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Energy Policy Objectives in Belgium
- to phase-out the nuclear energy (between 2015 and 2025) - to reorganize the electricity and gas markets (in Flanders, electricity and gas markets are fully liberalized since July 2003) - to implement the Federal Plan for Sustainable Development, in the context of the "Law concerning the coordination of the federal policy on sustainable development" (May 5, 1997), a new version of the plan for 2004-2008 has been elaborated. - to implement the National Climate Plan 2002-2012, signed in 2002, by both the federal and regional governments responsible for environment, energy and transport, measures to be taken at either the federal or the regional levels. FLANDERS: - to encourage the efficient use of energy (to reduce the consumption of energy in the residential sector and to increase energy efficiency in industry and the service sector) - to provide the greatest energy services at adequate prices for all social groups, through regulation of electricity and gas markets - to augment energy production through the use of renewable energy WALLONIA: Walloon Plan for Sustainable Mastery of Energy (2003) - to reduce the final consumption by 6% by 2010 - to modify behavior through increased public consciousness of energy matters - to develop the renewable energy sector - to regulate electricity and gas markets, to discuss and evaluate policies - to encourage the efficient use of energy in buildings, industry and services - Decree of 1 March 2012 (Wallonia). The objective of the Walloon Government is to achieve 20% of renewable energy by 2020 and 100% by 2050. The Walloon government will require energy suppliers an higher annual percentage of green certificates. Currently it is 15.75% and gradually it will reach 30.4% in 2016 and 37.9% in 2020, an annual increase of 3.65%. BRUSSELS-CAPITAL: - to increase public awareness of the efficient use of energy - to establish a support system for renewable and other energy projects - to offer finance education and other support to the tertiary sector (as well as public authorities) - to develop administrative tools for building developers on the energy performance on buildings Source: Energy Market Price – Belgium Energy Statistics Report
read more... 13/06/2013
Siemens proposes to Germany a new energy transition concept
Germany could save over €150bn by 2030, reducing in such a way the cost of its transition to renewable energy from nuclear power, according to a new study released by Siemens, Europe’s biggest engineering company.
read more... 10/06/2013
Germany breaks a new solar power record
Germany set a new solar record on Friday and Saturday, when solar energy plants produced a world record of 22 GW of electricity per hour, being equivalent to the power supplied by 20 nuclear stations at full capacity.
read more... 05/06/2013
Sweden prefers renewables to nuclear
Recently Sweden's energy minister, Anna-Karin Hatt, has announced that the government will not subsidize new nuclear power plants, favoring renewable investments. Electricity production in Sweden is dominated by nuclear power and renewables, which currently make about equal contributions to energy production- about 40%.
read more... 30/05/2013
The future of nuclear in UK: To be or not to be?
Currently the UK has 16 reactors generating on average about 19% of its electricity and all but one of these will be retired by 2023. The exception is Sizewell B, the UK’s only pressurized water reactor (PWR), which began operations in 1995. The country has a number of reactors which are currently reaching the end of their working life, and it is now unclear how they will be replaced.
read more... 29/05/2013