How to Create Favorable Environment for Investment and Innovation?

06.07.2022

More than 30 years ago, an international financial institution was established in the British capital, whose main goal was to support the transition from a centrally planned economy to an open market and democracy in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This institution, whose name is European and capital mostly American, is still considered a major investor in the private and public sector in 38 countries in Europe and Asia.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development started the first program in our country through assistance to FR Yugoslavia in 2001. Francesco Corbo, Regional Head Energy Europe for Western Balkans and Croatia at EBRD, told us about the EBRD’s priorities today compared to those two decades ago and what has changed in the EBRD’s operations in this area.

EP: It has been announced that from the end of 2022, all EBRD activity will be aligned with one aim: to help countries meet their goals under the Paris Agreement. It sounds like a huge volume of work. What does this actually comprise?

Francesco Corbo: The EBRD Climate Ambition Resolution includes the commitment to align all Bank activities with the objectives of the Paris Agreement by 2022. The Bank is assessing its direct and indirect investments for Paris alignment using methodologies developed jointly with other MDBs. In a nutshell, a project must meet several conditions to be determined as Paris aligned: consistency with a long-term low-carbon development strategy, a low likelihood of carbon lock-in – to give assurance that the project does not enable an emissions-intensive asset to continue operating when economically viable lower-carbon options could replace it, physical climate risks have been identified and addressed, and the activities do not undermine climate resilience in the local context.

The EBRD has been supporting its COO efforts to develop their low-carbon and climate-resilient policy roadmaps at the economy-wide and sectoral levels. Additionally, we work with clients to help them assess climate risks and to integrate climate resilience considerations into their operations.

EP: Many cities have joined the EBRD programme Green Cities, Belgrade and Skoplje among them. What can you tell us about the support the cities are getting through this programme, and when do you expect the results to be visible to their citizens?

Francesco Corbo: EBRD Green Cities is an initiative which supports cities to identify and plan priority investments that can help them become more sustainable, resilient and, in general, improve the quality of the environment. Participating cities receive assistance from the EBRD in developing feasibility studies, following which they can consider which projects should be their priority investment in the future. The EBRD and donors provide financing for these investments, and there have been lots of developments in the region. For example, in Sarajevo, as part of this programme, we financed energy efficiency improvements in public buildings, new electric trolleybuses, upgrade of water and sewerage network etc. These are the projects where citizens can see obvious results with better services of public utility companies, improved quality of air etc.

In focus:

EP: The EBRD has a certain fund for investments in green energy transition projects. What does this portfolio include? Is it more energy efficiency or renewable energy sources inclined to?

Francesco Corbo: Green energy transition projects cannot happen without enabling policies. We work with all governments in the region to strengthen their energy sector policy frameworks and align them with relevant EU Directives. On renewables, we are working in Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo*, North Macedonia and Serbia to introduce renewable auctions, helping policy-makers design and implement competitive bidding schemes that will aim to add up to more than 1GW of solar and wind capacity once implemented.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Dimitrije Milenković)

A key principle of EBRD support is that the framework needs to be replicable and scalable – therefore, the EBRD is not just supporting the first 100 MW project but laying the foundation for the first 1,000 or even 10,000 MW. Some results are beginning to come in as our first solar auction for 140MW in Albania, which yielded a price of below 25 EUR/MWh, with bids opened during the first wave of the pandemic in May 2020. This result sent a strong signal to other countries in the region, and the success was replicated when Albania concluded a follow-up solar PV auction in March last year.

And under the Regional Energy Efficiency Programme, REEP, we have delivered in total more than 75 policy products that promote energy efficiency markets. Most of these policies refer to improving energy performance in buildings. The building sector accounts for over 40 percent of total energy consumption in the Western Balkans, and renovating public and private buildings to meet minimum energy performance standards can make a very significant contribution to national decarbonisation goals. Such works also directly improve the living standards of citizens.

EP: The EBRD has invested more than EUR 6.6 billion across 286 projects in the country to date. Would you say it has been a success for one institutional investor so far, and please highlight some of the projects that could be considered the ones that have brought the most benefits?

Francesco Corbo: To date, the EBRD has invested over EUR 7.3 billion in Serbia in close to 300 projects since 2001. The impact of our investments is visible in a stronger banking sector and better access to finance for SMEs, in the stronger private sector and local corporates that we supported to become regional champions and brands, like MK Group or Bambi, Knjaz Miloš and Nektar, in hundreds of women-led businesses that we supported with finance and advisory. We also contributed to better roads and railway connectivity which we supported with our partners EU and WBIF, better wastewater infrastructure in Subotica and urban transport in Belgrade and Novi Sad, to name only a few examples. More recently, we support Serbia’s efforts to improve waste management infrastructure, which is a sector that has been neglected for years. We finance the construction of the new landfill in Vinča and waste-to-energy plant, as well as several regional landfills across the country. This will help build modern waste management infrastructure in the country and provide new services to citizens, encouraging them to sort and recycle household waste.

Interviewed by: Nevena Đukić

Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

SEEGAS Sets Out Possible Measures to Mitigate Gas Supply Risks in Case of Russian Gas Disruption

05.07.2022

gas_pipeline_gasovod — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Quinten de Graaf)

The Energy Community held its fourth South-East European Gas (SEEGAS) Joint Steering Committee meeting in Vienna on 30 June and 1 July. Participants agreed that the risks of a Russian gas supply disruption in the region can only be addressed through further market integration and the harmonisation of market rules, as well as trading and post-trading structures on regional gas exchanges. The meeting focused on how to fast-track the integration of gas infrastructure and markets in central, southern and eastern Europe. In order to react to the ongoing gas crisis effectively, the meeting was joined by representatives from the European Commission, ACER, EBRD, USAID, ENTSOG, Europex and EFET.

An internal Energy Community risk assessment found that three Energy Community Contracting Parties – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova and North Macedonia – might be highly exposed to disruptions because of reliance on limited infrastructure and insufficient financial resources to secure alternative natural gas supplies.

Participants agreed that the delay in signing interconnection agreements between Bulgaria – Turkey and Bulgaria – North Macedonia was one of the biggest regional challenges and the Bulgarian gas transmission system operator, Bulgartransgaz, welcomed proposed assistance from the EU to accelerate the process.

In this context, participants acknowledged the value of the SEEGAS project, which provides a much-needed platform for Energy Community and EU stakeholders to discuss critical issues including the importance of having in place interconnection agreements between EU Member States and Energy Community Contracting Parties, access to supplies and transmission capacity and removing regulatory bottlenecks. The Energy Community Secretariat will propose solutions on how these challenges could be overcome in a study to be published in September 2022.

The Ukrainian gas transmission operator GTSOU and the storage operator Ukrtransgaz also highlighted the importance of European companies working together with Ukraine to transit gas via this country and to store it in its facilities. Ukrtransgaz said over 1,000 domestic and non-resident clients had signed contracts to store gas in Ukraine in recent years and pointed out that many companies could use Ukrainian storage facilities to comply with EU-mandated targets for 2022.

The meeting took stock of plans by the EU to introduce a joint procurement platform and discussed the introduction of possible new measures including a gas price cap or destination clauses on volumes sourced via the joint procurement platform. Representatives of regional exchanges illustrated the impact of the recent price volatility and national government measures to stabilize markets on liquidity.

The SEEGAS Joint Steering Committee welcomed the decision of the EBRD to expand the Crisis Response Package currently supporting Ukraine and Moldova to neighboring countries.

Detailed information can be found in the conclusions of the meeting.

About SEEGAS: chaired by the Secretariat, SEEGAS is a well-established platform bringing together gas transmission system operators, gas exchanges and other stakeholders in the SEEGAS region to work together to support the creation of a competitive liquid gas market in accordance with the EU acquis, and ultimately benefit end-consumers through increased competition in gas trading.

Source: Energy Community

No Basis To Classify Lithium As Hazardous, Industry Groups Say

05.07.2022

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (andreas160578)

Electric vehicle battery material lithium should not be classified as a hazardous substance by the European Union because the scientific evidence on which the proposal is based is weak, seven industry groups said.

Lithium was added to the EU’s list of critical raw materials in 2020 because it is important for electric vehicles which are key to meeting targets for cutting carbon emissions.

The proposal by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which cited studies based on lithium containing medicines used over the long term as a treatment for mood disorders, wants to classify lithium salts as dangerous for human health.

“The analysis finds only a quite weak association” between lithium exposure and developmental effects, said Violaine Verougstraete, chemicals management director at Eurometaux, which represents the metal industry.

“For fertility, the opinion is based on selected studies with serious limitations, contradicted by more robust guideline studies which showed no effect of lithium exposure.”

EU member states are currently giving their views on the proposal to a committee which meets on July 5-6 to discuss chemicals including lithium that have been recommended for classification as dangerous.

A final decision is expected at the end of 2022 or beginning of 2023.

Classifying lithium as dangerous would have a major impact on Europe’s energy transition goals, the industry groups including Eurometaux and Recharge, the European industry association for rechargeable lithium batteries, said in a letter to the EU.

“Europe is at a critical period in its energy transition, needing to stimulate new investment into a full electric vehicle battery value chain,” the groups said.

“Europe is playing catch-up with China, which is already over a decade ahead, now controlling most global processing for lithium and other battery metals … Europe has a narrowing window of opportunity to attract the investments needed, and lithium is a central material to our success.”

Classifying lithium as hazardous will hamper investment in European refining and recycling capacity and give an advantage to companies in the electric vehicle battery supply chain outside the European Union, the letter said.

The proposal doesn’t ban lithium imports, but if legislated it will add to costs for processing companies from more stringent rules controlling processing, packaging and storage.

Source: EURACTIV

EU – New Zealand Trade Agreement: Unlocking sustainable economic growth

04.07.2022

kontejneri_za_transport — Foto-ilustracija: Unsplash (Sebastian Herrmann)

The EU and New Zealand have today concluded negotiations for a Trade Agreement, which is set to open significant economic opportunities for companies and consumers on both sides. The deal also includes unprecedented sustainability commitments, including respect of the Paris Climate Agreement and core labour rights, which are enforceable through trade sanctions as a last resort.

Bilateral trade is expected to grow by up to 30 per cent thanks to this deal, with EU annual exports potentially growing by up to 4.5 billion euros. EU investment into New Zealand has a potential to grow by up to 80 per cent. The deal can cut some 140 million euros a year in duties for EU companies from the first year of application.

“New Zealand is a key partner for us in the Indo-Pacific region. This trade agreement brings major opportunities for our companies, our farmers and our consumers, on both sides. It can help increase trade between us by 30 per cent. It includes unprecedented social and climate commitments. This new agreement between the European Union and New Zealand comes at an important geopolitical moment. Democracies – like ours – work together and deliver for people”, said European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.

New export opportunities for businesses big and small

The agreement will provide new opportunities for businesses by:

-Eliminating all tariffs on EU exports to New Zealand.

-Opening the New Zealand services market in key sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, maritime transport and delivery services.

-Ensuring non-discriminatory treatment to EU investors in New Zealand and vice versa.

-Improving access for EU companies to New Zealand government procurement contracts for goods, services, works and works concessions. The New Zealand procurement market is worth some 60 billion euros a year.

-Facilitating data flows, predictable and transparent rules for digital trade and a secure online environment for consumers.

-Preventing unjustified data localisation requirements and maintaining the high standards of personal data protection.

-Helping small businesses export more through a dedicated chapter on small and medium enterprises.

-Significantly reducing compliance requirement and procedures to allow for quicker flow of goods.

-Significant commitments by New Zealand to protect and enforce intellectual property rights, aligned with EU standards.

Source: European Commission

EBRD and EU to Support Transition to Solar Energy in North Macedonia

04.07.2022

Decarbonisation plans in North Macedonia are taking a big leap forward. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending EUR 25 million to ESM, the state-owned electricity company, to build a 30 MW photovoltaic (PV) project consisting of 10 MW on a portion of the exhausted coal mine of thermal power plant Oslomej, and 20 MW adjacent to the thermal power plant Bitola. The European Union (EU) is also supporting this development with a EUR 5 million grant funded through the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF).

Andi Aranitasi, EBRD Head of North Macedonia, said: “This is a very important project for the country’s energy transition. It is a continuation of our previous work in backing the ambitious decarbonisation plans of North Macedonia by organising solar PV tenders and constructing the first-ever utility scale solar PV plant in the country. The project will help to address the need for energy security and sustainability in a competitive and affordable manner, through investments that will create high-quality jobs and new business ecosystems, while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”

The new solar plants are an extension of the first 10 MW PV plant constructed on the exhausted coal mines in Oslomej and are evidence of ESM’s and the country’s decarbonisation pathway. Once operational, the new facilities will produce nearly 48 GWh of electricity a year – enough to power 10,000 homes and replace 44,000 tonnes of CO2 per year. The project will also support ESM’s efforts to rehabilitate the mine sites that used to supply the thermal power plants with coal.

Ambassador David Geer, Head of the EU Delegation to North Macedonia said: “We are seeing concrete actions in materialising the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and in turning the Economic and Investment Plan into reality. The WBIF investment grant and the EBRD Loan, supporting the transformation of Oslomej and Bitola power plants from coal based to solar energy, represent a clear indication that the country is taking the right steps – moving to green energy, while implementing a socially just transition process. This investment was long overdue, and comes at the right time for North Macedonia, ensuring clean and secure energy supplies.”

The country, whose capital Skopje was recently named one of Europe’s most polluted cities, aims to source 38 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Especially during the current energy crises, this operation will be one of the first projects to simultaneously address key just transition elements by moving towards clean energy use and energy security, while also introducing retraining and reskilling programmes to safeguard livelihoods, support regional development and create new economic opportunities.

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Andreas Gücklhorn)

ESM, a public electricity generation utility owned by the government of North Macedonia, provides 90 percent of the country’s domestic electricity production – about 3,600 GWh from two thermal power plants and 1,250 GWh from eight hydropower plants. ESM also operates two combined heat and power facilities and the first wind farm in the country, producing about 100 GWh annually.

Furthermore, in favour of decarbonisation and meeting the country’s renewable energy target, in 2020 the EBRD provided technical assistance to support the regulatory and legal aspects of introducing renewable energy auctions in three renewable energy tenders for 162 MW combined solar PV capacity. These are the first tenders in the Western Balkan region to be developed with exposure to wholesale power prices, one on public and one on private land, while the third is a public-private partnership tender for 100 MW solar PV capacity on ESM’s former coal mine in Oslomej.

The EBRD Shareholder Special Fund (SSF) provided EUR 75,000 for environmental and social due diligence, and EUR 74,000 for the development of basic design and technical specifications for the plants. The EBRD will support ESM with a nationally accredited market-relevant curricula programme to define redeploying and retraining opportunities for a significant share of the affected local workforce, with an approximate budget of EUR 200,000 to be funded from an international donor and SSF under the Gender and Economic Inclusion TC Framework.

To date, the EBRD has invested EUR 2.3 billion in 161 projects in the economy of North Macedonia.

Source: EBRD

ABB Collaborates With Microsoft On Energy Efficiency To Reinforce Commitment To Low-Carbon Society

03.07.2022

ABB announced that Microsoft has joined its Energy Efficiency Movement. Launched in March 2021 by ABB, the #energyefficiencymovement is a multi-stakeholder initiative to raise awareness and spur action to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions to combat climate change.

Companies are invited to join the movement and make a public pledge as a way of inspiring others to take action. Microsoft represents one of the largest corporate partners to join the initiative to date.

Energy efficiency is taking on greater urgency throughout industry as companies look for opportunities to decarbonize amid soaring energy costs and pressure from customers, employees and governments to make strides on sustainability. A recent survey commissioned by ABB found that energy efficiency is clearly top of mind for executives around the world. It revealed that 89 per cent of industrial leaders surveyed will increase investment in the energy efficiency of their operations in the coming five years, with 54 per cent aiming to achieve net-zero emissions in that timeframe.

“The greenest energy is the energy we never use,” said Tarak Mehta, President, Motion business area, ABB. “With 45 per cent of the world’s electricity used to power motors in buildings and industry, improving energy efficiency is an essential strategy to fight climate change. Digitally connected energy-efficient solutions are critical to accelerating progress and I am delighted Microsoft and ABB are making common cause to enable greater energy efficiency in our operations and those of our customers.”

“Microsoft is joining the ABB Energy Efficiency Movement to help accelerate global progress on energy efficiency and carbon reduction,” said Elisabeth Brinton, Corporate Vice President Sustainability, Microsoft. “Microsoft is committed to become carbon negative by 2030 and 100 per cent powered by renewable electricity by 2025, and these goals are well aligned to both ABB and the Movement’s aims. This will further support our existing collaboration to help customers in sectors like manufacturing, transportation, and cities to make better decisions at scale and drive meaningful efficiency gains.”

For its part, ABB reduced greenhouse gas emissions from its operations in 2021 by some 28 per cent on a year-over-year basis. In its comprehensive Sustainability strategy 2030, ABB has affirmed it will reach carbon neutrality by decade’s end. Beyond its own operations, ABB has also committed to help its customers in reducing their annual CO₂emissions by at least 100 megatons by 2030, the equivalent of removing 30 million combustion cars from the roads each year. With partners like Microsoft, Deutsche Post DHL Group and Alfa Laval, the ABB Energy Efficiency Movement brings together an ecosystem of like-minded industry leaders to accelerate efforts in decarbonization.

Having recently celebrated five years of successful collaboration in the context of ABB Ability^TM, ABB’s portfolio of digital solutions, the announcement regarding the Energy Efficiency Movement further cements Microsoft and ABB’s joint efforts to push technology boundaries in empowering customers to address sustainability. Using Microsoft Azure’s platform-as-a-service capability, along with AI and machine learning-based analytics, cloud computing and edge technologies, ABB Ability solutions are powering a range of industrial use cases that help organizations optimize how they make use of energy in powertrains, facilities and other physical assets. A new ABB whitepaper highlights some of the opportunities presented by digitalization and the industrial Internet of Things in bringing about more energy-efficient operations.

Source: ABB

More Funding For Sustainable Farm-based Proteins, As George Eustice Visits Innovative Farm

02.07.2022

The Environment Secretary will announce funding to improve the efficiency and sustainability of farm-based protein production.

Speaking at the Devon County Show, Environment Secretary, George Eustice, will announce further funding for research projects that will help boost farmers’ businesses and help improve the environmental impact of farming.

The recent Food Strategy committed to spend £270 million on research and development in the Farming Innovation Programme up to 2029. This Programme is designed to bring together farmers, growers, businesses and researchers for collaborative, industry-led research and development that will drive up the productivity, profitability and resilience of England’s farming sectors, whilst helping to improve the environment.

The Environment Secretary will confirm that in July, £12.5m from the Farming Innovation Programme will be set aside for research and development focused on ‘sustainable farm-based proteins’, in partnership with UKRI this funding will be made available for farmers, growers, businesses and academics to collaborate on projects that seek to improve the efficiency and sustainability of farm-based protein production, including protein crops like beans and peas and traditional livestock production, in order to help boost domestic production of healthy and sustainable food.

This might be achieved through the development of new methane reducing feeds and supplements, or the breeding of new sustainable and resilient crops and livestock.

The Environment Secretary will also showcase an example of innovative technology that is helping farmers capture the methane from slurry stores and turn it into biomethane, creating an additional income stream for farmers. Bennamann in Truro, Cornwall has pioneered this innovative approach building on world-leading science to help livestock farms of any size to cover their manure slurry lagoons, capture the fugitive emissions they produce, establish energy independence and improve business profitability through lower bills and sales of high value biomethane.

Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said:

Improving farm profitability and tackling environmental challenges requires

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (JillWellington)

us to allow the natural cycle of life to operate fully. Rather than seeing farm wastes like slurry as a problem and a cost, we need to start recognising that they are actually a resource that could be monetised to boost farm incomes.

Cornwall has a long history of pioneering new technology and it is at the forefront of new approaches that could revolutionise the way we manage farm yard manure to create a new income stream for farmers and generate a green fuel that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

Bennamann is working with the Local Authority and six of its farms to turn waste methane into biomethane. The biogas results from the anaerobic digestion of manure stored in the slurry lagoon on each farm, which can then be processed into a sustainable, commercially viable product as compressed gas or liquid fuel. That fuel will be able to power lorries and tractors, heat households and businesses, provide hot water and even charge electric vehicles. The Council plans to run its road maintenance vehicle fleet on this greener source of fuel. There is even a New Holland methane tractor in production, with Bennamann able to supply the tractor’s fuel on farm at a fixed period discounted price from the waste on farm.

For a 150 head dairy farm, the system creates biomethane worth approximately £30,000 in additional income for the dairy farm and it removes about half of the methane generated by the herd, making a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: GOV.UK

Limited Prices Of Basic Foodstuffs

01.07.2022

At session, the government of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Decree on limiting the price of basic foodstuffs, in order to protect the market and prevent distortions in the formation of prices of goods that are extremely important for supplying consumers, especially poorer category.

At session, the Decision on temporary restriction of exports of basic agri-food products important for the population was passed, which determines the amount of sunflower seed oil in retail packages for which exports are allowed on a monthly basis.

At the session, the Decree on the temporary measure of limiting the price of gas and compensating for the differences in the price of natural gas procured from imports or produced in the Republic of Serbia in case of disturbances on the natural gas market was adopted.

This regulation aims to eliminate the consequences of the jump in the price of that energy source, mitigate the consequences of the energy crisis and protect economies and citizens who are instructed in its use, as well as to ensure normal supply to all consumers and provide these entities with the right to compensation.

The government also adopted an amended Decree on the limitation of the price of oil derivatives, which extends the restriction until 31 July of the current year.

Given the global disturbance in the market of petroleum products and the energy crisis in the world, the Government adopted a Decision on a temporary ban on the export of Eurodiesel EN 590 in order to prevent shortages and ensure a secure supply of the market with this derivative.

Due to the increase in producer prices of petroleum products in the previous period, and in order to preserve macroeconomic stability and standards of citizens and uninterrupted supply of oil derivatives to the market, the session decided to temporarily reduce excise duties on petroleum products – leaded gasoline, unleaded gasoline and gas oils by 20 percent.

This Decision shall apply from 1 July 2022 and ending on 31 July 2022.

The government of Serbia also adopted amendments to the Decree on criteria, conditions and manner of calculation of receivables and liabilities between the buyer-producer and electricity supplier, which further simplified the procedure for energy production for own needs from RES.

The changes will enable additional shortening of procedures and reduction of costs for customers-producers who use the entire produced electricity only for their own consumption, and do not deliver excess energy to the transmission, distribution or closed distribution system.

Source: The Government of the Republic of Serbia

UN Environment Programme And European Investment Bank Join Forces To Reduce Pollution In The Marine And Coastal Environment

01.07.2022

plastic waste ocean — Photo-illustration: Pixabay

Photo-illustration: Unsplash (Naja Bertolt Jensen)

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) launched the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Mediterranean Pollution Hot Spots Technical Assistance initiative, which aims to reduce pollution in the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment.

As part of the USD 5 million Hot Spots Pollution project, the initiative aims to promote adequate and sound water, wastewater, solid waste and industrial emissions management in the Southern Mediterranean region, thereby reducing health risks and enhancing access to safe drinking water and sanitation services.

The initiative was launched on the sidelines of the UN Oceans Conference in Lisbon by Vice President of the EIB, Ricardo Mourinho Félix, and Susan Gardner, Director of UNEP’s Ecosystems Division. The two agreed to support preparation of priority investment projects to reduce pollution in the marine and coastal environments of the three Southern Mediterranean countries, namely Egypt, Lebanon and Tunisia.

“Untreated discharges of wastewater represent a major problem for Mediterranean ecosystems and the health of the population living in the region. Many large coastal cities still lack a wastewater treatment system, and many existing systems are based on outdated and inefficient technologies,” said Susan Gardner. “This joint GEF-EIB-UNEP project will pool resources to decrease pollution and improve the marine ecosystems and the health of people living in the Mediterranean region.”

According to the 2021 State of Finance for Nature report, in order for the world to meet its climate change, biodiversity and land degradation targets, a total of USD 8.1 trillion is required between now and 2050. The Technical Assistance initiative is a step forward toward bridging this gap.

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most highly valued seas in the world. The region comprises a vast set of coastal and marine ecosystems that deliver valuable benefits to all its 250 million coastal inhabitants. But the Mediterranean Sea is facing multiple pressures caused by human activities, including chemical contamination, eutrophication, pollution by marine litter and over-exploitation.

The technical assistance provided under the Mediterranean Hot Spots Investment Programme (MeHSIP) will be geared towards helping promoters accelerate the preparation of financeable projects in the water and environment sectors that will tackle these pressures.

Ricardo Mourinho Felix, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank said: “The state of the Mediterranean Sea is crucial for biodiversity conservation, the availability of clean water resources and to sustain jobs that rely on it. The EIB is one of the largest lenders to the global water sector. I am pleased to intensify our long-standing cooperation with UNEP to support the depollution of the Mediterranean. It will contribute to the objectives of the Clean Ocean Initiative set up to improve the health of the oceans globally.”

The USD 5 million Mediterranean Pollution Hot Spots Investment Project is one of the, USD 42 million, GEF-funded MedProgramme’s child projects implemented by UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan – Barcelona Convention.

The launch of the Technical Assistance initiative marks progress toward realising commitments taken at the 22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties (COP 22) to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols on regional prevention and pollution reduction measures from wastewater treatment plants.

Source: UNEP

Latvia, Austria, Slovakia have EU’s largest gas stores

30.06.2022

After clinching a deal on mandatory gas storage last month, Latvia, Austria and Slovakia currently have the largest gas stores for next winter compared to annual consumption.

Slovakia, for example, has already filled its stores to 36 per cent of its yearly consumption, data published by the association of gas infrastructure operators shows.

It also has a storage facility in Czechia connected to the Slovak distribution network. With these stores, Slovakia has more than half of the consumption covered and should survive the next winter without major restrictions even if Russia completely stops gas imports to Europe.

Within the EU, only Austria and Latvia have higher storages when not counting Slovak facilities in Czechia, although numbers are not known for Estonia and Lithuania. Austria has reserves equal to 43.3 per cent of the annual consumption, while Latvia leads the EU with more than 78 per cent.

European Union negotiators agreed last month on mandatory gas storage obligations for EU countries, aiming for the bloc’s stores to be at least 85 per cent full by 1 November 2022.

The agreement, which aims for storage to be shared between EU countries “in a spirit of solidarity”, follows a winter of concern about low EU gas storage, high energy prices and disruptions in the supply of Russian gas.

Slovakia’s economy ministry has previously announced that it wants to have enough gas in the storage tanks to last the next winter before the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is shut down for repairs. How long the reserves would last also depends on how cold the winter will be.

There is, however, a catch. Not all gas in Slovak storage tanks necessarily belongs to Slovakia. Any company, including foreign ones, can have gas stored. The government can, however, block this gas for the benefit of vulnerable consumers if needed.

However, the shutdown of Nord Stream 1 is expected in the next few days. Fear is that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use this shutdown to stop the imports completely. EU countries, therefore, prepare for the worst. Germany has already declared the second warning level of its three-levels crisis plan.

Germany has reserves filled only to 14.55 per cent. According to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, the country faces the threat of industrial shutdowns if limited supplies do not improve by winter.

Source: EURACTIV.com/EURACTIV.sk

Blue Economy Can Help Members Boost Offshore Renewables

30.06.2022

“An important part of the solution to today’s energy crisis may lay with our oceans as a source of local and abundant renewable energy”, said Roland Roesch, Deputy-Director of IRENA’s Innovation and Technology Centre, at the fourth meeting of the Collaborative Framework on Ocean Energy/Offshore Renewables, “which also may foster a blue economy benefiting coastal areas and island territories. But we need to create the enabling frameworks to speed up its deployment.”

Co-facilitated by Tonga and Italy, the virtual meeting was attended by 57 participants from 32 Members and States in Accession, as well as representatives of the industry and international organisations, including Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and Ocean Energy Europe. The meeting’s purpose was to share best practices to accelerate the deployment of offshore renewables globally.

According to IRENA estimates, 2000 gigawatts (GW) of installed offshore wind capacity will be needed to keep the goal of limiting global temperature to 1.5°C and achieve net zero by 2050. However, this progress will not come without challenges.

H.E. ‘Akau’ola, Co-Facilitator of the Collaborative Framework and Ambassador of Tonga to the UAE, said renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen were dominating the energy base. But, he said, there is a sufficient body of quantitative evidence that offshore renewable energy has enormous untapped potential to drive the global energy transition.

Dorothea Damkjaer, Chief Advisor – Green Diplomacy and Climate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Denmark, introduced a new initiative to promote such a collaboration: The Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA). Founded by Denmark, IRENA and GWEC, the complementary initiative has the ambition to create a global driving force for the uptake of offshore wind through political mobilisation.

“GOWA intends to have a significant role in convening governments and industry to address issues pertaining to the deployment of offshore renewables and sharing best practices for overcoming obstacles. Its workstreams will be determined by members’ interest and willingness to collaborate. The aim is to achieve a total global offshore wind capacity of 380 GW by 2030, with 35 GW of annual new capacity on average each year across the 2020s,” she added.

Denmark, IRENA and GWEC called on all interested members and parties to leverage GOWA to support the acceleration of offshore renewable energy solutions across different sectors. Sharing enablers of best practices to accelerate the uptake of ocean renewables, Rebecca Williams, Global Head of Offshore, GWEC, said offshore wind flourishes in a policy environment that significantly reduces the time to grant permits and monetise all the value of offshore renewables via innovative electricity procurement approaches as discussed in the EU.

The meeting concluded with a live polling session, inviting participants to share their views on the focus of working groups under the Collaborative Framework. Members prioritised facilitating and expediting permitting processes for offshore wind and instruments for scaling up investment for ocean energy as the priority to be addressed by policy makers.

Source: IRENA

Norway Has Key Opportunities to Advance its Transition and Help Lead the World on Clean Energy Technologies

29.06.2022

oslo-norveška — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

As a resource-rich country on the leading edge of many clean energy technologies, Norway is uniquely well placed for the clean energy transition and now needs to advance strategies to tackle emissions in sectors where they are hardest to reduce in order to meet its ambitious climate targets, according to a new in-depth policy review by the International Energy Agency.

Since the IEA’s last policy review in 2017, Norway has remained a global pillar of energy security with its ample reserves of oil and gas produced in an environmentally responsible manner. Norway is a significant and reliable international supplier, exporting close to 90 per cent of its energy production.

“I commend Norway’s efforts to boost its near-term oil and gas production in response to war in Ukraine, helping to stabilise global supplies, especially to its European neighbours,” said IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol, who is launching the report today with Terje Aasland, Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy. “At the same time, Norway is leading efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production, especially through the electrification of offshore platforms.

Norway has updated its already ambitious climate targets with plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 90-95 per cent from 1990 levels by 2050, excluding carbon sinks. The country’s robust carbon pricing system, under which 85 per cent of domestic emissions are either covered by the European Union Emissions Trading System or subject to a carbon tax, provides a solid basis for delivering this goal.

Nonetheless, the report finds that Norway has considerable work ahead to meet its ambitious targets. Since the country has substantially electrified its energy demand and has already cut emissions from power generation to nearly zero, thanks to abundant hydropower, many of the easy wins for reducing emissions have already been achieved. The remaining reductions will be more complex, challenging and costly, notably in transport and industry.

The report notes that Norway’s existing energy sector expertise can help it achieve a successful energy and climate transition. If the right policies are put in place, Norway is well placed to decarbonize a wide range of sectors through technologies such as electric vehicles, hydrogen, and carbon capture, utilization and storage. Norway is already a leader in carbon capture, and its impressive Longship project, which encompasses two full-scale capture facilities and one storage facility in the North Sea, will further help to advance this technology for the world.

The IEA report recommends that Norway leverage its renewables-based electricity system and develop detailed, long-term sector-by-sector roadmaps backed by specific policy measures.

“I believe Norway has an important opportunity to show the world how to undertake complex emissions reductions, an issue all countries will need to face,” said Dr Birol. “I hope this report will help Norway navigate its own path toward a low-emissions society and help lead the world on advancing low-carbon technologies.”

Source: IEA

EU Energy Ministers Endorse Faster Permitting Of Renewables

28.06.2022

Photo-illustration: Pixabay (SailingOnChocolateRoses)

The EU Energy Ministers have agreed their position on changes to the Renewable Energy Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive, paving the way for faster build-out of renewables and streamlined permitting for wind farms. They agreed the Renewable Energy Directive should now include additional measures as proposed in the REPowerEU Action Plan to increase the EU’s energy security. EU Energy Ministers will now finalise the changes in negotiations with the European Parliament in autumn.

The EU Energy Council agreed its position on a revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Energy Efficiency Directive (EED). EU Energy Ministers included key elements of the REPowerEU Action Plan, the EU’s energy response to the war in Ukraine, in their amendments to the RED. In light of the ongoing war the ministers stressed the need to accelerate the deployment of home-grown renewables in order to strengthen EU’s energy security. They agreed the expansion of renewables and the linked expansion of on- and offshore grid infrastructure in Europe should be considered a matter of “overarching public interest” and “public safety”.

To deliver the necessary build-out of renewables the EU Energy Ministers agreed on clear deadlines for the permitting of new projects and facilitated permitting of repowering projects. For repowering only the environmental impacts that are additional to the already existing turbines will be subject to environmental impact assessments. To ensure that wind energy development goes hand in hand with biodiversity protection the European Council now encourages a population-based approach to biodiversity that will help maintain and improve the health of endangered bird populations.

“Europe now wants 510 GW of wind energy by 2030, up from 190 GW today. That’s 39 GW of new wind farms every year. Europe will only achieve that if it speeds up permitting. It’s very good that EU Energy Ministers have now agreed to do precisely that. All new wind farms should be permitted in maximum two years. Governments should ensure this deadline covers all permits, including the environmental impact assessment and grid permits.”, says WindEurope CEO Giles Dickson.

To achieve a 55 percent greenhouse gas reduction by 2030 as compared to 1990 levels, renewables must be used beyond the power sector. Member States committed to assessing and removing the barriers for corporate renewable power purchase agreements. This will make more clean and competitive wind energy available to corporate consumers and will support the broader decarbonisation of Europe’s economy especially in energy intensive industries.

Today electricity is only one quarter of all energy consumed in the EU. By 2050 it will be three quarters, 57 percent of the EU energy system will be electrified directly, another 18 percent will be electrified indirectly via renewable hydrogen and its derivates. With the adoption of specific sector targets, the EU Energy Ministers further strengthened the position of renewable hydrogen. They agreed a mandatory renewable hydrogen target in industry of 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2035 as well as an indicative renewable hydrogen target in transport of 5.2 percent by 2030.

Member States are now ready to start discussions with the European Parliament on the revised RED. The next step is for the European Parliament to vote its position on the Directive in its Industry and Energy Committee this 13 July. Final negotiations could then begin in autumn.

Source: WindEurope

Stellantis Expands Relationship With Vulcan Energy Becoming Shareholder In Decarbonized Lithium Company

28.06.2022

Stellantis N.V. and Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd. today announced Stellantis’ €50 million (A$76 million) equity investment in Vulcan and an extension of the original binding offtake agreement to 10 years. The equity investment will go towards Vulcan’s planned production expansion drilling in its producing Upper Rhine Valley Brine Field (URVBF). Vulcan is already producing geothermal energy from its URVBF and plans to produce lithium hydroxide with zero fossil fuels and net zero carbon footprint as part of the Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project.

“Making this highly strategic investment in a leading lithium company will help us create a resilient and sustainable value chain for our European electric vehicle battery production,” said Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. “We continue our quest of forming strong relationships with partners who share our values as we collectively fight against global warming and provide clean, safe and affordable mobility to our customers.”

“Stellantis’ significant investment in Vulcan and the Zero Carbon Lithium™ Project represents a strong statement by one of the world’s largest automakers regarding sustainable and strategic sourcing of battery materials,” said Vulcan Managing Director Dr Francis Wedin. “We are fully aligned with Stellantis’ decarbonisation and electrification goals, which represent some of the most ambitious in the industry. It is encouraging to see a leading automaker investing in local, low carbon lithium production for electric vehicles. As our largest offtaker, we look forward to deepening our relationship with Stellantis as a substantial shareholder in Vulcan and our Zero Carbon Lithium™ business.”

As part of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, Stellantis announced plans of reaching 100 percent of passenger car battery electric vehicle (BEV) sales mix in Europe and 50 percent passenger car and light-duty truck BEV sales mix in the United States by 2030. Stellantis will be the industry champion in climate change mitigation, becoming carbon net zero by 2038, with a 50 percent reduction by 2030.

Stellantis recently announced its North American lithium hydroxide supply agreement.

Source: Stellantis

Vouchers in the value of RSD 15,000 for 200,000 citizens

27.06.2022

tara-mountain-srbija — Foto-ilustracija: Pixabay

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic announced in his address to the public new support for about 200,000 eligible citizens in the form of vouchers in the value of RSD 15,000 for a vacation in Serbia.

“This is exclusive news that we have been working on for a long time and we will invest a lot of money in it”, Vucic said and explained that vouchers will be available to pensioners – all those who have exercised the right to a pension in Serbia and abroad, pupils, students and the unemployed registered at the National Employment Service.

As stated on the website vaucerisrbija.com, vouchers will be used for accommodation services lasting at least five nights and in catering facilities outside of the place of residence, as well as places of study of voucher users. The voucher cannot be used to pay for food, drinks, health and other services, sojourn tax and more.

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