Germany prohibits oil companies from using previous emission credits to support the biofuel industry
German cabinet approved Wednesday reforms that will prevent oil companies from transferring excess credits for emissions reductions. This is a move to boost the biofuels industry, which has been hit hard by the rapid drop in carbon prices over recent years. According to the current law…
Canada proposes a sharp reduction in emissions from the oil and gas industry by 2030
On Monday, the Canadian government released draft regulations which would cap greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and natural gas sector. Producers will be required to reduce emissions by 35% from 2019 levels and 2030. In a press release, the Environment Ministry said…
Canada wants the energy sector to reduce emissions up to 35% from 2019 levels
The Canadian government released on Monday a draft regulation that would limit emissions of greenhouse gasses from the oil and natural gas sector to 35% below 2019 levels. This is a little less than originally anticipated. In a press release, the Environment Ministry said…
Fire at Oil India Well Extinguished after Nearly Six Months
State-run explorer Oil India Ltd said on Monday a deadly fire at its well in eastern India that that started raging nearly six months ago has been "doused completely.""There is no pressure in the well now and the same will be observed for 24 hrs to check," Oil India said…
Attempted Oil Theft Leads to Spill
At least 60,000 liters (377 barrels) of oil spilled into Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay and a nearby river over the weekend after an attempted robbery on a pipeline, Petroleo Brasileiro SA's Transpetro unit said, highlighting the dangers of Brazil's thriving trade in stolen oil."It was a leak of significant proportions…
Croatia Acts to Cut Red Tape for FSRU Terminal Project
The Croatian government proposed a special law on Thursday to facilitate the construction of an EU-backed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the northern Adriatic.The floating terminal is expected to start operations in 2020.The European Union wants the facility to…
France to Decide on Offshore Wind in Coming Days
The French government will decide on the future of its planned offshore wind parks in the coming days, renewable energy lobby SER said in a statement. Last month, the French senate rejected a government proposal to renegotiate and possibly cancel projects to generate a combined 3…
Poland Balks at EU Carbon Market Reform
Poland is challenging draft carbon market reforms agreed by most European Union governments this week, saying the deal is not-binding because it did not have the full backing of the bloc's 28 nations, the country's environment ministry said on Thursday. Poland does not…
Husky Energy Rushes to Clean up Canada Oil Spill
Crews rushed to clean up on Friday an oil leak by Husky Energy into a major Canadian river, as officials focused on concerns about contaminating drinking water of communities downstream. The company said late on Thursday it shut and isolated a pipeline on its Saskatchewan Gathering System…
Beijing to shut 2,500 firms to fight pollution
Beijing will close 2,500 small polluting firms this year in its latest effort to combat pollution, state news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday, citing the municipal government. Pollution is a sensitive topic in China, with thousands of protests sparked every year by concerns about environmental degradation…
Fuelling Growth With Coal, India Champions Poor in Paris
India's hardline position in global climate talks has made it a potential villain for Western nations as it warns that its greenhouse emissions, mostly from burning dirty coal, may keep rising past the middle of the century. Its little-known team came to Paris with a mission to force rich nations to lead the way in curbing emissions.
France Awards 800 MW of Solar Contracts in Tender
The French government has awarded 800 megawatts (MW) worth of solar contracts to 212 bidders which will lead to a combined investment of nearly one billion euros, the energy and environment ministry said in a statement on Friday. The contracts are for installations with…
Turkey Blocks Construction of Power Plant
Turkey has blocked construction of a 660 megawatt electric power plant in the Black Sea province of Samsun for environmental reasons, two sources with information on the matter said on Tuesday. Mining and energy ompany TIM Avrasya's project will receive a negative environmental impact assessment report…
France to Launch Offshore Wind Tender
France plans pioneer floating offshore wind pilot; tender announcement due in coming days, says trade group. The French government plans to launch a pioneering tender for several pilot floating offshore wind farms this month, a French wind industry trade group said on Tuesday.
Japan Ending Coal-Fired Power Plant Construction
Japan plans to stop power firms building coal-fuelled plants that are inefficient and dirty as it manages the competing demands of cutting greenhouse gas emissions while stepping up use of the fuel after the Fukushima disaster, officials said. The government has come under…
German Govt Clashes with Bavaria Over Nuclear Storage Site Plan
The German government presented a plan on Friday for four interim storage sites to host nuclear waste now piled up at plants in France and Britain, but the move drew criticism from Bavaria, which wants none of the material. After Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011…
Bulgaria Fines Lukoil's Refinery Over Petrol Spill
Bulgaria's environment ministry said on Thursday it had fined LUKOIL's Neftochim Burgas refinery 100,000 levs ($58,282) after a petrol spill into a lake near the Black Sea city of Burgas. "The sanction is for pollution and violation of the company's licence," Environment minister Ivelina Vasileva said in a statement.
Shell-led LNG Project Gets Environmental Nod in Canada
Canada's environment ministry said on Wednesday it has approved a Royal Dutch Shell-led liquefied natural gas export terminal proposed for British Columbia's Pacific Coast, contingent on the project meeting 50 conditions on monitoring its impact. In her decision, federal…
Safety Issues Delay Fuel Loading at Chinese Reactor
China will not load fuel at two EPR nuclear reactors designed by France's Areva until recent safety issues have been fully resolved, the environment ministry said, its first response to faults detected at a similar reactor in France. Parts of the Taishan 1 and 2 nuclear…
German CO2 Emissions Drop in 2014
Emissions in 2014 down 4.3 pct year on year. Fall due to mild winter, expansion of renewables. Germany's greenhouse gas emissions fell for the first time in three years in 2014, helped by a mild winter and the expansion of renewable sources of energy, the environment ministry said on Tuesday.
