France lagging on renewables directive: commission

Spanish Market: Electricity, Emissions
02/02/26

France has still not fully transposed the renewable energy directive (RED III) into national law, the European commission has found, and now has two months to complete transposition before the commission may begin court proceedings.

RED III entered into force in November 2023, and had to be transposed into national law by 1 July 2024. It includes a Europe-wide target for renewable sources to make up 42.5pc of final energy consumption by 2030, as well as provisions on accelerating permitting for renewables and grid infrastructure, imposing time limits on approvals and presumptions of public interest.

France received a formal notice of failure to fully transpose the directive in September 2024, along with 25 other member states. It was then in February last year one of eight states to receive a reasoned opinion from the commission for failing to show that its transposition measures achieved the objectives of the directive, before receiving a further reasoned opinion last week.

The commission could refer France to the court of justice of the European Union, and request financial sanctions be imposed, it said.

Renewable energy made up 22.4pc of France's final energy consumption in 2023, slightly below the EU-27 average of 24.6pc. The country's 2019 climate law set a target of 33pc by 2030.

By Rhys Talbot

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03/02/26

Australia pledges $42mn to boost EV sales

Sydney, 3 February (Argus) — The federal government of Australia will spend $A60mn ($42mn) to subsidise loans for electric vehicles (EVs), in a bid to increase the uptake of lower-emissions cars. Money allocated by the federally-funded agency Clean Energy Finance (CEFC) will go towards subsidising interest rates for new EVs available for purchase through Hyundai Capital Australia, an arm of the South Korean carmaker, energy minister Chris Bowen said on 3 February. Discounts of 0.5-1pc will be offered for loans on eligible Hyundai- and Kia-branded EVs, with a 1pc discount on a A$70,000 loan over five years cutting A$1,900 in interest costs, Bowen said. Transport remains a major source of Australia's emissions, with 98.7mn t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in the year to 30 June 2025, or 22.5pc of total emissions of 437.5mn t . Canberra's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) is taxing manufacturers based on CO2e emissions , which it projects is likely to drive up EV sales. But transport emissions rose by 0.3pc to 98.7mn t CO2 equivalent (CO2e) in 2024-25 on the back of a rise in diesel consumption for road transport and jet fuel demand. A ban on new gasoline and diesel registrations may be needed to reach a goal of 50pc of new car sales being EVs by 2030 to drive down emissions, industry body the EV Council has said. But 2025 was a record for EV sales, with 156,000 purchased. But about one-third were plug-in hybrid vehicles which can also run on gasoline or diesel. The NVES has provided policy certainty and increased availability of EVs in Australia but has so far had little effect on EV demand, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) has said. FCAI data show just 8.3pc of new vehicle sales were battery EVs last year. Australia's fuel tax rebate scheme has also been targeted by lobbyists demanding it be capped to reduce diesel demand , but industry insists that the road-user tax should not apply to businesses not using public infrastructure. Australia's gasoline sales are dipping. Gasoline sales averaged 271,000 b/d for January-November 2025, compared with 278,000 b/d during January-November 2024 and 276,000 b/d during January-November 2023, according to data from Australian Petroleum Statistics. Consumption was 298,000 b/d for the same period in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Dutch government focuses on power grids

02/02/26

Dutch government focuses on power grids

London, 2 February (Argus) — The new Dutch government is focusing on power grid congestion as its "top priority" for energy and climate, according to its coalition agreement released last week. The government will create a grid congestion "crisis act" to accelerate permitting and intervene if construction stagnates, it said. It has committed to a target of 40GW of offshore wind by 2040, with contracts for difference to be rolled out to support this goal, on the higher end of the 30-40GW range the previous government mooted in July to replace a goal of 50GW. And the SDE++ programme of subsidies for renewable generation is being extended, with six new tender rounds to come. The coalition document represents a compromise between the positions of the partners , left-wing D66 and centre-right CDA and VVD. D66's proposals to increase the country's carbon tax was not adopted, with the tax to be scrapped. But no more gas extraction permits are to be issued for the Wadden Sea, in line with the party's manifesto. The giant Groningen gas field, which shut down in October 2024, will remain closed. The coalition agreement includes a role for "blue" hydrogen made from gas in "scaling up the Dutch hydrogen supply chain" and commits to building at least four new nuclear power plants. Dutch grid operator association Netbeheer Nederland and energy association Energie Nederland welcomed the coalition document's focus on grids, but both warned that a focus on green electricity supply needed to be paired with an increase in demand. The coalition government holds 66 out of 150 seats in the lower house of parliament and will need the support of other parties to implement its agenda. By Rhys Talbot Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

EU eyes maritime decarbonisation, industry strategy

02/02/26

EU eyes maritime decarbonisation, industry strategy

Brussels, 2 February (Argus) — The European Commission is expected to publish a maritime manufacturing industrial strategy on 18 February, a leaked draft of which underscores the need for "mechanisms" to earmark national emission revenues for maritime decarbonisation. Beyond funds from a projected €10bn/yr by 2030 in national revenues raised from shipping emissions under the EU emissions trading system (ETS), the commission will make available 20mn ETS allowances assigned to the bloc's innovation fund for demonstration and pre-deployment — worth approximately €1.6bn — earmarked to support maritime emissions reductions until 2030. Future innovation fund calls for proposals could focus on production and uptake of renewable and low-carbon fuels. The draft, which is expected to change before final publication, said a commission-led task-force will explore additional technical support and "match-making" tools to connect ports, shipping companies, shipyards, equipment manufacturers and fuel producers. The commission will also leverage public and private funding towards "made in EU" vessels, technologies and equipment, boosting construction of next-generation low and zero-carbon vessels. It promises a "robust" policy framework for nuclear power propulsion in commercial shipping and commits to mobilising €800mn for shipbuilding, retrofitting, shipping and blue tech by 2028. The draft further calls for boosting wind-assisted propulsion using the EU's sustainable finance taxonomy. The upcoming revision of EU public procurement law will introduce targeted non-price requirements, including sustainability, circularity and made in EU criteria. Export credits will also include specific provisions for zero and low-emission ships. The commission plans to allocate €160mn to finance a Zero Emission Waterborne Transport programme until 2027, with an additional €8mn allocated to fuel cells. Officials will "streamline" existing monitoring, reporting and verification requirements under the EU ETS and the FuelEU Maritime regulation , which sets greenhouse gas intensity cuts for marine fuels used in ships over 5,000 gross tonnage, starting at 2pc in 2025 and reaching 80pc by 2050, against a 2020 baseline. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Slow UN carbon market advance on removals

02/02/26

Slow UN carbon market advance on removals

Berlin, 2 February (Argus) — The emerging UN carbon market under Article 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, Pacm, saw slow progress last week on draft rules for carbon removals accounting, as experts tasked with working on new Pacm methodologies convened at the UN climate arm's headquarters in Bonn, Germany. The panel made some decisions on the so-called reversal assessment tool, which aims to determine the number of Pacm credits to contribute to the market's reversal risk buffer account, acting as a form of insurance for removal projects. The tool will help calculate individual risk factors, combined risks and the reduction in reversal risk factors, based on any remediation measures implemented by activity proponents. A buffer factor, expressed as a percentage of credited carbon, would then be calculated, depending on the choices made by project proponents. The higher the percentage, the more credits must be set aside for an activity. The panel will also determine specific activity risks, with an initial focus on forest carbon storage, geological carbon storage and biochar. These are not only the most prevalent removal activities in the carbon market, but also dominate those transitioning from Pacm's precursor, the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). The panel and the Article 6.4 supervisory body were tasked by countries at the UN Cop 30 climate summit in Brazil in November with prioritising CDM transitions . The panel will consider other types of removal activities at a later stage. More progress was made last week on the draft rules for renewable electricity generation, on which the panel released a draft methodology for supervisory body approval. It would become the second approved Pacm methodology, if adopted. The first methodology for generating carbon credits, on flaring or use of landfill gas, is regarded as substantially stricter than its CDM predecessor. Pacm's downward adjustment factor ensures that baseline emissions decline more significantly over time than under the CDM. South Korea-based carbon project developer Ecoeye said under the Pacm landfill gas methodology, flaring-only projects carried out in host countries outside least developed countries are likely to experience a 52–76pc reduction in credited emission reductions, compared with CDM-based estimates, over a five-year period, while for electricity generation and heat production it projects a 34–42pc reduction. The potential third Pacm methodology to be adopted, on clean cooking, considers new submissions while carrying over some elements from an existing CDM methodology. Another methodology under consideration, on nitrous oxide abatement from nitric acid production, might also see a draft proposal at the next expert panel meeting in March. Six new Pacm methodologies in total are under consideration. The latest entry is on fertiliser production with renewables-based ammonia, for which a call for public input closed on 27 January. The panel is considering merging this methodology — the development of which was financed by the Germany-supported International Hydrogen Ramp-Up Programme — with another for ammonia production through electrolysis. By Chloe Jardine Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Kenyan carbon developer Koko shuts operations

02/02/26

Kenyan carbon developer Koko shuts operations

London, 2 February (Argus) — Kenyan clean cookstoves developer Koko Networks is shutting down operations and filing for insolvency after delays in obtaining a letter of authorisation from the government, a source said. The developer could not continue subsidising the bioethanol in its automated fuel dispensers because its revenue dried up while waiting for its Gold Standard-hosted 11440 project to be approved under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (Corsia), the source said. A letter of authorisation said the country intends to apply a corresponding adjustment to carbon credits sold, meaning the resulting emissions reduction will not count towards its climate target under the UN Paris Agreement. This was the last requirement before Corsia approval. Koko obtained a political risk guarantee from the World Bank-backed Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency to replace credits if the corresponding adjustment were not applied in its biennial transparency report to the UN. In this case, Koko's business model relied on institutional carbon revenues from credits approved under the first phase of Corsia. "The project was not feasible on voluntary prices," the source said. The government's uncertainty about its capacity to grant corresponding adjustments while retaining enough emissions reductions to meet its Paris agreement targets caused the delays, the source said. Another clean cookstoves developer in the country, Circle Gas, obtained a letter of approval from the government last week, which paves the way for a letter of authorisation. Whether Koko will now pursue revenue under the high-integrity Core Carbon Principles (CCP) tag is unknown. The project had issued nearly 15mn credits, of which about 170,000 were retired. Market talk for its credits recently fell below their trading levels in July. Many of the 125,000 credits of 2022 vintage last traded in early-July at $11.50/t of CO2 equivalent (CO2e). Offers for unknown quantities of Koko credits were $5/t CO2e in late December. Prices for CCP-tagged clean cookstoves credits are in the $9-11/t CO2e range, while standard clean cookstoves credits in Africa are trading at around $1-2/t CO2e. By Alexandra Luca Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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France lagging on renewables directive: commission

Related news posts

Australia pledges $42mn to boost EV sales

Australia pledges $42mn to boost EV sales

Dutch government focuses on power grids

Dutch government focuses on power grids

EU eyes maritime decarbonisation, industry strategy

EU eyes maritime decarbonisation, industry strategy

Slow UN carbon market advance on removals

Slow UN carbon market advance on removals

Kenyan carbon developer Koko shuts operations

Kenyan carbon developer Koko shuts operations

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