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☆ Column: Europe's clashes over coal may extend well beyond Poland
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

However, while Poland may be Europe's most coal-dependent economy with roughly 70% of electricity coming from coal, it is far from being Europe's only economy with a vested interest in extending the life of its power plants. HEAVY USERSGermany has the highest number of coal plants in Europe, with 53 facilities listed as participating in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), data from Ember shows. Poland is also home to the Belchatow Power Station, which is by far Europe's largest thermal coal plant, which alone spewed out over 35 million tonnes of CO2 in 2022. Czechia, formerly the Czech Republic, has 19 coal-fired plants in the EU ETS which emitted a collective 34 million tonnes of CO2 in 2022. Share of electricity from coal in select European countriesBulgaria, which depended on coal for 42% of electricity last year, has five plants in the EU ETS which emitted 23.8 million tonnes last year.

Persons: Ember, Belchatow, Gavin Maguire, Sonali Paul Organizations: Union, European Union, EU, Trading, ETS, EU ETS, World Bank, Belchatow, Southern, Global Energy Monitor, Western, Reuters, Thomson Locations: LITTLETON , Colorado, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, Czechia, Greece, Europe, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Italy

☆ Column: Europe raises green energy climate hurdles with red tape revamp: Maguire
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

EMISSIONS TRADING TWEAKSThe European Union's Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the region's main device for managing emissions by providing financial incentives to cut pollution while penalising high emitters. This is designed to prevent companies moving heavy polluting parts of their supply chain to areas outside of the EU ETS catchment area, and ensure that companies cannot merely outsource the dirtiest parts of the production phase elsewhere. However, this new mechanism runs the risk of eroding the cost competitiveness of hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as steel and chemicals producers. The key now for Europe's lawmakers is to ensure that many of these new hurdles can still be cleared by key industries without undermining the economic competitiveness of the entire region. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

An ETS sets a cap on the amount of CO2 emissions that a sector, or group of sectors, can produce. The system creates CO2 permits, called EU Allowances (EUAs) for those emissions, which companies must buy for each tonne of CO2 they emit. CO2 permits are traded on the open market, meaning companies, traders and investors buying them pay the same price. Critics say by making it cheaper to pollute, free permits have reduced the incentive for industries to reduce their emissions. Companies that already pay CO2 costs in the country where the goods were produced can be exempted from the EU levy.

The more emitters have to pay for EU carbon permits to cover each tonne of C02 they produce, the greater the incentive to invest in low carbon technologies and switch to less polluting fuels. Still, rising carbon prices are a cause of political tensions in the EU and breaching the 100 euro threshold is likely to reignite debates over prices. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez last year called for a CO2 price cap to help tackle soaring inflation. Other EU countries view a robust carbon price as vital to meeting climate goals. Years of weak prices followed until CO2 prices began to recover in 2018 when the EU agreed to remove surplus permits from the market.

☆ European Union reaches landmark agreement on a pollution tax for imports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The EU wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by the year 2030, compared to 1990. Plans for the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism took a significant step forward Tuesday morning after a provisional deal between the Council of the EU and members of the European Parliament was reached. The European Parliament's statement described the new bill as being "the first of its kind." "CBAM will be a crucial pillar of European climate policies," Mohammed Chahim, a member of the European Parliament, said. In its own statement, the Council of the EU (government ministers from each EU country) said Tuesday's agreement still had to be confirmed by the European Parliament, EU member states' ambassadors, and then "adopted by both institutions before it is final."

☆ Australia atacă planurile UE de taxare a carbonului la frontieră
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-29 | by ( ) www.jurnal.md time to read: +1 min

Sursa foto: descopera.roAustralia atacă planurile UE de taxare a carbonului la frontierăPlanurile UE privind taxarea carbonului la frontieră, în conformitate cu normele Organizației Mondiale a Comerțului, ar fi incredibil de dificil de realizat de către Bruxelles și ar întări protecționismul, afectând în același timp liberul schimb la nivel global, a declarat ministrul australian al comerțului, Dan Tehan, potrivit Politico. „Dacă ne uităm, de exemplu, la schema UE de comercializare a certificatelor de emisii (EU ETS), aceasta oferă permise gratuite unei mari părți ale industriei din Uniunea Europeană, astfel încât modul în care se poate verifica proporția gradului de poluare este foarte dificil”, a transmis Tehan. De asemenea, oficialul australian a vorbit și despre subvențiile industriale și agricole ale UE, subliniind că e necesară eliminarea tuturor tarifelor pentru bunurile și serviciile de mediu. „Cel mai eficient mod, care este în acord cu valorilor noastre, ar fi să începem să liberalizăm bunurile de mediu și serviciile de mediu pentru a oferi tuturor țărilor posibilitatea de a beneficia de tehnologia de care vor avea nevoie, în special în ceea ce privește reducerea emisiilor”, a mai spus Dan Tehan, citat de digi24.ro.

Persons: Dan Organizations: Organizației Mondiale a Comerțului, Uniunea Europeană Locations: Australia, UE, Bruxelles

Potrivit acestui raport, anul trecut în cele 27 de state membre ale UE, emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră au scăzut cu 3,7% de la un an la altul, în timp ce PIB-ul a crescut cu 1,5%. În prezent, nivelurile emisiilor sunt cu 24 % mai reduse faţă de nivelurile din 1990. Potrivit acestui raport, anul trecut în cele 27 de state membre ale UE, emisiile de gaze cu efect de seră au scăzut cu 3,7% de la un an la altul, în timp ce PIB-ul a crescut cu 1,5%. În prezent, nivelurile emisiilor sunt cu 24 % mai reduse faţă de nivelurile din 1990. Veniturile din licitaţiile din cadrul sistemului EU ETS reprezintă o sursă din ce în ce mai importantă de finanţare a combaterii schimbărilor climatice.

Persons: Frans Timmermans Organizations: Uniunea Europeană, EU, UE Locations: UE, Tranziţia, Regatul Unit

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