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☆ More than 94,000 prepayment meters forcibly installed in Britain in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - More than 94,000 prepayment meters were installed in homes in Britain using warrants and without customer consent in 2022, the government said on Monday, adding that British Gas, Scottish Power and OVO Energy accounted for 70% of them. Prepayment meters allow customers to pay for gas and electricity on a pay-as-you-go basis. British Gas, Scottish Power and OVO Energy forcibly installed 66,187 prepayment metres under warrant last year, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said. Scottish Power was the worst offender when taking its customer base into account, force-fitting more than 24,300 meters, BEIS said. The company is not currently installing prepayment meters or recovering debt from those customers on new prepayment meters unless requested by the customer, the spokesperson added.

European gas prices rallied in the run-up to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine begun almost exactly a year ago and they leapt to record highs when Russia subsequently cut supplies of relatively cheap pipeline gas. Although European prices have eased to around 50 euros ($53) per megawatt hour (MWh) from last August's peak of more than 340 euros, they remain above historic averages. That was even when they had received significant levels of Russian gas on long-term contracts prior to the shut down of the Nord Stream pipeline to Germany in August. Nord Stream's closure drove up European gas prices, as well as liquefied natural gas (LNG) prices, which also hit record levels of around 70 million British thermal units (mmBtu), compared with around $16 now . That could be tricky as the fall in gas prices this year has reduced the incentive to avoid the fuel.

☆ UK's Crown Estate to lease seabed sites for six offshore wind projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Britain's Crown Estate will lease sites for six offshore wind projects capable of generating enough green electricity to power more than seven million homes by 2030 under agreements announced on Thursday. The Crown Estate, which oversees the British monarch's public holdings, manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland and awards seabed rights for the development of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy. Germany's RWE (RWEG.DE) said it was one of the companies that had signed a lease agreement with the Crown Estate. Gus Jaspert, managing director in charge of marine at the Crown Estate, said the deal "marks a significant milestone for the UK on the road to net zero". The offshore wind market has grown to become the largest source of renewable electricity in the UK, the Crown Estate said, currently able to power approximately 40% of UK homes.

Tehran's oil exports have been limited since former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 exited a 2015 nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions aimed at curbing oil exports and the associated revenue to Iran's government. "In comparison to the Trump administration, there hasn't been any serious crackdown or action against Iran's oil exports," said Sara Vakhshouri of SVB. The Iranian oil ministry did not respond to a request for comment on exports. MORE TO CHINAThere is no definitive figure for Iranian oil exports and estimates often fall into a wide range. According to another analyst, Vortexa, China's December imports of Iranian oil hit a new record of 1.2 million bpd, up 130% from a year earlier.

☆ Britain's renewable power hits new peak, fossil fuel also rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wind, solar, biomass and hydro are the main sources of renewable power. Fossil fuel still has a larger share, providing 42% of Britain's power in 2022, which was its biggest contribution to the country's fuel mix since 2016. The country has significantly reduced its reliance on coal, the most carbon-intensive form of power generation. The rise of renewable power cut Britain's carbon emissions by 2.7 million tonnes compared to the previous year, according to Thursday's report. Another report by Drax, once heavily reliant on coal and now Britain's biggest renewable power generator by output, said that between 2010-19, Britain cut its carbon emissions from its power grid further and faster than any other major economy.

REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File PhotoDec 13 (Reuters) - For the energy industry, 2022 will be remembered as the year Russia's invasion of Ukraine accelerated a global energy crisis. The world's top energy companies beat a hasty retreat from Russia and wrote off tens of billions of dollars in assets. WHY IT MATTERSRussia's invasion of Ukraine caused European countries to re-evaluate their relationship with that nation, long the continent's primary supplier of natural gas. "We are seeing nothing less than the termination of a successful 50-year partnership on gas between Russia and Europe," said Michael Stoppard, special adviser and global gas analyst at S&P Global Commodity Insights. As the year comes to a close, costs for natural gas and heating fuel have ebbed as economic activity declines.

☆ Keadby 3 becomes first UK carbon capture power station to win planning permission
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | Calls Grow For Companies To Disclose Impacts On Nature In Bid To Plug Finance Gap | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Sse Plc FollowEquinor ASA FollowLONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Keadby 3 Carbon Capture Power Station in northern England has become the UK's first carbon capture and storage (CCS) project to receive planning permission. The project is backed by Britain's SSE Thermal, part of SSE (SSE.L), and Norwegian energy company Equinor (EQNR.OL). The power station could be operational as early as 2027. SSE Thermal and Equinor are also collaborating on building Peterhead Carbon Capture Power Station in the northeast of Scotland. They are also developing Keadby Hydrogen Power Station and Aldbrough Hydrogen Storage.

☆ Britain's energy watchdog proposes power price controls
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Bozorgmehr Sharafedin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Price controls begin on April 1Proposals are subject to statutory consultationShould increase use of renewable powerGreen energy would be backed up by nuclear, hydrogenLONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain’s energy watchdog has proposed price controls for electricity distribution network companies for the next five years that it said would drive investment in homegrown supplies and deliver cheaper power without increasing consumer bills. The controls, which will run from April 1, 2023, to 2028, require six electricity distribution network companies to focus investment towards "more homegrown, cleaner, cheaper, and secure sources of energy". Ofgem said it expected the proposal to increase the use of renewables, including wind and solar energy, backed up by expanded nuclear and hydrogen-generated energy. Known as RIIO-ED2 (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs for electricity distribution), the proposal sets the level of investment Ofgem allows local electricity distribution networks to make in the five-year period. The total allowed expenditure for the six companies was around 22 billion pounds, Ofgem said.

REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File PhotoHOUSTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A grounded oil supertanker under U.S. Treasury Department sanctions being refloated in Indonesia is filled with Venezuelan fuel, according to vessel monitoring services. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control last week imposed sanctions on the stranded tanker, Young Yong, for its part in an international oil smuggling network that Washington said supports Hezbollah and Iran's Quds Force. Both tankers had departed between late July and early August carrying fuel oil supplied by Venezuela's state-run oil firm PDVSA, according to internal company documents seen by Reuters and TankerTrackers.com, which confirmed the vessels' identities. The Panama-flagged Eagle Brenda, identified on PDVSA shipping schedules as "Eagle I," also carried some 1 million barrels of Venezuelan fuel oil, the documents showed. The tanker was in Venezuelan waters at least twice since last year, where it loaded Venezuelan crude and fuel for exports, according to PDVSA's schedules and TankerTrackers.com.

Almost all the funds, some $7.8 billion, flowed between Binance and Iran's largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, according to a review of data from leading U.S. blockchain researcher Chainalysis. The scale of Binance's Iranian crypto flows – and the fact that they are continuing – has not been previously reported. The total volume of Iranian transactions flowing through Binance is far greater than through any other exchange, the data show. The vast majority of the $8 billion in Iranian crypto transactions identified by Reuters involved the main Binance exchange. This October, the Treasury fined Seattle-based crypto exchange Bittrex $24 million for violating sanctions on Iran and other countries by processing crypto transactions worth over $260 million.

LONDON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - European benchmark gas prices have been steadily declining over the past few months to near their levels before war broke out in Ukraine. WHY HAVE GAS PRICES BEEN FALLING RECENTLY? The European Union as a whole also met a target for refilling gas storage sites to 80% by Nov. 1 ahead of time. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply and Norwegian pipeline supply have been strong. Added to that, wind power output has been quite high, which reduces demand for gas from power plants.

Gas installation is pictured at the Cavern Underground Gas Storage (CUGS) Kosakowo facility, near Debogorze, Poland April, 30. "If we have a drop in temperature, we could expect an uptick in energy demand for heating," Buontempo said. But some analysts warn this alone will not compensate for the loss of Europe's main gas supplier - and a cold winter would make this worse. A cold winter in Europe could add 8 bcm to Europe's gas demand, said Energy Aspects analyst Leon Izbicki. If cold weather depletes gas storage levels this winter, Europe will need to replenish for next winter - with far less Russian gas.

SummarySummary Companies Chevron sees continuing strong demand for LNG in EuropeEurope's high prices to lure most U.S. LNG in the short termChevron expected to boost Permian Basin output 15% this yearLONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - U.S. oil major Chevron Corp (CVX.N) expects high European prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to attract a majority of U.S. LNG exports in the short term, a top executive told Reuters on Wednesday. Its commitment to building import terminals and regasification facilities shows the region's demand for U.S. exports could last. The major also produces LNG in Australia and Angola, and recently carved out a foothold in U.S. LNG through purchase agreements with LNG producers Cheniere Energy Inc (LNG.A) and closely-held Venture Global LNG. "Gas demand in the United States is roughly flat," said Parfitt. "What's growing in the United States is demand for exports," he said.

Any hope of the Nord Stream network resuming shipments to Germany was dashed last month by suspected sabotage. Even then, it is unlikely to make up for the missing Russian gas. A risk is that as energy supplies dwindle, energy demand will not shrink enough. European industrial gas demand has fallen as high gas prices have led factories in energy-intensive sectors such as aluminium, steel and ammonia, have shut production. Europe can't afford any surprises this winter without Russian gasA more comfortable energy supply situation could be many winters away.

☆ Factbox: Europe's efforts to shield households from soaring energy costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-02 | by ( Susanna Twidale | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

Without the measure, average home energy bills were tipped to reach over 3,500 pounds a year in October with forecasts of much higher bills to come. CZECH REPUBLICThe Czech government has agreed to cap electricity and gas prices next year to shield households from soaring prices. ITALYItaly approved an aid package worth some 14 billion euros ($14 billion) in September to shield firms and families from surging energy costs. The measures came on top of some 52 billion euros already budgeted since January to soften the energy crisis in Italy. NORWAYNorway has been subsidising household electricity bills since December and now covers 80% of the portion of power bills above a certain rate.

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