two decades have seen little progress in the country’s major industrial centres and inhabitants doubt the good times will ever return.

‘Our energy companies need the support of their government’

by Karel Beckman

Interview Maria van der Hoeven
The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs Maria van der Hoeven (1949) has a dream: to make the Netherlands the great gas hub of North Western Europe. She travels around the world, visiting exporting countries, to make that dream come true. ‘I want them to be aware that we have a great infrastructure that they can use to market their gas.’

The Obama Energy Plan: a reality check

by Herman Franssen

The US needs to move in the direction President Obama’s new Energy Plan calls for. At the same time, we need to be more realistic about costs and lead times and take a more balanced approach towards domestic oil and natural gas, or the plan will fail as all the previous presidential energy plans have.

Gazprom develops biggest gas storage in Europe

by Stefan Nicola

Gazprom aims to build one or two new gas storage sites in eastern Germany. The Russian gas monopolist argues the sites, which could hold gas delivered by the Nord Stream pipeline, would benefit European energy security. Of course they are also intended to make money.

Dutch go from swing production to storage

by Rik Komduur

Demand for gas storage capacity in the Netherlands will increase over the next few years. This is because 60% of the huge Groningen fi eld, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, has been depleted. Around the year 2020 Groningen will no longer be able to fulfi l its role as a “swing producer”. New gas storage capacity is required to fi ll this gap.

US energy regulators in a green state of mind

Deloitte Centre for Energy Solutions

A majority of energy regulators agree that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will increase the costs of electricity, but that the public is willing to pay as much as 5 percent more for green energy, according to a survey from the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions. The survey, which was completed by 60 state regulators in March and April 2009, found that 70 percent of surveyed regulators believe that the cost of electricity is likely to increase next year ¯ with 50 percent identifying environmental compliance as the strongest contributing factor to these increased electricity costs.

German gas system proves highly resilient

by Stefan Schroeter

German gas providers coped remarkably well with the supply disruption in January. They even managed to supply extra gas to hard-hit customers in Eastern Europe. Even so the companies are expanding their storage capabilities and looking for alternative supply routes.

Bulgaria attempts to break Russian hold

by Anke Truijen

Bulgaria has been striving to distance itself from energy giant Russia since the Ukraine gas crisis and has turned to Brussels for alternative gas routes and financial support. However, Bulgarian and Russian energy interests are inextricably mixed. Meanwhile, Bulgaria’s citizens are demanding more transparency.

Belgian biofuels in the doldrums

by Remco de Jong

Belgian biofuel manufacturers have invested half a billion euros in installations for the production of biodiesel and bioethanol in the last few years. But the brand new machines mostly stand idle. The market is not getting off the ground, as there is no legal obligation for oil companies to mix in biofuels with standard fuels.

Netherlands steps on the brakes

by Monique Smits

The Dutch government is less than enthusiastic about biofuels. It has set low domestic targets, putting a damper on investments. The only bright spot is the port of Rotterdam, which is aiming to become the “Bio-port” of Europe.

Italy looks for new balance

by James Osborne

The lack of a national strategy hampers investment in Italy’s renewable energy industry. Yet at the local level some remarkable bio-energy initiatives are taking place. And with an association of half a million farmers beginning to look at “agro-energy”, anything may happen.

China slowly cleaning up its act

by Bert van Dijk

China’s coal-driven economy has become the largest emitter of CO2 in the world. This is not about to change any time soon, though high prices, blackouts, mine-accidents and pollution all contribute to a drive towards cleaner alternatives, including cleaner coal technologies.

Sunny Nice, capital of French contradictions

by Yves de Saint Jacob

France, which used to be a pioneer in solar technology, produces only a fraction of the solar output of market leader Germany. But new, attractive feed-in tariffs are changing the solar landscape drastically.

Belgian solar sector may overheat

by Remco de Jong

Thanks to generous subsidies, the development of solar power has taken off in Belgium. Many players even fear that ‘oversubsidising’ could lead to the market overheating. ‘It's really only about money. We never hear ecological arguments.’

The sun is shining on PV in Saxony

by Stefan Schroeter

More and more solar technology companies are establishing themselves in the eastern German state of Saxony. The conditions in the state provide a solid basis for strong growth and the further development of their technologies.

Italian sunshine and subsides lure investors

by James Osborne

With generous incentives and the prospect of generation costs soon falling in line with market prices, foreign companies are taking position in Italy’s solar market. But success may hinge on finding the right local partner to negotiate Italy's legendary bureaucracy.

Ruhr Area sticks to black power

by Gert van Wijland

Despite heavy opposition from environmentalists and scientists, brown coal continues to be the backbone of Germany’s energy supply. This will not change for some time to come, says German energy group RWE. ‘Environmental obstacles are surmountable.’

A green renewal in Brandenburg

by Stefan Nicola

Brandenburg, once East Germany’s coal mining centre, is transforming itself into a
renewable energy hub. Wind, biomass and solar energy companies and an “energy forest” are behind the state’s economic comeback. A success story – although there is also a surprising amount of public opposition to some of the green schemes.

They can do it - but it won't be easy

by Chris Cragg

Barack Obama has assembled a powerful policy team in the area of energy and the environment. Two complementary policies appear to be emerging. The first is to reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil imports. The second is to significantly reduce the country’s carbon footprint. Yet the new administration will face tremendous hurdles, such as the sorry state of the electricity grid.

Obama's new Green Deal

by Stefan Nicola

Barack Obama is expected to turn around America’s energy policy by boosting renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, and by vigorously rejoining global efforts to curb climate change. This opens up new possibilities for cooperation between the US and Europe. It also means that Europe will have to step up pushing green innovation in order not to lose its leadership.

Climate policy and energy security: Two sides of the same coin?

Peter R. Hartley,Kenneth B. Medlock III, James A. Baker III Institute for public policy

“We must treat energy security and climate security as two sides of the same coin”, this was said by Tony Blair on the 20th of november 2006, when he visisted the United States. The claim that policies may be able to address climate change and energy security at the same time is plausible. On one side of the coin, climate policy is aimed at limiting or reducing human impacts on climate. On the other side of the coin, energy security is often identified with the goal of reducing macroeconomic vulnerability to disruptions in energy supplies and accompanying price increases.

Factors underpinning future action – country fact sheets

Niklas Höhne, Sara Moltmann, Markus Hagemann, Tana Angelini, Ann Gardiner, Reemt Heuke, Ecofys

This report is the 2008 version of the country fact sheets that were first provided in the report “Factors underpinning future action” in October 2006 (Höhne et al. 2006b) and updated August 2007 (Höhne et al. 2007). The objective of the fact sheets is to provide an analytical basis to underpin discussions on future commitments to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the end of the first Kyoto Protocol commitment period (i.e. post-2012).

Bosnia – divided powerhouse

by Anke Truijen

With its untapped coal reserves and landscape of mountains and rivers suited to generating hydropower, Bosnia Herzegovina could become a powerhouse for the region. But the absence of a national energy policy and the ongoing political divisions within the country still look to be an insurmountable hurdle.

Netherlands - CO2 capital?

by Rik Komduur

The Netherlands hopes to neutralise additional coal power plants with an ambitious programme for carbon capture and storage. The Dutch even see an opportunity to become the CO2 traders of Europe.

UK government put on spot

by Chris Cragg

British electricity producers want to replace old coal-fired power stations with new, more efficient ones. Environmental activists want to have none of it. The government is deeply divided.

A small revival in France

by Yves de Saint Jacob

With nearly 80% of its electricity generated by nuclear power, France has little need for coal, at least as far its own national energy needs are concerned. But that hasn’t stopped plans for new coal-fired power plants.

Spanish coal on way out?

by Steven Adolf

Coal rapidly seems to be losing ground as an energy source for Spain’s electricity supply. The government favours gas-fired power stations.

Turkey wants to have it all

by Marc Guillet

Turkey is planning at least 8 and maybe even 40 new coal-fired power stations. The government encourages any kind of new power production, whether it is from coal, nuclear or renewables.

Danish coal trumps wind

by Reiner Gatermann

Hardly anything irritates the Danes more than to be told that they deliver “dirty power” and export it as well. But the fact remains, the Scandinavians continue to be dependent on coal and will remain so for a long time to come.

Belgium set to diversify

by Remco de Jong

In Belgium, at least one new large coal-fired power plant is being planned. Environmental organisations are opposed, but the government and the general public are not yet showing much concern.

Italy discovers carboni

by Maarten Veeger

Italy relies heavily on oil and gas for its electricity generation. But recently coal has entered the picture. ‘It is wise and vital for Italy.’

Revolt against black power

by Stefan Nicola

Germany is experiencing a coal renaissance. Partly thanks to the anticipated nuclear phase out, dozens of coal-fired power plants are in the planning phase or under construction. But there is fierce public opposition.

Zambia's tale of blackouts and brownouts

by Rudolf ten Hoedt

Zambia’s electricity sector is in serious disarray. Monumental mismanagement and political interference have prevented the entrance of private western investors. Now China and India are stepping in. They may keep the patient alive, but might not make him better.

Interview Narsi Ghorban: 'If I were Turkey, I would sign an energy deal with Iran today'

by Marc Guillet

While the EU and the US are pushing for more sanctions against Iran, Turkey is improving its political and economic cooperation with Iran, especially in the energy sector. The two countries are on the verge of signing a major energy deal.

Sweden - simply the best?

by Reiner Gatermann

Sweden is often held up as a model when it comes to renewable energy. The country will have no problem meeting its Kyoto targets. But underneath this green shine plenty of problems lurk. Prices are high, the future of nuclear is uncertain, gas imports are held up, the transport infrastructure is obsolete, and wind power almost nonexistent.

The developing Greek natural gas market

by Ioannis Michaletos

The investement of sufficient capital could transform Greece from an avid consumer of lignite and oil to a faithful user of natural gas - a dramatic change in its energy history.

Interview Dominique Maillard (RTE): 'No technical obstacles for Mediterranean ring'

by Yves de Saint Jacob

The French electricity transmission system operator RTE (Réseau de Transport d’électricité) would like to see the European grid connected to the countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Thus a ‘mediterranean ring’ would be created which would be ‘hooked up’ to the EU. Dominique Maillard, chairman of the Executive Board of RTE, former chairman of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency, explains the idea behind the ring.

Slow shake-up in the French energy market

by Yves de Saint Jacob

The emergence of the combined group GDF-Suez means that EDF, the traditional supplier, will be faced with a direct competitor for the first time. And with the new EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) nuclear plant open for tender, the established order is facing a shake-up.

America out of oil: portrait of an oil-addicted superpower

by Michael Klare

The modern American empire was built on cheap oil. Now, in an era of oil-scarcity, the US’s oil addiction is undermining its position as the world’s superpower.

Blackouts roll over South Africa

by Hans Verwijs

South Africa will struggle with energy capacity shortages until at least 2015. Giant coal-fired power plants are now being built to solve the problem – but they won’t help with the problem of climate change.

Spain: the quest for a national champion

by Steven Adolf

The Spanish government is trying to improve Spain’s vulnerable position in relation to energy by creating a national champion. Whether it will succeed in doing so is far from certain.

Interview Selahattin Hakman, president Sabanci Holding, Turkey: ‘We need foreign companies to invest in our energy sector’

by Marc Guillet

Turkey’s primary energy consumption is expanding fast. To meet this growing demand, investments in the production of energy are needed of $130 billion till 2020. This will give many Turkish and foreign companies a chance to have a share of this market, says engineer Selahattin Hakman, President of the Energy Group of the Turkish Sabanci Holding.

Belgium fights off French stranglehold

by Remco de Jong

The merger between French energy producers Suez and Gaz de France has been received with criticism in Belgium, where subsidiaries of the two companies control the power and gas markets. But countermeasures are being taken.

Shrinking cities: the challenge of declining populations

by Stefan Schroeter

Utilities are used to dealing with growing cities. When population levels fall, they are faced with a whole new set of problems. ‘The easiest solution is to tear down entire areas.’ Lessons from Germany.

Wind energy takes off in Greece

by Ioannis Michaletos

The Greek government has pledged a great expansion of wind power. Investors are lining up. Greece is ideally located to make use of wind for the production of energy.

Kosovo’s tarnished gold

by Anke Truijen

Newly independent Kosovo is rich in natural resources - brown coal most of all. But the mines are old, the equipment broken, and the lights keep going out. ‘We have to start from scratch’, says the electricity company. A report.

France and renewables: a not so passionate love-affair

by Yves de Saint Jacob

While big business has embraced renewables in France, president Sarkozy, who will take over the EU presidency in June, has made it clear he is no great fan of windmills. Nor is the French public. But Sarkozy will remain loyal to the EU’s climate policy.

Sarkozy goes for 'non-carbon balance'

by Hughes Belin, Yves de Saint Jacob

In June, France and her energetic leader Nicolas Sarkozy will take over the presidency of the European Union. Energy issues – focusing in particular on the climate and security of supply – will be among the most important concerns of the French government.

Baltic states torn between two lovers

by Hughes Belin

The Baltic states want to join the EU electricity market. They are building interconnections with the west, but old ties with Russia may prove stronger.

Greece turns to stone coal

by Ioannis Michaletos

Over the past few months, the construction of five new anthracite-fueled power plants has been announced in Greece. Total capacity is projected at 4,820 MW, equivalent to more than 30% of current installed power on mainland Greece. Environmentalists are up in arms, but analysts doubt whether all plants will be built.

Turkey goes nuclear

by Marc Guillet

The Turkish parliament has passed a bill approving the building the country’s first nuclear power plants. ‘Nuclear energy is Turkey’s top priority,’ said Turkey’s minister of Energy and Natural Resources Hilmi Güler. Turkey needs $100 billion of investment in the electricity generation industry, he added. The minister predicts that 2008 will be ‘the busiest year in Turkey’s entire energy industry’.

Croatia explores renewable energy

by Anke Truijen

Since a few months the Croatian electricity market has been opened up to private producers. With the prospect of EU membership, abundant natural energy sources and the restructuring of the national energy market that is taking place, investing in renewables in Croatia looks to be an increasingly interesting option. But what are the real possibilities for private investors, and what problems might they face?

Solar frenzy in Greece

by Ioannis Michaletos

Greece has embarked on an ambitious project of exploring its immense solarenergy potential. Investors have applied en masse to take advantage of the many opportunities provided by a new energy law. However, the state apparatus is unable to keep pace with the private initiatives.

The Netherlands wavers between protection and market

by Sjak Lomme

The modern European gas market has its origins in the discovery of the enormous Groningen field in the Netherlands in 1959. The Dutch market structure set up in the 1960s, characterized by close public-private cooperation, a linkage between the gas and oil price, and the creation of a fine-meshed infrastructure, served as an example for Europe. Now that the market is being liberalized, the Netherlands struggles with its inheritance. The ambition of becoming a European gas hub clashes with old structures.

Germany as pioneer of climate protection: the dream and the reality

by Claudia Kemfert

The German government never misses an opportunity to highlight the importance of climate protection in international fora. It has also set itself highly ambitious climate targets. But Germany today would not have been able to meet the Kyoto targets if it had not been for the German reunification. And it will not be able to realize its targets, unless it manages to create a coherent and integrated climate and energy policy.

Albania: Facing a dark winter

by Anke Truijen

As the Albanian economy is slowly picking up, the country’s power shortages turn into a national crisis.

Dutch energy sector preparing for massive sell-off

by Karel Beckman

Unlike France, the Netherlands is heading for a sell-off of its energy utilities. An attempted merger between the country’s two biggest energy companies Essent and Nuon foundered in September because the parties could not agree on the balance of power. Expectations are that major European players such as Eon, RWE and EDF will now attempt Dutch acquisitions. The Dutch parliament has approved legislation enabling the split-up of energy production and distribution activities.

German energy policy: Zigzag course

by Stefan Nicola

Germany, Europe’s largest economy, may have the least coherent energy policy in the EU. ‘If there is a crisis, Germany is at the bottom of the list’.

The remarkable birth of a national champion - Jean-Marie Chevalier on the GDF-Suez merger

By Yves de Saint Jacob, European Energy Review, November - December 2007

With the ink barely dry on the merger between GDF and Suez, creating the world’s fourth largest gas and electricity supplier, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has set the wheels in motion for the restructuring of the nuclear power industry, based around Areva and with the same aim – to give France a world-class player in a sector undergoing something of a renaissance.