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☆ Google is making a map of methane leaks for the whole world to see
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Catherine Boudreau | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Oil, gas, and coal operations are thought to account for 40% of global methane emissions from human activities. At least 155 countries have also signed the Global Methane Pledge, which calls for a 30% reduction in emissions. The pledge initially launched in 2021, but since then, methane emissions have continued to rise . To help change that trajectory, the US and Europe last year issued regulations cracking down on methane emissions from fossil fuel infrastructure. By 2027, those imports will have to meet methane emissions standards on par with Europe's.

Persons: Steve Hamburg, —, Yael Maguire, Maguire Organizations: Service, Google, Environmental Defense Fund, Business, International Energy Agency, Google Geo Locations: Agriculture, MethaneSAT, Dubai, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Hamburg

☆ Centrica hikes dividend as profits at British Gas soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Centrica announced bumper returns for shareholders on Thursday after its first-half profits surged on an almost ten-fold increase at its British Gas supply business. Centrica has doubled its support package for struggling customers to 100 million pounds ($130 million), it added. The British Gas Energy supply division posted adjusted profits of 969 million pounds versus 98 million a year earlier. The firm said it would invest 4 billion pounds by 2028 on security of supply, energy flexibility and renewable power. Overall, Centrica's adjusted operating profit for the first six months of 2023 rose to 2.08 billion pounds from 1.34 billion pounds a year earlier.

Persons: Britain's Centrica, Chris O'Shea, Centrica, O'Shea Organizations: British Gas, British Gas Energy, EDF's Locations: Ukraine

☆ AT&T does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJuly 18 (Reuters) - AT&T (T.N) said on Tuesday it does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe pending further analysis, according to its court filing. AT&T on Tuesday harshly criticized the newspaper's reporting and testing, saying it "differs dramatically from the expert testing commissioned by AT&T." In Tuesday's court filing, AT&T argued that lead-clad cables "make up a small part" of its network. EDF's goal was to use scientifically sound principles to determine the extent that lead-clad cables may pose health risks. We did not pick the lab - the Wall Street Journal did that."

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Tom Neltner, Neltner, David Shepardson, Chris Reese, Matthew Lewis, Muralikumar Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Journal, AT, Wall, EPA, . Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Defense, Safer Chemicals, Reuters, EDF, Marine Taxonomic Services, Street, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Tahoe, California, Nevada, Washington

☆ France to uphold electricity price caps until early 2025, finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - France's cap on electricity price hikes will stay in place beyond 2023 and likely be phased out over a two-year period, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Friday, arguing power prices haven't "normalised" yet. "Electricity prices haven't returned to normal, so we will take a little more time to withdraw the price cap. I give us another two years until early 2025," Le Maire told broadcaster LCI in an interview. Le Maire, however, said the government will likely end similar household price caps for natural gas at the end of 2023, because gas prices have lowered significantly in recent months after spiking in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In addition to a 15% price hike limitation on energy tariffs, the government has also pressured retailers to guarantee affordable food prices.

☆ Exclusive: EDF warns of 1 billion euro loss due to French strikes, reviews hiring - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Benjamin Mallet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 13 (Reuters) - French utility EDF (EDF.PA) has warned drawn-out strikes at its nuclear reactors and hydro-electricity plants have cost it 1 billion euros ($1.10 billion) in lost output and that it is reviewing hiring plans for the year, three sources said. An EDF spokesperson told Reuters that a moratorium had been imposed on hirings. It comes as EDF's new chief executive draws up a plan to ramp up nuclear production and lighten the group's heavy debt load. The group had originally planned to hire between 3,000 and 3,500 people in 2023, mostly in nuclear production and sales, one of the sources said. The group's net debt rose to 64.5 billion euros in 2022, up from 43 billion a year earlier.

☆ Strikes hit French nuclear output, disrupt EDF maintenance plans
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Forrest Crellin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoPARIS, March 24 (Reuters) - Strikes in France are impacting maintenance plans at EDF's (EDF.PA) nuclear plants, curbing production just as the utility hoped to rebound from a 34-year output low last year. At least 14 nuclear reactors in EDF's fleet of 56 have suffered some delay affecting their maintenance plans, data from the CGT union showed. For EDF that has meant nuclear power output in 2023 even lower than last year when it had swathes of reactors offline for repairs and checks for stress corrosion cracks. EDF declined to comment on the impact of the strikes on its maintenance plans. French nuclear safety watchdog ASN requested EDF revise its maintenance program due to new cracks discovered this month in some reactors.

☆ A tidal power 'mega project' in one of Europe's iconic waterways could power 1 million homes. But costs are huge
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Authorities in Liverpool want the river to be home to a huge tidal power project which, they say, could power as many as 1 million homes, generating thousands of jobs for the region in the process. Speaking to CNBC, Martin Land, director of the Mersey Tidal Power Project, outlined how the system would work in practice. Tidal barrage systems in operation today include EDF's 240 megawatt La Rance tidal power plant in France, and South Korea's 254 MW Sihwa Lake tidal power plant, currently the world's largest. The agreement, it added, would see "K-water and the Combined Authority working closely together to explore possibilities for tidal power." "Once operational, Mersey Tidal Power would have the potential to become the world's largest tidal power scheme," he said.

PARIS, March 5 (Reuters) - Industrial action in France over the government's planned pensions overhaul will cause heavy disruption to public transport again on Tuesday, the transport minister and several public transport authorities said on Sunday. Some unions, such as the hardline CGT, called for a rolling strike at refineries and at the national railway operator SNCF. "We are moving up a gear," the head of CGT, Philippe Martinez, told French weekly JDD. It is up to him to withdraw this reform," he said, referring to President Emmanuel Macron. RATP, the public transport operator for the Ile-de-France region around Paris, also said metro lines and suburban trains will be heavily disrupted, with some metro lines only running at peak hours.

☆ Cost of EDF's new UK nuclear project rises to $40 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( America Hernandez | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, Feb 20 (Reuters) - EDF's (EDF.PA) new nuclear plant in southwest England is likely to cost about 2% more than its last budget estimate as inflation propels the price tag to almost 33 billion pounds ($40 billion), EDF documents show. EDF warned in a results presentation on Friday the cost of the Hinkley Point C project, Britain's first new nuclear plant in more than two decades, "could reach 32.7 billion pounds" based on inflation indexes as of June 30, 2022. Its previously published cost estimate in May 2022 was 31-32 billion euros when adjusted for inflation. The company last week reported a record net loss of 17.9 billion euros ($19.1 billion). The project is already a decade overdue, with EDF initially saying it would be powering British homes in 2017.

☆ Strike reduces French power supply, halts refinery shipments
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

EDF's (EDF.PA) outage table showed a 4.5 GW nuclear supply reduction at eight reactors, 460 megawatts (MW) of reduced hydropower and 2.8 GW of lower thermal production. This is how strikes work in France : strikers are not allowed to put security of supply at risk," analyst Emeric de Vigan said. Meanwhile, deliveries of refined oil products were blocked from leaving refineries operated by TotalEnergies , the company said. There would be no disruption to fuel supplies at service stations if the unions maintained their strike timetable, TotalEnergies has said. The CGT refineries federation has called for a single day of strike this week and further walkouts next week and the week after.

☆ France's energy watchdog sees no risk to power supplies until at least mid-January
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - There is no risk to power supplies in France until at least mid-January, the head of the country's CRE energy watchdog, Emmanuelle Wargon, said on Wednesday. The government has set a target of cutting France's energy consumption by 10% by 2024 from 2019 levels, as part of a wide ranging plan that includes turning off lights and lowering thermostats to avoid power and gas cuts over the winter amid the war in Ukraine. "We remain attentive and vigilant" in case temperatures drop, she said, adding that "until mid-January, we know we won't have problems". Wargon also said that France's nuclear fleet, currently hit by maintenance and repair works, is expected to reach a production capacity of 45 gigawatts (GW) in January. Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Louise Heavens, Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ French winter power supply risk cut to 'medium', says RTE
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Forrest Crellin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, Dec 20 (Reuters) - The risk to French power supply from the start of January through the rest of winter has been reduced to 'medium' because of higher nuclear and hydropower availability as well as reduced demand from consumers, French grid operator RTE said on Tuesday. Nuclear power utility EDF (EDF.PA) has faced an unprecedented number of reactor outages this year owing to delayed maintenance and stress corrosion, reducing nuclear output to 30-year lows just as Russia's war in Ukraine hit Europe's energy supplies. Nuclear power availability topped 40 GW on Dec. 12, lifting supply to the top of the expected availability range, RTE said. The filling level of French gas stocks has dropped to about 85% after beginning the winter near full, which is higher than previous years, RTE said. There is no concern for the first part of winter thanks to high gas supply across the continent, but vigilance will be needed for the second half of winter and especially winter 2023-24, RTE added.

REUTERS/Denis BalibousePARIS, Dec 9 (Reuters) - France's state-controlled utility EDF said on Friday three of its nuclear reactors were "ramping up" production after repairs, while a power outage tested nerves in Paris and cold weather added to the strain on supplies across Europe. EDF (EDF.PA) is racing to get nuclear reactors back online following work to tackle corrosion problems as the whole of Europe struggles to cope with the impact on its energy supplies of the Ukraine war. Compounding the impact of disrupted energy imports from Russia, a record number of outages at EDF's 56-strong nuclear fleet has taken France's nuclear output to a 30-year low, increasing the country's reliance on other country's depleted energy reserves. Later on Friday, EDF Chief Executive Luc Remont and French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire are due to hold a news conference at a nuclear site. POWER CUTSGrid operator RTE, however, says the country's power supplies will be stretched even if EDF manages to stick to its repair schedule, and partial load-shedding measures cannot be ruled out this winter on cold days.

☆ Macron says "no panic" about possible French power cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said there was no reason to panic about possible power cuts this winter, but he called on citizens to use less energy and on state utility EDF to restart nuclear reactors to prevent outages in case of cold weather. In an interview with French TV station TF1 recorded during his state visit to the United States this week, Macron denied that the risk of rolling blackouts was due to inadequate management of EDF's (EDF.PA) nuclear reactor restart programme. It is legitimate for the government to prepare for the extreme cases which would mean cutting off electricity for a few hours per day if we did not have enough power," Macron said. The head of French power grid operator RTE said on Thursday that France may face "some days" of power cuts this winter and the government has started briefing local authorities on how to handle any outages. Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cold weather could cause French power cuts next week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Cold weather could lead to power cuts in France on Monday as delays to the restart of nuclear power following repair work leave supply lagging demand, analysts said. Nuclear power supply had been expected to reach around 40 gigawatts (GW) this week, but operator EDF's (EDF.PA) delay in restarting reactors meant it rose to only around 35 GW, leaving France more reliant on imports and gas-fired production. "If we remain at 35 GW, next week Monday could become quite tight: we expect the demand at otherwise seasonally normal levels, but 35 GW of nuclear would be too low to meet a possible demand peak at 73 GW," Gerl said. The current EDF schedule shows 3 GW of nuclear power returning to the grid next week, putting total capacity at 38 GW for the first cold spell of the peak demand winter season. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsGrid operator RTE said on Thursday France may face "some days" this winter when there was too little electricity supply.

☆ Welders wanted: France steps up recruitment drive as nuclear crisis deepens
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Benjamin Mallet | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

EDF estimates that France's nuclear industry needs to recruit between 10,000 and 15,000 workers a year over the next seven years. Despite relatively high unemployment, France's manufacturing, construction, engineering and IT industries complain they can't get the workers they need. These people work with molten metal at 1,500 degrees Celsius, and sometimes have to stand upside down," said one welder in the nuclear industry, who asked not to be identified. Before the war in Ukraine, successive administrations sought to reduce France's reliance on nuclear energy, not build new reactors, they say. For a long time, France was Europe's nuclear energy champion - and its biggest electricity exporter.

☆ After decades as a nuclear powerhouse, France makes its play in offshore wind
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

This image, from Sept. 2022, shows French President Emmanuel Macron speaking with workers on board a boat during a visit to the Saint-Nazaire Offshore Wind Farm. A facility described as "France's first commercial-scale offshore wind project" is fully operational, multinational utility EDF said this week. The news represents a significant step forward for the country's offshore wind sector, with more projects set to come online in the years ahead. Located in waters off the south west coast of France, the Saint-Nazaire project consists of 80 turbines. Looking ahead, EDF said the wind farm would "supply the equivalent of the consumption of 700,000 people with electricity every year."

☆ France's EDF, Credit Agricole sign 1 bln euro nuclear loan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Nov 18 (Reuters) - EDF (EDF.PA) and Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA) said on Friday they had signed a 1 billion euro ($1.04 billion) loan to finance the maintenance of nuclear power plants in France. The loan is part of EDF's major refit programme to improve the security and extend the operating life of nuclear reactors beyond 40 years. The deal is the first transaction in which the funds will be entirely dedicated to investments in EDF's nuclear activities, Credit Agricole and EDF said in a statement. ($1 = 0.9630 euros)Reporting by Virginia Furness; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The United States is among over 100 countries that have pledged to cut their methane emissions 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. They also say smaller wells often produce only insignificant methane emissions that don't warrant the cost and effort of a monitoring program. The problem, environmentalists say, is that collectively, the smaller wells produce a massive amount of climate-damaging methane. Exempting wells that produce less than 6 barrels per day would effectively exclude more than 80% of those marginal wells from the EPA rule, according to KIOGA. The supplemental ruling could also address the industry's use of flaring, or the deliberate burning of excess natural gas from well sites, which can also lead to methane emissions.

☆ Comeback king: Boris Johnson considering a run for UK prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Elizabeth Piper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during his visit to EDF's Sizewell B Nuclear power station, in Sizewell, Britain September 1, 2022. Chris Radburn/Pool via REUTERSSummary Johnson taking soundings from lawmakersHad said he wanted a quieter lifeUnder investigation for lying to parliamentLONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Out of power for a matter of months, comeback king Boris Johnson is once again being touted as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party and Britain's prime minister. For some Conservative lawmakers, Johnson is a vote winner, able to appeal across the country not only with his celebrity but also with his brand of energetic optimism. When Johnson left Downing Street, his aides said he was going to embrace a quieter life, no longer being "public property" and able to make more money by going on the speaker circuit. After his successor as prime minister, Liz Truss, quit on Thursday after just six weeks in power, the Ukrainian government Twitter account even published, and then deleted, a meme saying "Better call Boris".

☆ Factbox: Energy crisis revives coal demand and production
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

France - The Emile Huchet coal power plant restarted in early October, only six months after it closed, according to local media. Netherlands - Dutch energy minister Rob Jetten said in June the Netherlands will remove a production cap at coal-fired energy plants to preserve gas. In June, it said it plans to "increase thermal coal production from existing mines this year maximum by 1.5 million tonnes". Spain - The ministry for the ecological transition requested in May the delay of Endesa's As Pontes coal power station closure. (** Note that Ukraine's government has stopped releasing coal production data since the start of the war).

☆ Explainer: Strikes at French nuclear plants - what's at stake?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Forrest Crellin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterRolling strikes over wages by the FNME-CGT union at some plants have added to the problem. France is a net importer of electricity and the strikes will further boost power imports, particularly from Britain, the consultancy said. Power grid operator RTE warned on Tuesday that prolonged strikes further delaying the restart of reactors could have "heavy consequences" for electricity supply over the winter. Britain's National Grid has also cited maintenance issues at French nuclear reactors as a factor that could affect UK energy supplies this winter. read moreRTE still expects France's nuclear power production to rise to between 40 and 45 gigawatt (GW) a day in December and January, up from 25-30 GW at the end of October.

☆ France's grid operator: EDF strikes could have heavy consequences for winter supply
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - France's national grid operator RTE warned on Tuesday that prolonged strikes delaying the restart of some reactors at nuclear power group EDF could have "heavy consequences" for the country's electricity supplies over the coming winter. RTE cut its forecast range for power availability for this month and the first half of November based on the blockade at some of EDF's reactors so far, compared to a previous report it released in September. RTE is still maintaining its expectation that France's nuclear power production will rise to between 40 and 45 gigawatt (GW) in December and January from 25-30 GW at the end of October. "A prolonged social movement would have heavy consequences for the key part of the winter," it said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Benjamin Mallet, writing by Silvia AloisiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Eleven French nuclear sites affected by strike, union says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Companies Electricite de France SA FollowPARIS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Strikes have affected 11 French nuclear power plants, an FNME-CGT power union representative said on Tuesday, delaying maintenance at 17 different reactors. Power production was also reduced by 1.8 gigawatts (GW) at three other nuclear reactors, data from operator EDF (EDF.PA) showed. Members of FNME-CGT have been staging rolling strikes at French nuclear power plants for several weeks over wages, heightening the risk of power supply shortages as the French utility struggles to get enough reactors back online for winter. Maintenance operations are continuing on the reactors that are currently shutdown despite the strikes, an EDF spokesperson said on Monday. The strike is part of a general strike on Tuesday that has affected train traffic, schools and other sectors.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of French far-left opposition party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), and leader of the New Ecologic and Social People's Union (NUPES), takes part in a protest against soaring inflation and what they call a lack of government action to fight climate change, in Paris, France October 16, 2022. REUTERS/Stephane MahePARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - Thousands of people took to the streets of Paris on Sunday to protest against soaring prices as weeks of strikes for higher wages at oil refineries spurred demands for a general strike. The leader of hard-left party La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), Jean-Luc Melenchon, marched alongside this year's Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Annie Ernaux. Budget Minister Gabriel Attal said the left-wing coalition was attempting to exploit the current situation, marked by ongoing strikes at French utility EDF's nuclear plants and at French oil refineries. "Today's march is a march of supporters who want to block the country," he said on French radio station Europe 1.

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