[Top News] from [REUTERS]
[Green Business]
Green energy rush could crash Bulgaria power grid
Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:30am EST
By Irina Ivanova
SOFIA (Reuters) - A rush to cash in on incentives to develop renewable energy projects in Bulgaria could end up in so much new supply it could cause blackouts on the national grid, the operator told Reuters on Tuesday.
Ivan Ayolov, chief executive of the state electricity system operator (ESO) said in an interview the government should impose stricter regulations to bar speculators.
Generous government incentives for electricity produced from wind, solar and biomass has led to an avalanche-like increase in projects which totaled over 11,000 megawatts by September.
"This has to be stopped in an intelligent way, otherwise we face a catastrophe," Ayolov said, adding the situation resembled the Klondike gold rush.
"At this stage the grid is reliable. It's capacity (for new installations) is 1,800 MW. But it is not reliable when it comes to 10,000 MW." ESO runs Bulgaria's high-voltage grids.
Bulgaria like most other former communist member states of the European Union relies mainly on coal and nuclear power to meet its energy needs.
The need to raise green energy share to 16-20 percent by 2020 to meet EU targets on reducing emissions, has prompted governments in the region to offer preferential prices to attract investors in renewables whose costs are higher than fossil-fuel based power.
This has led to a wind power boom in Bulgaria and Romania and numerous solar projects in the Czech Republic.
Bulgaria's wind energy capacity connected to the grid jumped to 330 MW so far this year from 103 MW last year.
But the existing power grids cannot cope with the demand for connecting new wind parks and state power utility NEK has already imposed a temporary freeze on connecting turbines in the north-eastern region of Varna.
NEK has warned of possible power outages due to the rising applications for new wind parks.
PRIORITY FOR RENEWABLES
Ayolov said apart from offering incentives, Bulgaria should also have a detailed strategy on increasing renewable energy in a sustainable way that did not put a strain on the power grid.
ESO, therefore, suggests investors pay five percent of the value of their project to the state as a deposit to prove they really intend to realize them, which will separate speculators from serious investors.
Under current legislation, NEK and the three regional power utilities -- Czech CEZ, Austria's EVNVI and Germany's E.ON -- are obliged to give a priority to renewables when connecting units to the system.
They must also cover all costs to upgrade their grids to link the new capacity.
Experts say some 40 million levs ($30.49 million) are necessary for connecting a 100 MW unit to the grid, while NEK has so far been able to invest 300-350 million levs a year for maintenance and overhauls.
The Economy and Energy Ministry says it will submit to Brussels a plan by June 2010 which will regulate the capacities and energy sources for linking to the grid.
The document is expected to rein in the negative effect of the preferential prices which saw applications multiplying and will allow utilities to plan in advance their investments in the grid, Kostadinka Todorova, an energy ministry expert, said.
[Green Business]
UK Tories unveil plan for "greener" government
Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:11am EST
By Peter Griffiths
LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives said on Tuesday they will pay households to recycle rubbish, set up a "green" investment bank and cut government emissions by 10 percent in a year if they win next year's election.
The party said it would publish departments' energy consumption online to force politicians and public workers to cut their carbon footprint.
With countries meeting for U.N. climate talks in Denmark next month, both Labour and the Conservatives have been keen to promote their environmental credentials.
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said the Treasury had traditionally been "at best indifferent, at worst obstructive" toward environmental policy.
"That attitude is going to change if the government changes," Osborne said in a speech at Imperial College London, a science-based university founded in 1907.
"I want a Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing the green recovery."
Under his proposals, the Conservatives would cut carbon emissions from government departments by a tenth within a year of coming to power, saving some 300 million pounds a year. Departments which fail to reach that target will have their funding cut.
A Tory government would begin talks on establishing a new investment bank that would consolidate all existing government funding of new environmental projects, Osborne added.
The public would be able to invest in tax-free savings accounts that fund "green" initiatives and the Conservatives would set a 10-year minimum tax on burying household waste.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband dismissed the Conservative pledges as "greenwash" and said the plans were not backed by promises of new money.
"The truth is that the Tories have opposed Labour's extra public investment, including the 400 million pounds allocated at the time of the budget for new green industries," Miliband said in a statement. "So why should anyone believe a piece of greenwash from George Osborne?"
Britain was the first country to set legally binding targets to cut emissions. It aims for a reduction of 34 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels.
(Additional reporting by Sumeet Desai; Editing by Steve Addison)
[Green Business]
Ukraine to sell carbon emission rights to Spain
Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:47am EST
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's government has ordered its environment investment agency to sign a deal selling carbon emission rights to Spain, according to a decision published on Tuesday.
The government's decision said it wanted to sell 3 million Assigned Amount Units (AAU) to Madrid and gave no further details of the transaction facilitated by the Kyoto Protocol's emission trading scheme.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in July Ukraine wanted to earn $2 billion from CO2 rights sales after Japan bought 30 million AAUs earlier this year. Ukraine said that deal was worth $375 million.
The government had said in May it was looking to sell this year 100 million AAUs to Swiss-based Dighton Carbon SA and another 50 million to New Zealand's Tawhaki International LP.
Ukraine was allocated 4.5 billion AAUs between 2008-2012 but due to a deep recession and steeply falling industrial activity, it estimates it needs to use only 2.8 billion. The country is allowed to sell about 450 million AAUs a year.
(Writing by Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Keiron Henderson)
[Green Business]
Green energy rush could crash Bulgaria power grid
Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:30am EST
By Irina Ivanova
SOFIA (Reuters) - A rush to cash in on incentives to develop renewable energy projects in Bulgaria could end up in so much new supply it could cause blackouts on the national grid, the operator told Reuters on Tuesday.
Ivan Ayolov, chief executive of the state electricity system operator (ESO) said in an interview the government should impose stricter regulations to bar speculators.
Generous government incentives for electricity produced from wind, solar and biomass has led to an avalanche-like increase in projects which totaled over 11,000 megawatts by September.
"This has to be stopped in an intelligent way, otherwise we face a catastrophe," Ayolov said, adding the situation resembled the Klondike gold rush.
"At this stage the grid is reliable. It's capacity (for new installations) is 1,800 MW. But it is not reliable when it comes to 10,000 MW." ESO runs Bulgaria's high-voltage grids.
Bulgaria like most other former communist member states of the European Union relies mainly on coal and nuclear power to meet its energy needs.
The need to raise green energy share to 16-20 percent by 2020 to meet EU targets on reducing emissions, has prompted governments in the region to offer preferential prices to attract investors in renewables whose costs are higher than fossil-fuel based power.
This has led to a wind power boom in Bulgaria and Romania and numerous solar projects in the Czech Republic.
Bulgaria's wind energy capacity connected to the grid jumped to 330 MW so far this year from 103 MW last year.
But the existing power grids cannot cope with the demand for connecting new wind parks and state power utility NEK has already imposed a temporary freeze on connecting turbines in the north-eastern region of Varna.
NEK has warned of possible power outages due to the rising applications for new wind parks.
PRIORITY FOR RENEWABLES
Ayolov said apart from offering incentives, Bulgaria should also have a detailed strategy on increasing renewable energy in a sustainable way that did not put a strain on the power grid.
ESO, therefore, suggests investors pay five percent of the value of their project to the state as a deposit to prove they really intend to realize them, which will separate speculators from serious investors.
Under current legislation, NEK and the three regional power utilities -- Czech CEZ, Austria's EVNVI and Germany's E.ON -- are obliged to give a priority to renewables when connecting units to the system.
They must also cover all costs to upgrade their grids to link the new capacity.
Experts say some 40 million levs ($30.49 million) are necessary for connecting a 100 MW unit to the grid, while NEK has so far been able to invest 300-350 million levs a year for maintenance and overhauls.
The Economy and Energy Ministry says it will submit to Brussels a plan by June 2010 which will regulate the capacities and energy sources for linking to the grid.
The document is expected to rein in the negative effect of the preferential prices which saw applications multiplying and will allow utilities to plan in advance their investments in the grid, Kostadinka Todorova, an energy ministry expert, said.
[Green Business]
UK Tories unveil plan for "greener" government
Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:11am EST
By Peter Griffiths
LONDON (Reuters) - The Conservatives said on Tuesday they will pay households to recycle rubbish, set up a "green" investment bank and cut government emissions by 10 percent in a year if they win next year's election.
The party said it would publish departments' energy consumption online to force politicians and public workers to cut their carbon footprint.
With countries meeting for U.N. climate talks in Denmark next month, both Labour and the Conservatives have been keen to promote their environmental credentials.
Shadow Chancellor George Osborne said the Treasury had traditionally been "at best indifferent, at worst obstructive" toward environmental policy.
"That attitude is going to change if the government changes," Osborne said in a speech at Imperial College London, a science-based university founded in 1907.
"I want a Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing the green recovery."
Under his proposals, the Conservatives would cut carbon emissions from government departments by a tenth within a year of coming to power, saving some 300 million pounds a year. Departments which fail to reach that target will have their funding cut.
A Tory government would begin talks on establishing a new investment bank that would consolidate all existing government funding of new environmental projects, Osborne added.
The public would be able to invest in tax-free savings accounts that fund "green" initiatives and the Conservatives would set a 10-year minimum tax on burying household waste.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband dismissed the Conservative pledges as "greenwash" and said the plans were not backed by promises of new money.
"The truth is that the Tories have opposed Labour's extra public investment, including the 400 million pounds allocated at the time of the budget for new green industries," Miliband said in a statement. "So why should anyone believe a piece of greenwash from George Osborne?"
Britain was the first country to set legally binding targets to cut emissions. It aims for a reduction of 34 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050, compared to 1990 levels.
(Additional reporting by Sumeet Desai; Editing by Steve Addison)
[Green Business]
Ukraine to sell carbon emission rights to Spain
Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:47am EST
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's government has ordered its environment investment agency to sign a deal selling carbon emission rights to Spain, according to a decision published on Tuesday.
The government's decision said it wanted to sell 3 million Assigned Amount Units (AAU) to Madrid and gave no further details of the transaction facilitated by the Kyoto Protocol's emission trading scheme.
Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in July Ukraine wanted to earn $2 billion from CO2 rights sales after Japan bought 30 million AAUs earlier this year. Ukraine said that deal was worth $375 million.
The government had said in May it was looking to sell this year 100 million AAUs to Swiss-based Dighton Carbon SA and another 50 million to New Zealand's Tawhaki International LP.
Ukraine was allocated 4.5 billion AAUs between 2008-2012 but due to a deep recession and steeply falling industrial activity, it estimates it needs to use only 2.8 billion. The country is allowed to sell about 450 million AAUs a year.
(Writing by Sabina Zawadzki; Editing by Keiron Henderson)
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