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REUTERS/Kim... Read moreLONDON/WASHINGTON, July 10 (Reuters) - When it comes to taking stock of global emissions, there's an elephant in the room: the world's armed forces. NATO, the 31-country Western security alliance, for example, told Reuters it has created a methodology for its members to report their military emissions. And Washington sent U.S. Army and Navy representatives to the COP27 climate summit in Egypt last year, the first time a Pentagon delegation has attended the global climate summit. Ukraine's environment ministry spokesperson said it supports the efforts and would seek backing from governments at COP28 for more transparent military emissions reporting. In the meantime, global military emissions will remain poorly understood, said Stuart Parkinson, executive director of the group Scientists for Global Responsibility.

Persons: Kim, Queen Mary, Axel Michaelowa, Meredith Berger, Neta Crawford, Deborah Burton, Lennard, Klerk, James Appathurai, Markus Ruelke, Stuart Parkinson, Sarah McFarlane, Valerie Volcovici, Sabine Siebold, Richard Valdmanis, David Clarke Organizations: REUTERS, Observatory, United Arab Emirates, UNFCCC, COP28, NATO, Reuters, Washington, U.S . Army, Pentagon, U.S . Navy, The, U.S . Defence Logistics Agency, U.S . Department of Defense, Oxford University, Oxford, Queen Mary University of London, Scientists, Global, Thomson Locations: South Korea, U.S, Pocheon, WASHINGTON, Kyoto, Paris, Lancaster, Oxford, Dubai, UAE, Zealand, Britain, Germany, Egypt, The U.S, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, Singapore, Switzerland, Syria, COP28, Berlin

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - European Union (EU) countries have added aluminium to the list of minerals and metals covered by the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA). Western European primary aluminium production is the lowest this centuryFALLING OUTPUTAs things stand, Europe is going to struggle to lift primary production at all over that time-frame. European aluminium imports by countryIMPORT DEPENDENCYEuropean aluminium consumption averaged just over 5.0 million metric tons per year over the 2016-2020 period, according to the EU. However, the key difference is where Europe sources its bauxite and primary aluminium. POWER PROBLEMSGetting aluminium onto Europe's critical raw materials list is an important win for the region's aluminium sector.

Persons: didn't, it's, David Evans Organizations: Union, Federation of Aluminium Consumers, International Aluminium Institute, IAI, EU, Rusal, Thomson, Reuters Locations: United States, China, Europe, EU, Ukraine, Guinea, Brazil, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Iceland, Britain, Russia

☆ Factbox: Graphite producers doing deals with automakers and battery groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Tomas Bergman/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, June 21 (Reuters) - Automakers are rushing to lock in graphite supply from outside dominant producer China as mined graphite demand for electric vehicle (EV) batteries outpaces other uses. Below are details of some Western companies producing, or planning to produce graphite, and their deals with auto makers and battery producers. It aims to start annual production at a battery anode plant in Mauritius in 2024 at 3,600 metric tons. SYRAH RESOURCES LTD (SYR.AX)Operates Balama mine in Mozambique, which doubled graphite production to 163,000 metric tons in 2022 from the year before. MAGNIS ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES LTD (MNS.AX)Developing Nachu graphite mine in Tanzania, aiming to produce 236,000 metric tons of graphite concentrate.

Persons: Tomas Bergman, Handout, steelmaker Thyssenkrupp, Talga, Magnis, Tesla, China's, Eric Onstad, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Talga Group, Reuters, REUTERS LONDON, INC, TALGA, Automotive Cells Company, ACC, Stellantis, Mercedes, Benz, Renault, LG Energy, Ford Motor Company, SK, MONDE, Panasonic Energy, Thomson Locations: Norrbotten, Sweden, China, Madagascar, Mauritius, Lulea, Mozambique, U.S ., Louisiana, Tanzania, United States, New York, South Australia, Macquarie, Canada, India, Alabama, Coosa

☆ Analysis: Auto firms race to secure non-Chinese graphite for EVs as shortages loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-21 | by ( Eric Onstad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Auto firms have been slow to plan for graphite shortages, focusing mainly on better-known battery materials lithium and cobalt, even though graphite is the largest battery component by weight. Graphite shortages are expected to rise in coming years, with a global supply deficit of 777,000 tonnes expected by 2030, Project Blue projections showed. China produces 61% of global natural graphite and 98% of the final processed material to make battery anodes, BMI said. Agreeing graphite supply deals is complex, requiring extensive safety testing for material going into each model of EV that can take up to three years. Natural graphite anodes tend to be cheaper and are beneficial for cell capacity and power output, allowing cars to run further distances before charging.

Persons: Tomas Bergman, Handout, there's, Mark Thompson, Australia's, Northvolt, Thompson, Talga, Mercedes, Brent Nykoliation, Tesla, George Miller, Reitumetse, Eric Onstad, Veronica Brown, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Talga Group, Reuters, Mercedes, Auto, Australia's Talga, BMO Capital Markets, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, BMI, Reuters Graphics, Toyota, Ford, Tesla Inc, Toyota Motor Corp, Ford Motor, Benz, Renault, NextSource, Syrah Resources, Magnis Energy Technologies, U.S, European Union, Thomson Locations: Norrbotten, Sweden, China, Madagascar, Mozambique, United States, Europe, U.S, Mauritius, CHINA, Western

☆ Shell CEO says EV charging stations in China are hot, predicts 'robust' oil and gas demand
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

British energy giant Shell is boosting its oil and gas production to book profits in the near term. Shell CEO Wael Sawan doesn't know where oil and gas demand is going to be in 10 to 15 years, he told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. The reality is, we don't know," Sawan told CNBC. But in the short and medium term, Shell sees "very robust" demand for oil and gas, Sawan told CNBC. Demand for biofuels is being driven by regulatory pressures in multiple parts of the world, Sawan told CNBC.

Persons: It's, Wael Sawan doesn't, CNBC's, Sawan, Shell, EVs Organizations: Shell, CNBC, EV, International Energy Agency Locations: Wuhan, Hubei, China, British, Asia, Europe

Solar investment could reach a turning point in 2023, and some stocks are well-positioned to benefit from the boom. In the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to lead to $600 billion in new investment in solar technology, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. More than 62% of analysts are bullish on the home solar energy company. ReNew Energy's average price target suggests shares rallying 47% in the coming months. The residential solar energy provider could see shares surge almost 90%, according to its average price target.

Persons: Michael Grubb, Grubb, Morgan Stanley Organizations: International Energy Agency, University College London, Bank, Development, Solar Energy Industries Association, CNBC Pro, Nasdaq, York Stock Exchange, Energy, Energy Global, Sunnova Energy Locations: U.S, India

☆ Opinion | The New Climate Law Is Working. Clean Energy Investments Are Soaring.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Brian Deese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The largest increase is projected to be in industrial and manufacturing activity for hydrogen, carbon capture, energy storage and critical minerals — areas key to long-term energy security. The law did not provide all the necessary tools to achieve national goals for expanding our supply of clean energy. First, lawmakers must make it easier to build clean energy infrastructure in America. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should more aggressively clear backlogs preventing clean energy projects from connecting to the grid. Policymakers should consider new incentives to expand energy capacity, like conditioning federal assistance to states and localities that reform land-use policies to allow clean energy development.

PREVIEWBirol pointed to a “powerful alignment of major factors,” driving clean-energy spending higher, while spending on oil and other fossil fuels remains subdued. The Covid-19 pandemic appears to have marked a turning point for global energy spending, the IEA’s data shows. While clean-energy spending has boomed, spending on fossil fuels has been tepid. Investments in clean energy and fossil fuels were largely neck-and-neck in the years leading up to the pandemic, but have diverged sharply since. “If there is not enough investment globally to reduce the oil demand growth and there is no investment at the same time [in] upstream oil we may see further volatility in global oil prices,” Birol said.

☆ Solar investment set to overtake oil production and attract over $1 billion a day in 2023, IEA says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Anmar Frangoul | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

According to the IEA's Executive Director, Fatih Birol, investment in solar is "set to overtake the amount of investment going into oil production for the first time." In a sign of how the energy transition is progressing, the IEA's World Energy Investment report said solar investments were expected to attract over $1 billion a day in 2023. In a statement, Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director, said investment in solar was "set to overtake the amount of investment going into oil production for the first time." Speaking to CNBC's Arabile Gumede Thursday morning, Birol said there was a "growing gap between the investment in fossil energy and investment [in] clean energy." Firstly, the cost of clean energy such as solar and wind was "getting cheaper and cheaper," he said.

☆ To Counter China, G7 Countries Borrow Its Economic Playbook
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jim Tankersley | Ana Swanson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Midway through his face-to-face meeting with President Biden in Indonesia last fall, the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, offered an unsolicited warning. For months, he and his aides had worked to recruit allied countries to impose their own restrictions on sending technology to China. The effort echoed the sort of industrial policy that China had employed to become the world’s manufacturing leader. In Bali, Mr. Xi urged Mr. Biden to abandon it. As Mr. Biden and fellow leaders of the Group of 7 nations meet this weekend in Hiroshima, Japan, a centerpiece of their discussions will be how to rapidly accelerate what has become an internationally coordinated round of vast public investment.

SINGAPORE, May 11 (Reuters) - If the global energy transition is to be delivered in the coming decades, the mining industry believes there is one certainty. One thing most mining and energy transition analysts agree on is that there is currently insufficient copper production to meet anticipated demand as the world moves to electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies. If this is the case, the question is then why the future price of copper is relatively flat relative to the current price. It now takes an average of 23 years from discovery of a copper resource to a producing mine, according to data shown at the conference by Michael Langford, the executive director of consultants Airguide. The industry view is that many of the people demanding an energy transition the loudest are the very same people working hardest to make it virtually impossible to produce the necessary metals.

☆ Companies Flock to Biden’s Climate Tax Breaks, Driving Up Cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jim Tankersley | Brad Plumer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden’s signature climate law appears to be encouraging more investment in American manufacturing than initially expected, powering what’s expected to be a surge in new factory jobs and domestic clean energy technologies, according to independent forecasters. If the boom in new battery factories, wind and solar farms, electric vehicle plants and other investments is sustained, the law could prove even more effective than administration officials had hoped at reducing the fossil fuel emissions that are dangerously heating the planet. But all that new economic activity centered around green technology is also driving up costs for taxpayers, who are subsidizing the investments. When Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act last August, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the law’s climate and clean energy tax credits would cost roughly $391 billion between 2022 and 2031. But the budget office’s updated score, based on estimates from the Joint Committee on Taxation, found that the clean energy tax breaks would cost at least $180 billion more than originally forecast over that time period.

☆ The IRA isn’t good for just U.S. stocks. Here are some emerging markets names that will benefit too
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Inflation Reduction Act does more than buoy U.S. clean energy stocks – it's also an opportunity for emerging markets firms. But the IRA also represents an opportunity for emerging markets firms. "This is a win, win, win," said Paul Desoisa, co-portfolio manager of the Global Emerging Markets strategy at Martin Currie, a specialist investment manager at Franklin Templeton. Here are some places where emerging markets firms stand to benefit. Some possible contenders include Korea's Hanwha Solutions, a multinational with a solar energy business Hanwha Qcells, abrdn's Khwaja said.

☆ Yellen to lay out U.S. economic priorities on China in Thursday speech
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Yellen, who said last week she still hopes to visit Beijing to meet with her new Chinese economic counterparts, will deliver remarks at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, the Treasury said in a statement. Yellen's speech will detail the Biden administration's economic priorities on China, including securing U.S. national security interests, fostering "healthy" competition and cooperating, where possible, on global issues such as climate change, debt relief and macroeconomic stability. Yellen also is expected to highlight U.S. economic strength. A Treasury official said the speech comes at an opportune time just after Yellen also spoke last week with counterparts from G7 democracies, Australia and New Zealand. Another audience for the remarks is China's new economic leadership team led by Liu's replacement, Vice Premier He Lifeng.

☆ From GE to Siemens, the wind energy industry hopes billions in losses are about to end
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The wind farm includes 132 2-megawatt Gamesa G80 wind turbines along 12 miles of the Allegheny Front. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIt's been a tough couple of years for the U.S. wind energy industry. Although 2023 is expected to remain sluggish, GE Renewable Energy, Siemens Energy and Vestas Wind Systems, the leading makers of wind turbines — outside of China, which has built the world's largest wind energy infrastructure — and their suppliers are banking on growth over the next decade, particularly in the nascent offshore wind niche. "The wind energy market is stuck in this very strange paradox right now," said Aaron Barr, an industry analyst at Wood Mackenzie. Comparatively, the U.S. offshore wind industry is just ramping up after years of delays in permitting, environmental approvals and power purchasing agreements with utilities that buy wind energy.

☆ EU's Dombrovskis sees some progress on steel, battery minerals talks with U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Dombrovskis, the EU's top trade official, told reporters that he could not provide any details on timing for reaching a U.S.-EU deal after Washington and Tokyo's quick agreement in late March. "We're making some progress, but also we're seeing that those are not easy discussions," Dombrovskis said of the minerals talks, adding that the EU was pursuing its own competing subsidies for clean energy technologies. That deal included new U.S. import quotas for specific duty-free volumes of EU steel and launched talks on a global arrangement to combat "dirty" metals production aimed at excluding Chinese capacity. Dombrovskis said, however, that the key parameters from the EU side was that the agreement would have to result in "complete withdrawal" of U.S. tariffs on EU metals as well as the quota arrangement. Creation of a green metals club would also need to be compliant with World Trade Organization rules, he added.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden attends the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility in New Albany, Ohio, U.S., September 9, 2022. But all that new construction has a real estate problem. That would be a problem for the Biden administration, which has pushed through legislation to fuel the developments. A White House official said it was a "high-class problem" to have, adding: "Folks are finding places to build. The governors of South Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina have each proposed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on readying industrial sites in the coming years.

They reiterated that the financial system is resilient, supported by prompt government responses to the turmoil and reforms implemented after the 2008 financial crisis. "We will continue to closely monitor financial sector developments and stand ready to take appropriate actions to maintain the stability and resilience of the global financial system," the G7 finance leaders said. 'SHARED VALUES'The ministers said that supply chains needed to achieve both efficiency and resilience, helping to maintain macroeconomic stability and make economies more sustainable. The statement cited the need to diversify the "highly concentrated" supply chains for clean energy technologies. JOINT RESEARCHIn addition to working more closely with developing countries on supply chains, the G7 finance officials pledged to encourage joint research and development efforts among G7 members and other "interested parties."

☆ Column: Middle East starts cleaning up its power act with renewable push
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Gavin Maguire | Thomson Reuters | Gavin Maguire Is The Global Energy Transition Columnist. He Was Previously Asia Commodities | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Middle East renewables capacity jumped by 12.8% in 2022 from the year before, the biggest gain in percentage terms of any region last year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The region's largest renewables producers - Iran, Israel, United Arab Emirates and Jordan - all lifted green capacity to new highs in 2022. Middle East renewable energy supply capacity increased by 12.8% in 2022 from the year beforeIn addition, Qatar, Oman and Lebanon all connected more renewable capacity in 2022 than was installed over the previous decade in those countries, IRENA data shows. In combination, these factors have fostered rapidly growing support for renewable energy development throughout the Middle East, and expectations for further accelerations in renewable capacity development in the years ahead. Asia, Middle East & Africa are the only regions that increased power sector fossil fuel emissions since 2015Asia, Africa and the Middle East are also the only regions to steadily increase power sector emissions since 2015, while Europe, North America, Latin America and Oceania have all pushed power emissions lower.

The boosted tax credit is central to the administration’s goal of ensuring areas long dependent on fossil fuels benefit from clean energy. "Communities like coal communities have the knowledge, infrastructure, resources and know-how to play a leading role in the move to a clean energy economy," U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. The bonus credit also is available to other "energy communities" - areas that have significant employment or local tax revenues from fossil fuels and higher than average unemployment. The Treasury said it will open project applications for the first round of coal and energy communities tax credits on May 31. Those minerals are crucial to producing clean energy technologies like batteries and solar panels.

April 4 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Tuesday will release final guidance on how clean energy companies can secure additional tax credits when investing in U.S. communities economically tied to fossil fuels like oil and coal. The boosted tax credit is central to the administration’s goal of ensuring areas long dependent on fossil fuels benefit from clean energy. It also helped secure West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin's essential support for the bill. "Communities like coal communities have the knowledge, infrastructure, resources and know-how to play a leading role in the move to a clean energy economy," U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said. Those minerals are crucial to producing clean energy technologies like batteries and solar panels.

Companies Cummins Inc FollowApril 3 (Reuters) - Cummins Inc (CMI.N) said on Monday it would invest more than $1 billion across its U.S. engine manufacturing network to upgrade some facilities to support new clean energy technologies. Cummins said the investment would go towards its facilities in Indiana, North Carolina and New York, to upgrade its clean energy technology including fuel-agnostic engine platforms that would run on low-carbon fuels like natural gas, diesel and eventually hydrogen. The Columbus, Indiana-based company, known for its diesel and natural gas engines, has accelerated its push towards clean energy solutions to sell to its industrial and commercial transportation customers, as the trucking industry is expected to face tougher greenhouse emissions regulations this year. The $1 billion announced is in addition to the investment of $1.5 billion that the engine maker announced last month. Reporting by Kannaki Deka in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a Republican energy reform bill intended to bolster U.S. oil and gas production while scaling back climate initiatives, the first major legislation of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's majority. The House passed the Lower Energy Costs Act by a mostly partisan 225-204 vote. The bill would deliver on a top 2022 Republican campaign pledge to lower Americans' energy costs but faces little chance of making it through the Democratic-led Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has declared it "dead on arrival." "The Senate is not going to waste our time on a bill that sets America back decades on our transition to clean energy," Schumer said in a Senate speech shortly before the House vote. Party disagreement over the House bill partly reflected gaping divisions over how to streamline permitting for energy projects, a goal otherwise shared by both Republicans and Democrats.

☆ EU agrees to double renewables by 2030 and UK unveils its long-awaited climate plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Reuters Emily Blumenthal | Emily Blumenthal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Two big announcements in European climate policy came Thursday. In 2021, the bloc got 22% of its energy from renewable sources, though the level varied significantly between countries. Sweden leads with a 63% renewable energy share, while in Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands and Ireland, renewable sources make up less than 13% of total energy use. UK climate strategyThe United Kingdom also announced its own climate strategy Thursday. It includes support for offshore wind energy, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, nuclear technology, home insulation and home heat pumps.

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