IN BRI EF NEW S UK
A cross-government action plan on cli- mate change backed by the UK Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, which sets strict actions and deadlines for Whitehall, was launched last month. The new Carbon Plan sets out what has to happen and by when if the government is to live up to its green ambitions, meet tough domestic carbon targets and encourage greater action internationally. It is focused on the jobs and economic opportunities of the low carbon economy and on policies that will help insulate the UK from future energy price shocks.
EUROPE
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has extended a ban on drilling for nat- uralgas and oilin shale rock untiltwo reports on the environmentaland eco- nomic effects of their exploration have been published in June. Explorers were preparing or had started to drill on permits awarded by the government in the Paris basin area around the cap- ital, as well as in the country’s south. Environmentalgroups claim that the drilling technique used may contami- nate local water supplies.
AFRICA
Nigeria’s parliament has pushed back a debate on reforms to the country’s energy industry – making it unlikely that the legislation will be passed before this month’s elections, it has been reported. The government hopes that the Petroleum Industry Bill will re- write Nigeria’s relationships with its foreign oilpartners and tackle issues including funding shortfalls at its joint ventures, insecurity in the Niger Delta, increasing local involvement in the industry and the production of more gas for domestic power.
government Latest developments from the EU
The European Commission (EC) has unveiled the cost of its ambitious plan for cut- ting European Union (EU) greenhouse gas emissions by 80–95% of 1990 levels by 2050, reports Keith Nuthall. Brussels says that an additional targeted annual invest- ment over the next 40 years is needed – equalling 1.5% of the EU’s GDP – or€270bn. It argues that ‘much or all of this extra investment will be recovered through lower import bills for oil and gas… estimated at €175–€320bn/y.’ It would also ease EU balance of payments problems, given the majority of oil and gas is imported. This low carbon investment would promote clean technologies, infrastructure (such as smart electricity grids) and environmental protection, said the EC, which added that the plan required a 25% emissions cut by 2020, above the current 20% target. Officials are now drafting a detailed policy plan. Meanwhile, the EC has released just such a document on energy efficiency, flagging
legislative proposals designed to reduce energy usage across the EU. This includes pro- posals that allmember states establish national energy saving obligation schemes. These could require utilities to deliver a fixed amount of energy savings by implementing energy efficiency improvements among their customers or in energy generation or transport. The systemsmight also allowutilities to buy energy savings fromthird parties such as energy service companies. For large companies, the EC will propose making regular energy audits mandatory. See
http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/ action_plan/doc/20110308_efficiency_plan_act_en.pdf In other oil and gas industry news:
The EU has revealed how its sanctions against Libya have targeted the Libyan gov- ernment’s oil and gas interests. Brussels has named the Libyan Investment Authority (also called the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company), whose assets have been frozen, as the foreign organisation investing Libyan oil revenues ‘under control of Muammar Gaddafi and his family’.
EC officials are drafting legislation which would ask large oil companies to reveal details of payments to governments on a country-by-country basis, mirroring the ‘Dodd-Frank’ Bill in the US. It aims to restrict the use of oil revenues to fuel conflict in developing countries.
The European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers have agreed carbon dioxide
(CO2) emissions limits for vans sold in the EU. The agreed targets are 175g CO2/km for the average emissions of 70% of a manufacturer’s fleet by 2014; the average for all its
vehicles by 2017; and then an average 147g CO2/km limit to be achieved by 2020, (although that could be amended later if there are technical problems).
Technical cooperation between two southern European gas pipeline projects will result from a memorandum of understanding between Croatian natural gas transmission operator Plinacro and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline consortium, building a gas pipeline between Greece, Albania and Italy. Plinacro is supporting the planned Ionian Adriatic Gas Pipeline, which will link Albania with Croatia.
The EU and Russia have signed agreements on an EU-Russia EarlyWarning Mechanism regarding potential obstacles to energy delivery – a joint statement creating an EU- Russia Joint Gas Advisory Group and a Joint Statement on Information Exchange on energy matters within the EU-Russia Dialogue.
State subsidies of DK15mn (approximately €2mn) for testing electric cars in Denmark have been approved by the EC. Denmark is a pioneer in rolling out electric car infra-
structure.
The EC has allowed the Russian government to stage an April promotion in Brussels of its South Stream gas pipeline, a competitor to the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline, which has been suffering from delays in concluding contracts.
The European Space Agency is funding a research project that will examine how an alloy used in rocket fuel tanks – made from titanium, aluminium and vanadium – can be used to make floats to measure the amount of corrosive liquids in oil rig tanks.
EI technical event
Process safety for power industries One-day conference 8 June, One Great George Street, London
PETROLEUMREVIEW APRIL 2011 In partnership with
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