Commission Welcomes Agreement to Ensure Compliance of Intergovernmental Agreements in Energy with EU Law

09.12.2016

Negotiators of the European Parliament and the Council agreed two days ago on having Intergovernmental Agreements in the field of gas and oil assessed by the Commission before they are signed.

According to the new rules, Member States will have to notify the Commission their Intergovernmental Agreements in the field of gas and oil with non-EU countries before concluding them. The proposal for a review of the Intergovernmental Agreement Decision is an important part of the sustainable energy security package proposed by the Commission in February 2016. Its key objective is to increase transparency on the gas market, make sure Intergovernmental Agreements are in line with EU law and strengthen the EU’s resilience to gas supply disruptions. Securing an agreement today, in record time after the proposal was tabled by the Commission, is a major political achievement. Energy security is one of the cornerstones of the Energy Union strategy, a key political priority of this Juncker Commission.

Main agreed achievements:

Introduction of a mandatory ex-ante compatibility check by the Commission of Intergovernmental Agreements related to gas and oil.

Member States will have to notify their draft Intergovernmental Agreements related to gas and oil to the Commission before concluding them. Member States cannot sign these Intergovernmental Agreements until the Commission has issued its opinion. When concluding the proposed Intergovernmental Agreements, Member States will have to take utmost account of the Commission’s opinion.

Intergovernmental Agreements related to electricity will be covered by a mandatory ex-post assessment, but a review clause has been inserted to possibly include electricity-related IGAs in the mandatory ex-assessment in the future.

Following the political agreement (in ‘trilogue’, between negotiators of the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission), the text will have to be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council. Once endorsed by both co-legislators, the revised Intergovernmental Agreement Decision will be published in the Official Journal of the Union.

Source: ec.europa.eu

Uncertainties Related to Climate Engineering Limit its Use in Curbing Climate Change

09.12.2016

Climate engineering refers to the systematic, large-scale modification of the environment using various climate intervention techniques. However, a new study by VTT and the Finnish Meteorological Institute suggests that the uncertainties associated with climate engineering are too great for it to provide an alternative to the rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate engineering has been proposed as a rapid and cost-effective means of mitigating climate change. It has been suggested that climate engineering could be used to postpone cuts to greenhouse gas emissions while still achieving the objectives of limiting global warming to under 2 degrees, as set in the Paris Climate Agreement. However, according to a recent study, the uncertainties associated with climate engineering are currently so great that it cannot be regarded as a substitute for, or a way of postponing, emission cuts.

According to the study’s results, climate engineering would allow very little additional emissions during the coming decades. “Climate engineering could have side-effects which become visible only after it is started. This means that huge uncertainty surrounds the method and it might have to be abandoned very quickly,” says Professor Hannele Korhonen of the Finnish Meteorological Institute. “If emission cuts were postponed due to climate engineering, a halt in climate engineering would place the two-degree objective beyond reach,” says Tommi Ekholm, a Senior Scientist at VTT.

If, in addition to mitigating global warming, we also want to prevent the acidification of oceans by carbon dioxide, climate engineering could substitute for emission reductions only in greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide. Our results show that the limitations imposed by climate objectives and the available means of combating climate change could have a major impact on the optimal climate change mitigation measures.

Major risks related to climate engineering

Climate engineering could cool the climate by reflecting the sun’s radiation back into space, for example by changing the characteristics of clouds or imitating particle cover in the stratosphere caused by volcanic eruptions. The advantage of these methods lies in their rapid cooling effect and reasonably low costs. However, such methods involve major risks, such as the weakening of monsoon rains and the knock-on effects on food production in Asia and Africa.

A sudden halt to the use of such methods, due to issues such as major negative effects, would also lead to rapid climate change, to which ecosystems and societies would have difficulty in adapting. “This means that the possibly large cooling potential of climate engineering should not be used as a reason to postpone unavoidable cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,” summarises Hannele Korhonen.

The study was published in the journal Climatic Change.

Source: sciencedaily.com

EU and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Agree to Invigorate Energy Cooperation

09.12.2016

A new Memorandum of Understanding to enhance energy cooperation between the EU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has been signed in London today by EU Commissioner Arias Cañete and EBRD President Chakrabarti.

The new agreement will broaden the existing cooperation to a significant number of areas, including scaling-up energy efficiency financing, increasing investment in renewable energy, developing smart grids, and enhancing our resilience to climate change. The Memorandum will also contribute to enhance Europe’s energy security by further promoting the interconnectivity of our energy systems, and by promoting nuclear safety and decommissioning. It will extend cooperation to related areas like regulatory and financing criteria issues. Until now, cooperation focused mainly on energy security, energy efficiency and nuclear decommissioning.

The new Memorandum of Understanding replaces a previous document signed in 2007. It will be implemented through an enhanced coordination of policies and activities and through the optimisation of financing synergies.

The EU is one of the largest donors to EBRD green projects and has contributed more than €290 million in support of the Bank’s green ventures since 2006. The EBRD’s green investments have reached a value of €20 billion in over 1,000 projects during this period. This has helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 80 million tonnes each year, which is equivalent to the annual GHG emissions of Romania.

Source: ec.europa.eu

NSIDC: Record Low Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Extent for November

08.12.2016

Average Arctic sea ice extent for November was the lowest on the satellite record, reflecting unusually high air temperatures, winds from the south, and a warm ocean. Antarctic sea ice extent quickly declined in November, also setting a record low for the month – in marked contrast to recent years. For the globe as a whole, sea ice cover was exceptionally low, according to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).

In November 2016, Arctic sea ice extent averaged 9.08 million square kilometers (3.51 million square miles). This is 800,000 square kilometers (309,000 square miles) below the previous record low in November 2006 – about the size of France and the United Kingdom combined.

At this time of year, air temperatures near the surface of the Arctic Ocean are generally well below freezing, but this year has seen exceptional warmth. For a brief period in the middle of November, total extent actually decreased by 50,000 square kilometres – an almost unprecedented occurrence for November over the period of satellite observations, according to NSIDC.

Continuing the warm Arctic pattern seen in October, November air temperatures were far above average over the Arctic Ocean and Canada. Air temperatures were locally up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) above average near the North Pole, according to NSIDC. Europe’s Copernicus Climate Change Service also reported exceptionally warm temperatures in the Arctic.

This year, Antarctic sea ice reached its annual maximum extent on August 31, much earlier than average, and has since been declining at a fairly rapid pace. This Antarctic sea ice extent in November: NSIDC led to a new record low for the month of November over the period of satellite observations. Average extent in November was 14.54 million square kilometers (5.61 million square miles). This was 1.0 million square kilometers (386,000 square miles) below the previous record low of 15.54 million square kilometers (6.00 million square miles) set in 1986.

Part of the explanation for this appears to lie in changing wind patterns, with large large scale winds blowing north to south, tending to compact and compress sea ice, according to NSIDC.

“The processes governing the evolution of sea ice in both hemispheres is a result of different atmospheric and oceanic processes and geographies and it unlikely that record low conditions in the two hemispheres are connected,” said the NSIDC.

Source: public.wmo.int

Green Gold: Growing Jet Fuel in the Desert

08.12.2016

Thirty kilometres from the bustle of downtown Abu Dhabi, lies a remarkable undertaking that could one day change the environmental impact of air travel.

Set on a two-hectare farm down the road from the IRENA Headquarters building, a pilot project conducted by Masdar Institute’s Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium (SBRC) is bringing private sector firms together to answer ‘is it possible to create a sustainable jet-powering biofuel?’

“In today’s world, air travel is a necessity. As the aviation industry grows, so does its carbon footprint. Airlines, plane manufacturers, and fuel producers alike, are looking for ways to make air travel sustainable and renewable,” says Hendrik Johannes Visser, a microbiologist at Masdar Institute and a lead researcher in the SBRC’s jet-biofuel project.

While creating a biofuel powerful enough for a jet is tricky but possible, ensuring that it’s also sustainable and commercially viable is particularly challenging.

“First generation biofuels — derived directly from crops like corn or soya bean — tend to be at the centre of the food versus fuel debate, and so for us, are not really sustainable,” explains Visser. “Their high freezing point means they also aren’t good for airliners flying at over 30,000 feet. We’re working on creating a biofuel that can meet the aviation industry’s needs: a sustainable biofuel — an advanced biofuel.”

An aviation biofuel

Advanced biofuels are different from first generation biofuels in that they can be derived from non-food crops — opening countless biofuel options.

“Advanced biofuels use lignocellulosic feedstocks like farm and forest residues, grasses, trees, and algae. They have high yields and grow on land poorly suited for food crops,” says Francisco Boshell, a renewable energy analyst at IRENA’s Innovation and Technology Centre.

IRENA sees substantial potential to expand both food and biofuel supplies globally, in a sustainable manner, by utilising pathways that do not compete with food production. A recent IRENA report analysed the promising future developments of advanced liquid biofuels, and forecasts its increased competiveness in the transport sector.

“Advanced biofuels can typically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60 to 95% compared to fossil fuels,” says Boshell. “While electrification is taking off in the road transport sector, biofuels continue to be the only viable alternative, at present, to mitigate carbon emissions for the aviation sector — an industry which represents a market of around 380 billion litres of jet fuel per year. However the commercialization of new pathways with new organic sources is still a challenge in view of prolonged low oil prices and a lack of an appropriate price on carbon emissions. One of the ways to address these challenges are business models which benefit from multiple revenue streams, as energy plus agriculture, as SBRC is testing in the UAE.”

For the SBRC’s jet fuel project, that organic source is a plant that can be grown in the desert heat with just sea water: Salicornia bigelovii.

Originally from the Gulf of Mexico, Salicornia is a halophyte — a plant that thrives in salt water — with a high tolerance to heat and low nutrient demand. Its seeds, the size of sesame seeds, are 30% seed oil — similar to soya bean oil — and can be harvested from the small plant once a year. “We can extract the oil from these seeds, and through hydroprocessing, produce a green diesel that can be used to run cars or the equipment on this farm,” says Visser.

Though the green diesel can be further hydroprocessed into biojet fuel, you can also use the rest of the plant, the straw, to produce additional bioenergy. Through the industrial processes of pyrolysis and gasification, the straw’s carbon chains can be reconstructed into other fuels, including jet fuel, leaving nothing of the plant to waste.

Source: irenanewsroom.org

Renewable energy’s next frontier: heat

08.12.2016

While energy use is commonly associated with lighting or transportation, more than half of the world’s energy consumption serves a simple function: heating things. This ranges from heating homes and buildings, to firing up industrial production, or even cooking. And because heat is mostly produced by burning fossil fuels, heat production accounts for almost half of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Yet unlike power or transportation, heat remains widely under-served by renewable sources of energy. The share of renewables in electricity generation will rise to 28% in five years according to the latest forecast by the International Energy Agency. By contrast, the share of renewable heat is forecast to reach only 8% by 2021.

This means there is tremendous potential for improvement. Almost 80% of energy demand in the buildings sector is for heat but renewables only account for 9% of heat demand, mostly in the form of modern bioenergy. But concerns about local pollution from bioenergy use and high upfront costs remain serious challenges to further deployment in that sector.

One technology that is growing is solar water heating (SWH), which is projected to account for the highest proportion of demand growth in coming decades, according to World Energy Outlook 2016. Thanks to falling costs and more efficient technology, SWH has grown by about 17% a year since 2000, although it still accounted for just 6% of hot water production in the buildings sector worldwide in 2014.

Today, the potential for lower SWH costs lies mainly in equipment and manufacturing. These can be improved by economies of scale – for example from their use in district heating – simpler designs, development of more manufacturing capacity and use of better techniques, including automation. While the initial cost is higher than gas or electric boilers, operating costs for SWH are much lower, even when electricity is used as a backup.

Developing countries represent more than 90% of the growth in water heating demand over the next 25 years. This is particularly true in areas with a combination of significant solar resources and underdeveloped electricity infrastructure.

The types of policies necessary to encourage renewable heating depend largely on the characteristics of the country. Carbon taxation can be a cost-effective strategy through providing price signals to move away from fossil fuels. This has been demonstrated in Sweden, where the introduction of carbon taxation in 1991 resulted in district heating moving from heating oil to biomass.

Some countries have also set targets for specific kinds of renewable heat technologies. South Africa aims to have 5 million homes with solar thermal water heating by 2030. Thailand’s 2015 Alternative Energy Development Plan includes heat targets for solar thermal, biomass, biogas and municipal waste to be reached by 2036.

While targets are important for providing a sense of direction, their implementation will depend on effective policies. Yet once again, the global landscape for renewable heat policy measures is significantly less extensive than for electricity. The joint IEA/IRENA renewable policy database lists 582 policy instruments in force for renewable electricity, yet only 158 for heating and cooling across 75 countries.

Governments will need to take advantage of falling costs and enact policies that encourage renewable heating if the second chapter of renewable energy is to be written in time to meet global climate goals.

Source: iea.org

IAEA Concludes Safety Review at Armenian Nuclear Power Plant

08.12.2016

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of nuclear safety experts yesterday completed an assessment of long-term operational safety at the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP).

The Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (SALTO) review was requested by the ANPP, located in Metsamor, 36 kilometres west of the capital, Yerevan. The in-depth review, which began on 28 November, focused on aspects essential to the safe long-term operation of the plant.

The plant has applied to the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ANRA) to extend power-generation beyond the end of 2016. The reactor accounts for 35 to 40 per cent of Armenia’s electricity production.

The SALTO team reviewed the plant’s organization and programmes related to its long-term operation, including human resources and knowledge management. The findings of SALTO reviews are based on the IAEA Safety Standards.

The team identified several good practices and performances at the plant that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including:

The plant’s seismic qualification programme.

A management and operational succession plan for 27 safety-critical roles at the plant.

The plant’s safety upgrade modification programme.

The team provided a number of recommendations for improvements to long-term operational safety, including:

The plant should develop and implement methodology to ensure all safety-related systems are assessed for long-term operation and fully document the results.

The plant should fully document its preparations for long-term operation to ensure that all safety aspects are covered.

The plant should ensure that relevant mechanical components are periodically re-evaluated during long-term operation.

The Armenian plant management said it was committed to implementing the recommendations and requested that the IAEA schedule a follow-up mission in approximately 18 months.

The team handed a draft of the review report to the plant management. The review, including any comments from the plant and ANRA, will be reviewed at IAEA headquarters. A final report will be submitted to the plant, to the ANRA and the Armenian government within three months.

The review team comprised experts from Argentina, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Ukraine and the IAEA.

Source: iaea.org

IKEA Group Announces Fresh €1bn Push to Secure Supplies of Sustainable Materials

08.12.2016

IKEA Group has revealed plans to invest a further €1bn in securing long term supplies of sustainable materials by backing projects in forestry, recycling, renewable energy, and biomaterial development.

The retail giant today published its annual sustainability report for 2016, including plans for what IKEA refers to as a €1bn ‘financial frame’ focused on delivering more sustainable supplies of materials.

The company said the new investment takes total investments earmarked for sustainability programs in recent years to €3bn, including €1.5bn invested in wind and solar projects since 2009 and a further €600m allocated for future renewable energy projects.

The report also confirms IKEA Group brought new wind farms in Poland and US online in the past year, meaning it generated renewable energy equivalent to 71 per cent of its energy use in the past fiscal year. The company said the latest projects meant it had made “strong progress” towards its goal of producing as much energy as it consumes in its operations by 2020.

Peter Agnefjäll, president and CEO at IKEA Group, said there were “many opportunities ahead for forward-thinking businesses to contribute to, and benefit from, the development of the low-carbon economy”.

The report confirms that IKEA completed the switch of its entire lighting range to LEDs during 2016, while also launching home solar offers in three markets and sourcing all cotton and 61 per cent of wood used for IKEA products from more sustainable sources.

Steve Howard, chief sustainability officer at IKEA Group, said the company had made “significant progress” towards its People & Planet targets, but added that “there is still more to do”.

“We want to lead with passion and purpose towards a more sustainable and equal world,” he said.

Source: businessgreen.com

Secretariat Announces Support Measures for Regional Electricity Market Creation in the Western Balkans

07.12.2016

The Work Programme for the provision of technical assistance to Western Balkan 6 Contracting Parties for supporting the creation of a regional electricity market was published today. It is aimed at removing the existing legislative and regulatory barriers and enhancing the institutional structures necessary for the functioning of the market in line with the Energy Community Treaty. The project “Technical Assistance to Connectivity in the Western Balkans – Component 2: Regional Energy Market” is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Energy Community Secretariat.

The technical assistance to connectivity in the Western Balkans facilitates the implementation of a set of measures that the Contracting Parties committed to at the Western Balkan Summit in Vienna in 2015. The overriding focus of the project is on spot-market development, cross-border balancing and regional capacity allocation, as well as cross-cutting measures. The project was initiated in July 2016 and will last for two years. The Work Programme published today outlines the list of technical assistance services that will be provided to support the implementation of the priority measures both on a regional and a national basis.

The Secretariat’s next monitoring report, which takes stock of the progress made in creating the regional electricity market in the Western Balkans, will be published in mid-December.

To support the project’s activities, the Energy Community Secretariat has published a call for expression of interest in order to create a roster of short-term experts.

Source: energy-community.org

UNIDO Lecture Explores Integrated Energy Solutions

07.12.2016

“Energy is a key enabler of industrial development, and sustainable energy is a cross-cutting solution for social, economic and environmental sustainability,” said Pradeep Monga, Director of the Energy Department at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Monga was speaking at a lecture held on the sidelines of a training programme called Sustainable Energy Solutions 2016, which was organized by UNIDO in collaboration with the Energy Academy Europe (EAE) in Groningen, the Netherlands.

The lecture focused on exploring integrated energy solutions for a sustainable energy future in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and actions to address the threat of climate change.

Addressing around 60 students from the University of Groningen and Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Monga said: “Well-designed integrated energy solutions can simultaneously address the multiple sustainability challenges of our time. Therefore the modus operated should be ‘business unusual’, where focus is given to leveraging the mutually reinforcing nexus between energy, climate change, poverty reduction, social inclusion, and economic development.”

“UNIDO works to maximize the co-benefits of integrated energy solutions in achieving sustainable development through innovation, integration and partnerships,” he added.

Source: unido.org

Five West African Countries Ban ‘Dirty Diesel’ From Europe

07.12.2016

Five west African countries have announced measures to end the practice of European oil companies and traders exporting “African quality” diesel – highly polluting fuels that could never be sold in Europe.

Swiss commodity traders were accused in a report published in September by Swiss NGO Public Eye of exporting fuels to west Africa with sulphur levels that are sometimes hundreds of times higher than European levels.

The report accused oil companies of “regulatory arbitrage”, allowing traders and companies to exploit weak standards to export cheap, dirty fuels in a process that Public Eye said was maximising profits at the expense of African’s health. High-sulphur fuels are major contributors to respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma.

Last week Nigeria, Benin, Togo, Ghana, and Ivory Coast agreed to ban imports of high-sulphur diesel fuels as part of an initiative organised by the UN Environment Programme. Permitted levels of sulphur in imported diesel will fall from as high as 3,000 parts per million (ppm) in some of the countries to 50 ppm. In Europe the maximum has been 10 ppm since 2009.

There is nothing illegal about the practice exposed by Public Eye’s report, and the blending of fuels to achieve particular specifications before export is standard industry practice. Companies identified in the report said they comply with the fuel standards imposed by the governments they ship to, and support efforts, including those by the African Refiners Association, to improve fuel standards.

Erik Solheim, the head of UN Environment, said: “West Africa is sending a strong message that it is no longer accepting dirty fuels from Europe. Their decision to set strict new standards for cleaner, safer fuels and advanced vehicle emission standards shows they are placing the health of their people first.”

He said the decision set an example for others to follow, adding: “Air pollution is killing millions of people every year, and we need to ensure that all countries urgently introduce cleaner fuels and vehicles to help reduce the shocking statistics.”

Nigeria’s environment minister, Amina Mohammed, said the decision would lead to major improvements in air quality. “For 20 years Nigeria has not been able to address the vehicle pollution crisis due to the poor fuels we have been importing. Today we are taking a huge leap forward… this will result in major air quality benefits in our cities and will allow us to set modern vehicle standards.”

The five countries also agreed to upgrade their national refineries to bring locally produced diesel up to the same quality by 2020.

Oliver Classen, spokesman for Public Eye, said the decision to raise fuel standards following the report and campaign was encouraging. “The improvement of air quality in African cities and the protection of people’s health is possible. It needs neither rocket science, countless measures, or lengthy negotiations. But governments need to act and the time to act is now,” he said.

He called on the government of Switzerland, where most of the major commodity trading companies are headquartered, to impose “mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence standards”, adding: “It should cover the entire supply chain and including potentially damaging products.”

Many of the fuel exports revealed by Public Eye are shipped from Dutch ports, and the decision was praised by the Dutch foreign trade and development cooperation minister, Lilianne Ploumen.

“The recent report from the NGO Public Eye made abundantly clear that coordinated action is needed to stop the practice of exporting dirty fuels to west Africa,” said Ploumen. “I am very pleased west African governments quickly decided to introduce standards that will help accessing European standard quality fuels. Their people deserve cleaner air, better health and a cleaner environment.”

Source: theguardian.com

London Mayor To Double Funding To Tackle Air Pollution

07.12.2016

Campaigners, health charities and neighbourhood groups have welcomed plans by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, to more than double funding to clean up the capital’s dirty air.

London is one of the most polluted of dozens of cities in the UK that breach EU standards on nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a toxic gas caused by diesel vehicles. Air pollution has been linked to nearly 9,500 premature deaths in the city each year.

Funding for air quality measures over the next five years will be more than doubled to £875m, under plans announced on Wednesday, up from the £425m committed under the former mayor Boris Johnson.

If approved at a Transport for London board meeting next week, most of the money – £312m – will be spent on cleaning up TfL’s 9,300-strong bus fleet. A further £65m will be used to compensate and encourage taxi drivers to switch from the oldest black cabs – those more than 10 years old – to new ones capable of zero emissions, meaning they will either run on batteries or hydrogen.

Local neighbourhood schemes will receive £14m for tackling some of the worst pollution hotspots outside the city centre. Plans will also be published next year to cut the number of buses running along Oxford Street, which researchers have said has the worst NO2 pollution in the world.

Khan said: “With nearly 10,000 Londoners dying early every year due to air pollution, tackling poor air quality is a public health emergency that requires bold action. I want London to be a world leader in how we respond to the challenge of cleaning up our air, and today I’m announcing that TfL will be doubling spending on improving London’s air over the next five years.”

The new money comes days after the mayors of four major world cities – Paris, Madrid, Athens and Mexico City – pledged to ban diesel cars by 2025.

Khan’s plans stops short of that, though the mayor is bringing in an “ultra low emissions zone” a year earlier than planned and has more than doubled its size. Owners of older diesel cars will have to pay £12.50 on top of the existing congestion charge to enter the zone.

The extra funding was welcomed by campaigners, though some called on the mayor to go further and ban diesel vehicles.

“Good job Sadiq,” said Simon Birkett, founder and director of Clean Air in London, but added: “We won’t be happy though till you ban diesel in London by 2020.”

Friends of the Earth London campaigner Sophie Neuburg said: “This cash injection from the mayor is great news for Londoners forced to suffer the impacts of the capital’s filthy air.” But she also called for Khan to follow the other cities and ban diesel vehicles.

Dr Samantha Walker, Asthma UK’s director of research and policy, said: “It is clear that action is needed and we welcome the extra investment to help clean up the air we breathe.”

The mayor also repeated his call on the government to do more to improve air quality, including introducing a scrappage scheme for the most polluting cars, a measure that officials have ruled out. On Tuesday, children and the British Lung Foundation delivered a petition signed by more than 20,000 people to 10 Downing Street urging more action on dirty air.

Source: theguardian.com

IAEA Mission Says Italy Committed to Nuclear Oversight; Needs to Further Develop Policies on Decommissioning and Waste Management

07.12.2016

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of safety experts said Italy is committed to effective nuclear regulatory oversight but faces challenges related to resources and needs to further develop policies for nuclear safety, decommissioning and managing radioactive waste.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team today concluded a 12-day mission to assess Italy’s regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety. The mission was hosted by the Government and the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), which is responsible for nuclear and radiation safety regulation in the country.

Italy’s four nuclear power reactors are in the process of being decommissioned. Italy also has five research reactors and utilizes radioactive sources in medical, industrial and research applications. The government has a plan to construct a facility for disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste and long term storage of high level waste.

“During our IRRS mission, strong leadership in safety and a very committed staff was evident,” said team leader Ingemar Lund, Senior Adviser of the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority. “We hope our recommendations can contribute to further development of the Italian system for the regulation of protection and safety”

IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national regulatory infrastructure, while recognizing the responsibility of each State to ensure nuclear and radiation safety.

The IRRS team said Italy has a regulatory framework for safety in place and identified several good practices while also making recommendations and suggestions aimed at improving regulatory functions. A new regulatory body, the Inspectorate for Radiation Safety and Radiation Protection, will be in place in the near future.

The experts said the major challenges for Italy are insufficient resources for the regulatory body to perform its functions and the need to implement strategies and plans for decommissioning and building a disposal facility for radioactive waste.

The IRRS mission comprised 14 experts from Sweden, France, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Slovenia, Cuba, Luxembourg, Spain, Hungary and four IAEA staff members.

Meetings were organised with the State Undersecretary of the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection. The activities of the team included observations of regulatory activities, interviews and discussions with staff from ISPRA, the Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea Protection, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health, the Prefecture of Rome, of the National Civil Protection Department of Piemonte Region. The experts visited a radioactive waste management facility, a research reactor, a medical facility and a nuclear power plant under decommissioning. They observed inspection activities and held discussions with licensee personnel and management.

Stefano Laporta, Director General of ISPRA, said: “The effort made by ISPRA staff to conduct the self-assessment and to host the IRRS mission as well as the commendable work done by the IRRS team will provide very useful bases for further improving our national regulatory system for nuclear safety and radiation protection.”

The IRRS team identified a number of good practices, including:

– The use of the “state of the art” standards in the field of decommissioning and waste management.

– The development and use of a comprehensive data base and related tools for analysing transport safety issues.

– The Italian system for education and training of qualified experts which is of high quality in radiation protection.

The mission provided recommendations and suggestions for improvements, including:

– The Government should continue to develop national policies and strategies for safety, decommissioning and radioactive waste management;

– Complete the legal framework in regards to approval of technical services, establishment of national data bases related to safety and improvements in aspects of the authorisation process;

– Provide the regulatory body with sufficient competent staff to carry out its responsibilities and duties.

– The regulatory body should develop an integrated management system;

– Strengthen the regulatory framework for review and assessment, authorization, inspection, emergency preparedness and response, and occupational and public exposure control;

– Improve communication strategies.

The final mission report will be provided to the Government about three months. Italian authorities told the IAEA they plan to make the report’s executive summary public.

Source: iaea.org

Albania Disposes of 160 Tonnes of Napalm Components as Part of OSCE Project

07.12.2016

The OSCE Presence in Albania and the Ministry of Defence held a ceremony on 6 December 2016, marking the completion of a joint project to destroy hazardous military chemicals. The Head of Presence, Ambassador Bernd Borchardt, Defence Minister Mimi Kodheli and representatives of OSCE participating States that have funded the project attended the event that took place at the Port of Durrës.

In the final phase of the project, some 160 tonnes of two napalm components – aluminium oxide and xylenol – that are already at the port premises in secure new packaging will be shipped to France for final disposal.

The OSCE Presence has been assisting Albania in its efforts to safely destroy surplus conventional ammunition and dangerous toxic chemicals since 2008. In May 2015, the Presence helped destroy 116 tonnes of hazardous chemicals. Before that, the Presence helped to dispose of 60 tonnes of a toxic rocket fuel component known as mélange and 120 tonnes of dichloromethane, and provided equipment for the destruction of surplus ammunition.

In his address, Ambassador Borchardt thanked the OSCE participating States that have financially supported the demilitarization process in Albania, namely Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Turkey. He also congratulated the members of the Albanian Armed Forces Chemical Unit for their highly professional work throughout the years.

“As we continue to recognize the work being done by so many in the region to safely dispose of outdated military ordinance, we also encourage the regional development of Albania’s demilitarization model, to not only make the region safer but to also make best use of the existing infrastructure and the experienced workforce,” Borchardt said.

Quoting the words of the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier at a similar event in Qafë-Mollë, Albania, in May 2015, Borchardt said that the project demonstrated the mutual trust and effective co-operation between the Ministry of Defence and the OSCE Presence.

Source: osce.org

Commission Launches New Database on the Energy Performance of Buildings

07.12.2016

The European Commission has launched a new database on the EU’s building stock to monitor the energy performance of buildings across Europe. The database – called the EU Building Stock Observatory – provides information on buildings’ characteristics including their construction period, energy use, onsite renewable energy and renovation rates.

The Observatory tracks energy performance levels in buildings in individual EU countries and the EU as a whole; different energy certification schemes and how they are implemented; and energy poverty levels across the EU.

The new Observatory has been launched alongside a package of measures designed to speed-up the EU’s clean energy transition. The package, launched on 30 November, contained a proposal for a new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

The move aims to encourage the use of innovative and smart technologies to ensure that buildings operate efficiently and aims to boost renovation rates – which currently stand at just 1% of the total building stock.

The buildings sector accounts for 40% of Europe’s energy consumption, and some two-thirds of European buildings were built before energy performance standards even existed.

Source: ec.europa.eu

Why one Finnish City Thinks it’s Ideal for Next Tesla Gigafactory

07.12.2016

The Tesla “gigafactory” near Reno, Nevada, is already billed as the largest lithium-ion battery cell plant in the world. But Tesla has discussed plans for at least one additional gigafactory, presumably to meet demand for battery cells related to large-scale electric-car production outside the U.S.

One Finnish city is now making an official bid for that factory. The City of Vaasa, located on the country’s western coast, announced in a blog post Monday that it is preparing a proposal for the Tesla gigafactory.

“This is a good opportunity for the whole of Finland,” Mika Lintilä, Finland’s incoming Minister of Economic Affairs, said of the project, adding that he would support it “as much as possible.”

Vaasa officials believe the city has a good shot at landing the gigafactory because it is located near Kaustinen, location of the largest lithium deposits in Europe. The so-called “Vaasa energy cluster” will also provide Tesla with the necessary expertise to support its operations.

Vaasa is gathering a group of experts in relevant fields, such as engineering, logistics, and project management, to refine its proposal to Tesla. A more specific plan for the gigafactory project will be released by the city in the first quarter of 2017. Tesla has been mulling large-scale production in Europe for some time, and Vaasa isn’t the only location hoping to work with the automaker.

Earlier this year, French Energy Minister Segolene Royal offered the site of a decommissioned nuclear power plant to Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a possible site for an assembly plant. If Tesla follows through on plans for large-scale European car production, it may well need both an assembly plant and a gigafactory. As with the U.S. gigafactory, a European one would provide the economies of scale necessary to sell the 215-mile Model 3 sedan at mainstream prices.

Musk wants Tesla to be producing 500,000 electric cars per year by 2018, and large-scale European sales of the Model 3 would likely be a big help in meeting that goal.

Source: greencarreports.com

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