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☆ A carbon sequestration company and solar software startup recently raised a combined $7 million. Check out the two pitch decks they used to secure the cash.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two British climate tech companies have raised a collective £5.5 million, around $7 million, in early-stage funding to sequester CO2 in concrete and digitize solar management in real estate. A mineralization process occurs when it is mixed with concrete, storing the CO2 permanently. The startup's end-to-end AI-driven platform helps real estate owners assess, install, and monetize solar energy, tackling traditionally complex and manual processes. The pre-Seed funding, from Octopus Ventures and impact investor Aenu, will be used to roll out the product. Check out the 11-slide pitch deck below:Metris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris EnergyMetris Energy

Persons: Dalraj Nijjar, Nijjar, Natasha Jones, William Whatley, Metris, Jones Organizations: Business, Zacua Ventures, Siam Cement Group, Metris Energy, Energy, Octopus Ventures, Energy Metris Energy Locations: Nottingham, London, Paris

☆ Exclusive: Four banks quit initiative assessing climate targets
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Tommy Wilkes | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Four major banks, including Standard Chartered Plc (STAN.L) and HSBC Plc (HSBA.L), have quit a United Nations-backed initiative to scrutinise climate targets set by corporations, according to people familiar with the matter. Many lenders say they should finance fossil fuels as long as economies depend on them. The spokesperson added that Standard Chartered was seeking alternative third-party validation of its climate targets and that it was setting science-based targets through the NZBA. It will still require them to cease the financing of fossil fuel projects that would weigh on their longer-term emissions targets. Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA), ING (INGA.AS), BBVA (BBVA.MC) and Swedbank (SWEDa.ST) told Reuters they remained committed to SBTi validating their emissions targets.

Persons: SBTi, SBTi's, Pietro Rocco, haven't, it's, Rocco, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Simon Jessop, Josie Kao Organizations: Standard Chartered, HSBC Plc, United, Societe Generale SA, ABN Amro Bank, Zero Banking Alliance, HSBC, Societe Generale, ABN Amro, Reuters, Credit, ING, BBVA, NatWest, Commerzbank, BNP, Allianz, Alliance, Zero, Carbon Trust, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Nations, Paris, U.S, decarbonising, London

"This COP we need to see accelerated action from all parties," Matt Bell, EY Global Climate Change and Sustainability Services Leader, said. The business and finance sectors have long called for a global carbon emissions price that they say would level the playing field for polluters and make the switch to low-carbon more cost-effective. Confidence in voluntary carbon markets has fallen this year as critics question the environmental credibility of projects. "The last 10% of a (corporate) carbon reduction plan will always include some carbon removal credits," Leggett said, adding that "the market needs clarity on what that means." Reporting by Simon Jessop and Tommy Reggiori Wilkes; editing by Barbara LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yves Herman, Matt Bell, Bell, Sultan Al Jaber, Virginie Derue, Katherine Dixon, Victoria Leggett, Leggett, Simon Jessop, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, United Nations, Sustainability Services, Reuters, ESG Research, AXA Investment, Accenture, Bain & Company, UBP, Thomson Locations: Dunkirk, France, Dubai, COP28, Paris, China, United States

☆ The first commercial transatlantic flight powered completely by green fuels is in the air, but critics say it's a gimmick and a joke
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Pete Syme | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Virgin Atlantic is operating the first transatlantic flight on a commercial airliner powered by 100% SAF. But it costs more than double conventional jet fuel, and production is lagging behind demand. Virgin Atlantic is operating the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to New York's JFK Airport, where it's expected to arrive around 2 p.m. "And if we didn't prove it can be done, you would never, ever get sustainable aviation fuel." On Monday, Emirates flew the world's first Airbus A380 demonstration flight using 100% SAF.

Persons: it's, Shai Weiss, Sir Richard Branson, There's, Weiss, Critics, Cait Hewitt Organizations: Virgin, SAF, Service, Virgin Atlantic, Boeing, New York's JFK, International Air Transport Association, BBC, Aviation Environment Federation, CNN, Guardian, UK's Department for Transport, Monday, Emirates, Airbus, Gulfstream, Gulfstream G600 Locations: New, Georgia, England

☆ First long-haul flight fully powered by sustainable aviation fuel takes off
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Flight100, Virgin Atlantic's world first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) transatlantic flight by a commercial airline is fuelled ahead of its take off from London Heathrow to New York JFK on Tuesday 28 November 2023. LONDON — The first trans-Atlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel departed London for New York on Tuesday as the industry seeks to prove the viability of greener air travel. Sustainable aviation fuel — also known as SAF — is an umbrella term for non-fossil-derived fuels, including biofuels derived from plant or animal materials, municipal waste and agricultural residues. It still produces emissions, but proponents argue the overall "lifecycle emissions" from the fuel are significantly lower than from regular petroleum-based fuel. There are relatively few SAF production plants or companies transporting it globally, with incentives for producers hampered by low margins.

Persons: Shai Weiss Organizations: Aviation Fuel, SAF, New York JFK, LONDON, New York, Virgin Atlantic's Boeing, AirBP, Virgin, U.K, Civil Aviation Authority, Royal Society, Virgin Atlantic, Government Locations: London Heathrow, New York, London, New

☆ COP28’s big challenge: green cash for poor states
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Rather than drawing attention to this paucity of ambition, al-Jaber wants states to commit to trebling global capacity of renewable energy by 2030. Progress in China and the West is largely a function of cash: these regions accounted for 84% of the $1.3 trillion committed to global climate finance in 2022. They calculate that by 2030, developing countries need to invest around $2.4 trillion a year in order to decarbonise their economies. The problem is that the developed world has consistently missed targets to channel climate cash to less developed counterparts. In September al-Jaber announced a $4.5 billion scheme to deploy UAE state cash and private sector resources to help Africa decarbonise.

Persons: al, Jaber, hasn’t, Nicholas Stern, Stern, Ajay Banga, Mark Carney, Shriti Vadera, Larry Fink, Joko Widodo, UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, Nahyan, Breakingviews, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, United, Conference of, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, United Nations, International Energy Agency, The, IEA, World Bank, concessional, Bank, Bank of England, Prudential, BlackRock, U.S, Indonesian, Africa decarbonise, UAE Crown, Thomson Locations: United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, Paris, China, The U.S, British, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, South Africa, Vietnam, U.S, Al, UAE, Africa, COP28, Dubai

A view of the exterior of the JP Morgan Chase & Co. corporate headquarters in New York City May 20, 2015. "We need to build a funding model for green tech companies," Chuka Umunna, JP Morgan's (JPM.N) head of EMEA ESG and green economy investment banking, told the Reuters Energy Transition Europe 2023 event in London. This was partly because of the capital requirements for some green tech firms in early stages of development, he said. Investment into green tech was also being stymied by bureaucracy, including delays to permitting for the infrastructure needed for renewable energy and other projects. Umunna also said a shift to a greener, lower-carbon economy offered up a huge opportunity for banks such as JP Morgan.

Persons: Morgan Chase, Mike Segar, Morgan, Umunna, JP Morgan's, JP Morgan, Simon Jessop, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, David Goodman, Alexander Smith Organizations: Co, New York City, REUTERS, EMEA, Reuters, Capital, British, Investment, Thomson Locations: New York, London, Europe

☆ EU only wants free trade deal with India that gives it 'real' market access
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

VALENCIA, Spain Oct 20 (Reuters) - European Union member states want to close a free trade deal with India, but only if it grants real access to the Asian country's markets, Spanish Deputy Trade Minister Xiana Mendez said on Friday at an EU meeting chaired by her country. "There is an enormous interest from the member states, but only if there will be an access to the real market, without which the deal would be emptied." The European Union also expects to reach an agreement with the United States on steel trade by the end of the year, said Mendez. The main proposal is to finalise the deal with the United States before the end of the year," she said. Reporting by Belen Carreno and Inti Landauro, editing by Andrei Khalip and Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Xiana Mendez, We've, Mendez, Donald Trump, Belen Carreno, Inti, Andrei Khalip, Susan Fenton Organizations: Union, Trade, European Council, EU, United, U.S, Thomson Locations: VALENCIA, Spain, India, EU, Spanish, Valencia, United States, Washington, China

Ford UK Chair Lisa Brankin was scathing: "Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment and consistency. Britain was the first major economy to create a legally binding 2050 net zero target and emissions have fallen almost 50% since 1990 as coal power plants closed and offshore wind power took off. The government's own independent adviser on climate action said in June that Britain was not doing enough to hit its mid-century target. Ford said it had spent 430 million pounds ($532 million) on its UK development and manufacturing facilities, with "further funding planned for the 2030 timeframe". His party has trailed the opposition Labour Party in polls for over a year.

Persons: Suella Braverman, Andy Bailey, Handout, Rishi Sunak, Lisa Brankin, Sunak, We're, Ford, Chris Skidmore, Kate Holton, Elizabeth Piper, William James, Susanna Twidale, Muvija, Nick Carey, Sachin Ravikumar, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Economic, REUTERS, Sunak's Conservative Party, Ford, Conservative, BET, Times Radio, European Union, BMW, Volkswagen, Labour Party, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Sunak

“This proposal is a landmark moment for maintaining ongoing U.K. steel production, supporting sustainable economic growth, cutting emissions and creating green jobs,” said Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt. “With the support of the U.K. government and dedicated efforts of the employees of Tata Steel U.K. along with all stakeholders, we will work to transform Tata Steel UK into a green, modern, future-ready business," said Tata Steel’s chief executive and managing director, TV Narendran. Unions were furious about the potential job losses at Port Talbot, which at its height in the 1960s employed around 20,000 people, before cheaper offerings from around the world hit production. "The cost to local people and the wider Port Talbot community will be immense," said Gary Smith, general secretary of the GMB trade union. He noted that Germany has invested over $53 billion in decarbonising heavy industry and has committed to work with unions and protect jobs.

Persons: ”, Jeremy Hunt, Tata, Gary Smith, “, Luke Murphy Organizations: Tata, Britain’s Department for Business, Trade, “, Tata Steel, Tata Steel UK, Unions, Port Talbot, Institute for Public Policy Research Locations: Port Talbot, Wales, steelmaking, Britain, Germany

A view of the United Nations Climate Change Conference flags at the venue, in Bonn, Germany, June 6, 2023. "What we want to see, all of us, is a real sense of urgency about reducing CO2 emissions," Roche Vice-Chair Andre Hoffmann said. We need to show action, and I'm not sure that what I've read so far of the COP28 will be strong enough for that." Despite rapidly falling prices for renewable energy, Roche's (ROG.S) Hoffmann said much faster action was needed. "If the change is going to be that big then financial institutions, business people will reshape and they'll say my goodness there's going to be new technological institutions, there's going to be new factories, there's going to be a new economy.

Persons: Jana Rodenbusch, Hoffmann, November's, Roche, Andre Hoffmann, I'm, Eelco van der Enden, Elvis Presley, it's, Celine Herweijer, we've, Herweijer, It's, Andrew Steer, Steer, Richa Naidu, Gloria Dickie, Clara Denina, Iain Withers, Helen Reid, Alexander Smith Organizations: United Nations, REUTERS, Reuters IMPACT, Global, HSBC, Reuters, Fund, Thomson Locations: Bonn, Germany, Asia, Dubai, American, Paris

☆ Decarbonisation in mining still a long way off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Engineering student Mark Peirce from the School of Mines poses for a portrait in the college's experimental mine in Idaho Springs, Colorado, U.S., December 9, 2021. As metals are used across many different industries that serve customers across various geographies, it is difficult for mining companies to account for the whole supply chain. The International Council on Mining and Metals , whose members include around 25 mining companies, on Thursday published guidance for all mining companies on how to account and report their Scope 3 - or indirect - emissions "to try and answer the problem of patchy data to make companies report consistently," its CEO Rohitesh Dhawan said at the conference. Scope 1 refers to a company's direct emissions, Scope 2 to indirect emissions from purchased energy while Scope 3 refers to all other indirect emissions, for example from a company's third-party suppliers. Mining companies have set targets to decarbonise and mostly aim to reach net zero by 2040 and 2050, but some are struggling to keep up.

Persons: Mark Peirce, Kevin Mohatt, Virginia Dundas, Dundas, Rohitesh Dhawan, Rio, Adam Matthews, Clara Denina, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: School of Mines, REUTERS, Reuters IMPACT, Council, Mining, Metals, Rio Tinto, Church of, Pensions, Thomson Locations: Idaho Springs , Colorado, U.S, Virginia, London

LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - As they endeavour to meet lofty sustainability goals, companies from Japan's Asahi (3333.T) to retailer John Lewis face challenges like confusion among suppliers, tough legislation, and friction with top management over costs, executives said. But the upfront cost of investments needed to curb emissions can cause friction within companies. WORKING TOGETHERWhile regulation plays a role in helping companies meet their goals, some feel it also acts as a constraint. Managing suppliers plays a major role in companies meeting sustainability goals but doing so can prove difficult. Some companies are going so far as to work with rivals to exchange best practices on issues such as decarbonising their value chains.

Persons: John Lewis, Preeti Srivastav, Mark Chadwick, Marija Rompani, Asahi's Srivastav, they're, Andy Griffiths, we're, Jay Doyle, Richa Naidu, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Asahi, Asahi Europe, International, Reuters IMPACT, Diageo, ITV's, Thomson Locations: London, British

☆ BRICS nations to meet in South Africa seeking to blunt Western dominance
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Tim Cocks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An attendant is stands next to South African, Indian, Russian, Brazilian and Chinese flags during a plenary session of BRICS Summit, in Xiamen, China September 4, 2017. South Africa will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the BRICS summit from August 22 to 24. Russia needs friends to counter its diplomatic isolation over Ukraine, and so is keen to bring in new members, as is its most important African ally, South Africa. BRICS nations are keen to project themselves as alternative development partners to the West. Officials in Brazil, China and South Africa said climate change may come up but indicated it wouldn't be a priority.

Persons: Tyrone Siu, S.Africa, Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Narendra Modi, Naledi Pandor, BRICS, Breton Woods, disbursing, Laurie Chen, Lisandra, David Stanway, Carien Du Plessis, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: BRICS, REUTERS, Tyrone, Global, Indian, New Development Bank, World Bank, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Xiamen, China, India, Brazil, JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Ukraine, . South Africa, United States, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, AFRICA, BRICS, Russia, Africa, Beijing, Brasilia, Singapore, Johannesburg

Green hydrogen, produced by splitting water through electrolysis using renewable energy, is expected to play a key role in decarbonising transport and industries. But it is produced today on a very small scale and costs up to five times more than the most common hydrogen produced from natural gas, which is highly carbon-intensive. It sharply reduces the cost of electricity for the electrolysis process, which accounts for more than 70% of green hydrogen production costs, the company said. BP, which aims to sharply reduce its carbon emissions in the coming decades, is betting big on green hydrogen. By 2030, it aims to produce between 0.5 and 0.7 million tonnes per year of primarily green hydrogen.

Persons: Ron Bousso, Louise Heavens Organizations: BP Ventures, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Clean Energy Ventures, Gatemore Capital Management, BP, Thomson

☆ UK net-zero ‘pragmatism’ is an odd way to get real
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Yet official UK figures do not suggest the way to get real on climate change is to go any slower. Sunak himself has defended Britain’s record on climate and says he cares about reaching its 2050 net-zero target. As such the net cost of net zero may be more like 344 billion pounds over three decades, or perhaps only 0.4% of GDP per year. Policy certainty will meanwhile encourage foreign investors to help pay for Britain’s transition, reducing its exposure to gas price shocks. UK energy secretary Grant Shapps said on Aug. 2 that the government remained “absolutely committed” to hitting its net-zero carbon targets by 2050.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Sunak, dawdling, Andrew Forrest, ”, ” Sunak, Michael Gove, Grant Shapps, “, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Sunak’s Conservative Party, Budget, Reuters Graphics Reuters, ’, McKinsey reckons, Britain, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: Britain, London, China, United States, North

REUTERS/David GrayLONDON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Rio Tinto (RIO.L) is finding out just how hard it is to produce low-carbon aluminium. The company's biggest carbon headache is its aluminium business, which last year accounted for 21.1 million metric tons of carbon emissions out of a group total of 30.3 million metric tons. The pilot plant will produce around 6,000 metric tons of alumina per year while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by about 3,000 metric tons per year. Capacity at the low-carbon AP60 smelter, also in Quebec, will be expanded by 160,000 metric tons per year, with commissioning expected in 2026. Rio is investing heavily in recycled aluminium, which can be remelted using just 5% of the power needed to produce virgin metal.

Persons: David Gray, Rio, we're, Jakob Stausholm, Peter Cunningham, Jan Harvey Organizations: Rio Tinto, REUTERS, David Gray LONDON, Queensland Aluminium, Japan's Sumitomo Corp, International Aluminium Institute, Alcoa, Giampaolo, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rio, Gove, Darwin, Australia's Northern, Pacific, Queensland, Australia, Portland, U.S, Canada, Quebec, North

SINGAPORE, July 27 (Reuters) - Canada will likely publish the final regulations of a plan to cap and cut greenhouse gases from the oil and gas sector by mid-2024, its environment minister told Reuters on Thursday. Canada, the world's fourth-largest oil producer, lags many global peers in tackling emissions. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government sees the cap as a key element to enforce a sharp reduction in pollution from the oil and gas sector, responsible for 27% of the country's emissions. The cap, which envisions limits on emissions or potentially raising the carbon price to incentivise driving down emissions, was first promised in Trudeau's 2021 election campaign. So some CCS probably in the electricity sector," Guilbeault, a former Greenpeace activist, said.

Persons: Steven Guilbeault, Justin Trudeau's, Guilbeault, it's, Sudarshan Varadhan, Susan Fenton, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Reuters, Glasgow Climate, CCS, Greenpeace, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Canada, Trudeau's, Glasgow

☆ Inflation dip puts central bankers in a pickle: podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Breakingviews category · July 27, 2023 · 9:08 AM UTCThe world is getting hotter, but when it comes to achieving net zero investors are cooling. In November 2021 many large corporations gathering at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow committed to decarbonising their operations by 2050 in an attempt to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Less than two years on, despite the world hitting its highest-ever average temperature, the pressure is off. Glencore , the $75 billion Swiss group that is one of the world’s biggest coal miners, makes an interesting case study for what’s changed.

Persons: what’s Locations: Glasgow

LONDON, July 27(Reuters Breakingviews) - The world is getting hotter, but when it comes to achieving net zero investors are cooling. Glencore (GLEN.L), the $75 billion Swiss group that is one of the world’s biggest coal miners, makes an interesting case study for what’s changed. Either way, the plan raises the prospect of Glencore bulking up in coal before offloading some or all of the enlarged business. True, a listing of Glencore’s enlarged coal business might not happen for a few years. While prices have now more than halved, Glencore‘s coal business would still make $9 billion in EBITDA in 2023 if they averaged $200 a tonne.

Persons: what’s, Glencore, Gary Nagle, Nagle, Teck, wouldn’t, There’s, Wael Sawan, Larry Fink, underwhelmed, ” Nagle, Glencore’s, George Hay, Karen Kwok, Peter Thal Larsen, Aditya Munjuluru Organizations: Reuters, Resources, Teck Resources, Bluebell Capital Partners, Investment, International Energy Agency, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Rio Tinto, BHP, GQG Partners, Capital Research Group, BlackRock, Vanguard, Services, Saudi, Aramco, United Nations, of, Pensions, Shell, Financial Times, “, Melbourne Mining, Capital Partners, Thomson Locations: Glasgow, Ukraine, EBITDA, American, U.S, Glencore, London, New York, Europe, Melbourne

☆ Which countries are paying their 'fair share' to fight climate change?
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kate Abnett | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHICH COUNTRIES PAY U.N. CLIMATE FINANCE? That analysis suggested only seven countries had paid their "fair share" in 2020 - Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. By ODI's ranking, the U.S. lags behind every other developed nation, when its past climate finance contributions are compared with what its "fair share" would be. Taken together, the 27-country EU is the biggest provider of climate finance, contributing 23.38 billion euros ($26.15 billion) in 2020.

Persons: Kate Abnett, Katy Daigle Organizations: UN, FINANCE, Economic, European Union, United, WHO, FAIR, U.S, Finance, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, China, United Arab Emirates, London, U.S, EU, Lincoln

[1/2] The logo of Spanish energy, construction and services conglomerate Acciona, is projected on a wall during company's annual shareholder meeting in Alcobendas, outside Madrid, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Sergio Perez/File PhotoMarch 31 (Reuters) - Spanish engineering firm Acciona (ANA.MC) and Germany's Nordex (NDXG.DE) said on Friday they teamed up to develop green hydrogen projects within the next 10 years in the United States, Latin America and Africa. Acciona owns a 41% stake in Nordex and its energy unit Acciona Energias (ANE.MC) will also participate in the joint venture. The joint company will not operate in Spain and Portugal, where Acciona Energias has an alliance with Plug Power (PLUG.O). Green hydrogen is seen as a potential solution to decarbonising heavy transport including commercial shipping.

☆ Factbox: How U.S. electric vehicle subsidy rules impact Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

MADE IN AMERICA CONDITIONSThe Treasury is not expected to specify vehicle models but merely lay out the subsidy criteria. EU AUTO SECTOR STRENGTHThe European Union exported some 36 billion euros ($39 billion) of cars to the United States in 2022, according to Eurostat, some 65% from Germany, with less than 9 billion euros worth of cars coming the other way. The EU also exported about 9 billion euros of car parts to the United States, compared with 2 billion euros of imports. For example, EU trade officials are wondering whether the local content requirement for battery components means just specific components or all components and how comprehensive final assembly must be. Some in the EU industry express concern that a change of U.S. president could see this lease car concession end.

☆ BMW: e-fuels have highest impact for current fleet, not new cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, March 15 (Reuters) - BMW (BMWG.DE) Chief Executive Oliver Zipse said he viewed e-fuels as having the biggest impact for decarbonising transport if used in existing car fleets, rather than in new cars as was being discussed in Europe. "The main impact of e-fuels is on existing fleets, not in the regulation of new vehicles being hotly discussed in Europe," Zipse said. The only opportunity to make a difference there is e-fuels. I agree strongly with the colleagues proposing that, particularly because our motors are prepared for it," he added. Oliver Blume, chief executive of Porsche (P911_p.DE) and Volkswagen, (VOWG_p.DE), lobbied strongly in the annual press conferences of both companies earlier this week for being open to using e-fuels, calling on politicians to incentivise their production.

☆ EU companies can get as much in EU aid as US subsidies under looser rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, March 9 (Reuters) - EU businesses can get as much government funding as from a U.S. green energy subsidy package, under looser European Commission rules announced on Thursday aimed at keeping them in Europe. The rules mark the EU's latest effort to reduce its dependence on U.S. and Chinese products and technologies. The Commission said matching aid from governments can kick in when there is a real risk of investments being diverted away from Europe. To ensure that the aid will actually encourage a company to remain in Europe, cross-border investments must involve projects in at least three EU countries. The Commission said EU countries have until the end of 2025 to set up renewable energy and energy storage schemes and decarbonisation projects to qualify under the easier funding rules.

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