Latest news
Daily: British prompt gas prices firm as Belgium halt tightens supply
Brent futures traded near $111 a barrel on Tuesday as supply concerns intensified again, with investors assessing the milestone deal between Iran and world powers would not result in an immediate increase in shipments from the OPEC member.
read more... 27/11/2013
The real cost of renewables versus nuclear and fossil energy
Last Friday, 10 CEO’s of large nuclear and fossil energy producers held a press conference in Brussels, asking European governments to stop subsidising renewable energy. Remarkably, Gerard Mestrallet CEO for GDF-Suez, was one of them. Strange, because in Belgium GDF-Suez is the largest beneficiary of renewable energy subsidies. Zero Emission Solutions, a study and consultancy agency for renewable energy, draws the attention to these CEO’s that today – at least in Belgium - nuclear and fossil energy production benefits from more governmental aid than renewable energy:
read more... 15/10/2013
ENEL to sell its Marcinelle power plant in Belgium to Gazprom
Italy's Enel SpA has decided to sell its Marcinelle power plant in Belgium to Russia's OAO Gazprom, for 227 million euro on a cash and debt free basis, as the biggest Russian company intends to enhance its presence in Europe's power production sector where it supplies 25% of gas requirements.
read more... 24/06/2013
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
UK was 6 six hours distance from finishing its gas supplies in March
At the end of March this year the reserves of natural gas detained in storage were at one of their lowest level, due to an unusually cold winter and intensified problems at a processing plant in Norway with flows of gas supplies to Britain via the Langeled pipeline which fell significantly, along with other supplies from Belgium, being just six hours away from finishing its gas supplies.
read more... 27/05/2013