Latest posts
Decarbonization and Cost Reduction: Lost in Transmissions?
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A quick overview of European energy policy over the past 15 years shows that rationales for interconnections have evolved as new concerns have reinforced their importance. Originally they were seen as an instrumental part of the liberalization proces...
Offshore grids: standalone lines versus combined solutions
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Grids are already developing offshore, and this development will continue even though at what pace and how they will develop is still uncertain. Indeed, there are different possible configurations for a future offshore grid: it can be a simple multip...
Durban: The End of the Annex I/Non-Annex I Distinction
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One outcome of the recent Durban climate negotiations is a non-binding agreement to reach an agreement by 2015 that will bring all countries under the same legal regime by 2020. This “Durban Platform for Enhanced Action” – has opened an importa...
Is the nuclear phase-out a financially viable option for France?
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Could Fukushima put an end to the French exception? Everybody in France is now talking about, and arguing for or against, a prospective nuclear phase-out. Political Candidates running for the next presidency defend their affirmative or negative posit...
The effects of Fukushima on the construction of new nuclear power plants
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s forecasts can be used as a pre-fukushima baseline scenario. They use the year 2035 as their terminal year. This is unfortunate and potentially misleading. Many existing nuclear plants (essentially al...
Planning new transmission lines in EU and US: a tragedy of the anticommons ?
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Huge investments in new transmission power lines are required on both sides of the Atlantic in the next two decades. Financial, technological and regulatory uncertainties jeopardise their timely implementation. The European Commission (EC) and the Fe...
Why Did The Lights Go Out In South Korea?
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South Korea’s rapid ascent to join the ranks of the developed economies of the world has been nothing short of miraculous. With a per capita GDP of $31,750, its citizens make more than the average European, based on purchasing power parity (PPP), a...
Nuclear reactors in highly populated areas and high seismic hazards zones
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Immediately following the earthquake and tsunami residents within 20 kilometers (km) (12. 4 miles) of Fukushima Dai-ichi were evacuated and those between 20 and 30 km (12.4 to 18.6 miles) were advised to remain in their homes as shelter or voluntaril...
Are Renewables Worth The Subsidies?
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There is little disagreement that, with a few exceptions, renewable energy technologies tend to be more expensive than conventional options, especially considering their intermittent and unpredictable nature, which often requires backup generation or...
Europe’s Green Energy Chaos
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The European Union is wracked by sovereign debt, budget deficits, monetary weakness, slow economic growth, trade deficits with the Emerging economies, an ageing population, and mass unemployment – but it has the supposedly proud role of world l...
Winds Of Change Blowing From China, Where Else?
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China may not be where cutting edge research takes place or innovative technologies emerge, and Chinese manufacturers are not usually the first to develop and market new products. But once they identify a product as globally marketable, Chinese manuf...
Identifying Benefits and Allocating Costs for European Cross-Border Infrastructure Projects
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The European Union is engaged in a process of market inte- gration over a long period. Cross-border energy infrastructure investments should play a key role in reaching this objective. However, cross-border investment projects having a European inter...
Is there any need to support the implementation of EU climate policy through cross-country burden sharing?
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In the current context, where public budgets are overstretched due to the economic crisis, there is a pressing need to understand the fiscal implications of climate policies. Decarbonization will impact both sides of a country’s budget via changes...
Energy Efficiency versus the EU ETS: Counterproductive Tribalism in the Commission
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On 22 June 2011, a proposal for increased Energy Efficiency was presented by the European Commission. The energy efficiency directive was intensely negotiated and faced strong internal opposition from a number of players. DG Climate officials have sh...
A Vision for the EU Target Model: the MECO-S Model
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The discussion on a target model for European gas network access has been going on for a while now,officially starting with the conclusion of the 18th Madrid Forum in 2010 which invited “the Commission and the regulators to explore, in close coop...
EU Member States and Nuclear Power
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A few years ago I had the good fortune to participate in a European Commission sixth Framework Programme project Coordinating Energy Security in Supply Activities or ‘CESSA’ for short. This project culminated in a book published by Routledge in 2...
The dangers of an interventionist oil market policy
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The international oil markets have been quite turbulent for the past several months. The wave of protests sweeping the Arab world and the loss of Libyan sweet crude have fueled fears of shortages and have driven oil prices higher. Last week, on June...
European added value to member states’ first steps on the path towards 2050
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Several EU member states are already taking their first steps on the path towards 2050. The Danish, German, and Irish governments have explored the policy options but the resulting strategies have not yet been legislated. In Finland, France, and the...
Towards the re-foundation of the electricity market regime on long term contracts and vertical arrangements?
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Electricity market regime is at a crossroads. There is a fundamental tension between short term pricing as a signal for investing in the whole generation mix and the long term policy objectives in matter of energy security and carbon emission control...
Nuclear outlook in the EU by 2020 and beyond
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What would be the impacts of the Fukushima accident on the European-Union (EU) outlook for nuclear energy by 2020 and 2050? The EU, with one third (143) of the world NPPs, had before Fukushima about 20 new NPPs planned by 2020, including 4 NPPs curre...
