Global climate efforts falling short: Kerry
The world is falling short of what needs to be done to head off the worst effects of climate change, with continued investment in coal and natural gas among the top concerns, US special climate envoy John Kerry said today.
"We're in trouble, I hope everybody understands that. Not trouble we can't get out of but we're not on a good track," he said during an event hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt to preview this year's COP 27 climate talks being held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Kerry singled out a large queue of planned new coal-fired generation around the world as a major threat to progress toward averting the most serious consequences of climate change.
"That is a problem," he said. "There is just no other way to cut it. Coal is the dirtiest fuel on the planet. Nobody has figured out how to make it clean even though they talk about clean coal."
He also said that investments in new natural gas infrastructure could also put global efforts at risk. While gas can play an important role as a "bridge fuel," the associated emissions from new projects need to be kept addressed.
"We're not going to solve the problem unless we can capture and store or find a utilization of carbon," Kerry said.
Instead, Kerry urged countries to look more toward renewables over the next decade to keep the world on a path to avoiding a greater than 1.5°C increase in global temperatures from pre-industrial levels.
"We have to be thinking hard about deploying more renewables." he said. "That is absolutely critical. We have that technology. We can do it."
Kerry said he hopes the climate talks in Egypt this November can build on the successes from last year's COP 26 in Glasgow and result in more countries coming up with more ambitions goals to reduce greenhouse gases.
The host country is planning to focus the talks on the finance and support needed to help countries deploy clean energy technologies and reduce emissions.
"We will be listening carefully to the needs and priorities of African and other developing countries who have suffered greatly from the negative effects of climate change," Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said.
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Japan’s Jera to handle 35mn t/yr LNG until FY2035-36
Japan’s Jera to handle 35mn t/yr LNG until FY2035-36
Osaka, 17 May (Argus) — Japan's largest LNG importer Jera plans to maintain its LNG handling volumes at no less than 35mn t/yr until the April 2035-March 2036 fiscal year. Rising renewable power supplies and the possible return of more nuclear reactors are likely to pressure LNG demand from Japan's power sector. Jera consumed 23mn t of LNG in 2023-24, down by 3pc on the year, although it handled 35mn t through its global operations during the same year. But Jera needs to secure sufficient LNG supplies to adjust for imbalances in electricity supplies and ensure power security, through more flexible operations. It is also looking to further promote LNG along with renewable electricity in Asian countries, while helping to reduce their dependence on coal- and oil-fired power generators. The 2035 target for LNG is part of Jera's three pillars of strategic focus, along with renewables as well as hydrogen and ammonia , which was announced on 16 May to spur decarbonisation towards its 2050 net zero emissions goal. The company plans to invest ¥5 trillion ($32bn) for these three areas over 2024-36. Jera also aims to retire all supercritical or less efficient coal-fired units by 2030-31 . This would help achieve the company's target of cutting CO2 emissions from its domestic business by at least 60pc against 2013-14 levels by 2035-36. By Motoko Hasegawa Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
EBRD ‘green project’ funding hit €6.54bn in 2023
EBRD ‘green project’ funding hit €6.54bn in 2023
London, 15 May (Argus) — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) hit a record level of investments in the "green economy" in 2023, at €6.54bn ($7.1bn) in 337 projects — up from €6.36bn in 2022. The multilateral development bank (MDB) again reached its target for at least 50pc of its total annual investment to go towards green projects. Of total investments, 50pc went to green projects — flat on the year. The EBRD initially set the goal for 2025, but hit it in 2021, with 51pc of its investment going to green projects. The EBRD's investments stood at €13.1bn in 2023 — a new record high — going towards 464 individual projects. The bank has since the beginning of 2023 ensured that all new investment projects are in line with the Paris climate agreement goals. The Paris agreement seeks to limit the rise in temperature to "well below" 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably to 1.5°C. Countries' focus on MDBs and their role in delivering climate finance has intensified in recent years. Climate finance is set to dominate climate talks this year, including at the UN Cop 29 summit, set for November in Baku, Azerbaijan. Mukhtar Babayev, Cop president-designate, last month called on MDBs and parties to the Cop process to deliver on climate finance. The EBRD is owned by 73 shareholder governments, the EU and the European Investment Bank. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Chinese importers seek five LNG cargoes for Jun-Sep
Chinese importers seek five LNG cargoes for Jun-Sep
Shanghai, 15 May (Argus) — Five Chinese importers, mostly second-tier buyers, are each seeking one LNG cargo for June-September delivery, according to an official notice published by China's national pipeline operator PipeChina on 15 May. The five importers are PipeChina, Chinese independent ENN, Hong Kong-listed city gas firm China Resources Gas, Hong Kong-based Towngas and state-owned China Gas. PipeChina and ENN have indicated a target price of at most $9.50/mn Btu for their intended cargoes, both for delivery to PipeChina's 6mn t/yr Tianjin terminal. China Gas has indicated a target price of at most $9.30/mn Btu for delivery to PipeChina's 6mn t/yr Beihai termial. China Resources Gas and Towngas have both indicated a target price of at most $9/mn Btu for delivery to PipeChina's 2mn t/yr Yuedong and Tianjin terminals, respectively. This consolidated requirement came about because of a need for PipeChina to better leverage on its infrastructure advantages and, at the same time, meet the varying needs of gas importers and consumers in the country. But this requirement comes at a time when spot LNG prices are still somewhat higher than the importers' targeted prices. But the importers can choose not to buy if offers are not within their expectations. The front-half month of the ANEA, the Argus assessment for spot LNG deliveries to northeast Asia, was last assessed at $10.485/mn Btu on 15 May. Chinese importers mostly perceive spot prices below $9-9.50/mn Btu for June-September deliveries to be unattainable for now because there is strong buying interest from south and southeast Asia in particular. Indian state-controlled refiner IOC most recently bought LNG for delivery between 22 May and 15 June at around $10.60/mn Btu, through a tender that closed on 14 May. Thailand's state-controlled PTT most recently bought three deliveries for 9-10 July, 16-17 July and 22-23 July through a tender that closed on 13 May , at just slightly above $10.50/mn Btu. The most recent spot transaction was Japanese utility Tohoku Electric's purchase of a 10-30 June delivery at around $10.55/mn Btu through a tender that closed on 14 May . This is at least $1/mn Btu higher than Chinese importers' indications. Summer requirements have so far been muted but concerns among buyers about potential supply disruptions remain. Malaysia's 30mn t/yr Bintulu LNG export terminal suffered a power loss on 10 May, but this issue may have been resolved as of early on 15 May, according to offtakers. Some unspecified upstream issues may still be affecting production at the Bintulu facility, resulting in Malaysia's state-owned Petronas having to ask some of its buyers for cargo deferments, according to offtakers. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
US court upholds RFS blending targets for 2020-22
US court upholds RFS blending targets for 2020-22
Washington, 14 May (Argus) — A federal appeals court has affirmed biofuel blending requirements for 2020-22 under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), rejecting lawsuits from refineries and renewable fuel producers challenging the standards. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) acted within its authority in the rule when it revised the biofuel blending targets to account for small refinery exemptions it expected it would award in the future, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit said today in a 2-1 ruling. The court rejected a complaint by refineries that argued EPA could only revise the annual biofuel blending targets based on exemptions it had already approved in the past. "The statute does not confine EPA to the Refiner Petitioners' preferred method of accounting for small refinery exemptions," DC Circuit judge Cornelia Pillard wrote on behalf of the majority. "EPA's choice to account for them both retrospectively and prospectively is not arbitrary or capricious." The ruling leaves intact a 2022 rule that required renewable fuel blending to increase to 20.63bn USG by 2022, up from 17.13bn USG in 2020. For the first time under the RFS, the rule used a new formula that tried to avoid a recurrent issue under which EPA failed to account for upcoming requests from small refineries for exemptions from the RFS. EPA has subsequently decided to start denying all small refinery exemptions, under a new argument that small refiners do not face a disproportionate hardship from complying with the RFS. But if the courts throw out that finding in a pending lawsuit , the formula at issue in today's court ruling could take on a greater relevance for how EPA accounts for small refinery exemptions when setting biofuel blending targets. The DC Circuit rejected a separate lawsuit by cellulosic ethanol producers that said EPA should have required increased blending of cellulosic ethanol, based in part on the availability of carryover compliance credits. The court found EPA had adequate authority to waive volumetric targets set by the US Congress in 2007 based on its finding there were inadequate domestic supplies of the fuel, which is produced from plant fibers. Judge Gregory Katsas, who dissented from the ruling, said he believed the biofuel blending requirements for 2022 were set "arbitrarily high." Katsas cited EPA's finding that those standards would impose an estimated $5.7bn in additional costs for fuel but only deliver $160mn in energy security benefits. Katsas also faulted EPA for increasing the biofuel blending targets by 250mn USG in 2022 to "cancel out a legal error" from biofuel blending targets in 2016. Katsas said there was no authority to transfer volume requirements from one year to another. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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