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EU eyes gas filling and oil stock co-ordination
EU eyes gas filling and oil stock co-ordination
Brussels, 13 April (Argus) — EU-wide co-ordination of gas storage filling and oil stock releases are among measures the European Commission will present on 22 April to tackle the energy crisis, said commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Monday. Von der Leyen said bloc-wide co-ordination of gas storage filling is aimed at preventing member states from competing against each other, and co-ordinated oil stock releases are intended to achieve the largest possible effect on markets. The bloc's fossil fuel import bill has increased by more than €22bn ($25.8bn) since the start of the US-Iran war on 28 February, von der Leyen said after discussions with EU commissioners. She said the "smallest" part of energy costs comes from the emissions trading system (ETS). Von der Leyen will "shortly" consult with EU states on updated ETS benchmarks using "all the flexibilities" the legal text allows, she said. The commission is "on track" to present the full review of the ETS in July, and will put forward legal proposals on electricity taxes and grid charges in May, with an "ambitious" new target on electrification. "The grim reality is that fossil fuels will remain the most expensive options in the years to come," von der Leyen said. She added that renewables and nuclear together now account for over 70pc of EU electricity generation. By Dafydd ab Iago Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Governors tell PJM to make data centers pay
Governors tell PJM to make data centers pay
Houston, 10 April (Argus) — A bipartisan group of governors is pressing PJM Interconnection to design its proposed reliability backstop auction so that new data centers directly bear the cost of new generating capacity. The governors call for consumer protections to be embedded in PJM's forthcoming filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), arguing that cost causation, not pooled markets, should govern how the grid responds to fast growing power demand from data centers, according to a letter sent 9 April to PJM chief executive David Mills. PJM, the largest independent grid operator in the country covering 13 states and Washington, DC, has proposed a "reliability backstop auction" to address a looming shortfall of power supply as data centers and other large new loads drive demand beyond what the region's capacity market has been able to secure. For the first time, PJM failed to meet its reserve requirement in the 2027-28 capacity auction even as the price paid to power plants to reserve generation capacity soared by triple digits. The grid operator now projects a potential 50–60GW capacity gap over the next decade, driven primarily by large-load growth and long lead times for new generation and transmission. The backstop auction is intended as a one-off mechanism to procure capacity quickly enough to preserve reliability while broader market reforms are developed. The governors are pressing PJM to assign backstop costs directly to new data centers wherever possible and calling for protections against stranded costs, warning that consumers must not be left on the hook if data center projects default or scale back. "PJM should develop strong stranded-cost protection mechanisms to ensure consumers and other PJM members are fully protected," the letter states, noting the request aligns with the White House's Ratepayer Protection Pledge, under which participating tech firms commit to pay for power supply and delivery infrastructure whether they use it or not. The governors urge PJM to remain flexible on near-term resource eligibility, particularly for the 2027-28 delivery year, given long construction times and looming reliability gaps. "PJM must be technology-neutral and inclusive of all resources that can meet unforced capacity needs today," the letter said. The letter was signed by the governors of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as the mayor of Washington, DC. By Jasmina Kelemen Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Indiana utility NIPSCO locks out 1,600 union workers
Indiana utility NIPSCO locks out 1,600 union workers
New York, 9 April (Argus) — US utility Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has locked out 1,600 union workers, a move that could affect coal plant operations. NIPSCO locked out the workers on 2 April, after its labor contract with the United Steelworkers expired. The company and union began contract negotiations on 20 January but have yet to reach a new collective bargaining agreement, NIPSCO said on Wednesday. The lockout "will remain in place until the union agrees to the company's last, best and final offer and a new agreement is reached," NIPSCO said. The union says NIPSCO stopped negotiating after submitting its last offer. In addition, "we are not going to accept their last, best, and final offer because it was not in the best interest of our members," said Jon Doust, USW District 7 sub-district director. The affected workers hold a variety of jobs at NIPSCO, including linemen and clerical positions. Some members have positions at the utility's RM Schahfer coal- and natural gas-fired power plant. But the impact of the lockout on power plant operations could be delayed. Electricity demand in general is typically subdued during the so-called spring shoulder season months. This is particularly true for fossil fuel generation. April and May are months when US coal units are typically scheduled for maintenance outages. In addition to Schahfer, NIPSCO operates the Michigan City coal plant in Indiana, which the company is planning to close in 2028, as well as the Sugar Creek natural gas plant and some wind and solar generating facilities in the state. Maintenance at NIPSCO's coal power plants is ongoing but may be slowed by the lockout, Doust said, "or they are hiring even more contractors than they normally would to backfill the fact that we're locked out and not doing our part." The two coal units at the Schahfer plant are not producing any power at the moment, he said. NIPSCO said it has implemented continuity plans to maintain operations during the lockout. According to the utility, trained non-represented employees and contractors, with support from affiliated companies, are performing work in line with existing safety procedures. The utility is continuing to comply with a US Department of Energy (DOE) emergency order to keep Schahfer's coal units - 17 and 18 - available for generation dispatch if needed, NIPSCO said. Before the order the two units, which have a combined capacity of 848MW, had been slated to retire by the end of last year. Schahfer sells power into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. Neither the grid operator nor DOE immediately responded to requests for comment. The Schahfer plant took 588,606 short tons (533,975 metric tonnes) of coal in all of 2025 and 95,216st in January 2026 from Peabody Energy's Gateway mine in Illinois, US Energy Information Administration data show. In January, the Schahfer plant burned 90,574st of coal. By Elena Vasilyeva Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Spain car sector power demand unlikely to grow in 2026
Spain car sector power demand unlikely to grow in 2026
London, 9 April (Argus) — Electricity demand in Spain's car manufacturing sector is unlikely to rebound in the near term, as falling production volumes owing to the shift from internal combustion engines (Ice) to electric vehicles (EVs) continue to outweigh higher electrification and a growing EV supply chain. Although EV manufacturing has grown since 2023, a much sharper decline in output of Ice units means EV growth has been unable to offset the overall decline in production. The automotive industry's raw output continues to fall from its 2017-19 peak. In 2025, passenger car output fell by 12pc on the year, according to the latest data from Spain's tourism and industry ministry Mintur. And so far in 2026, Mintur data show that manufacturing output for the sector is down by 7.2pc on the year compared with the equivalent period of 2025. Spain's automotive industry association Anfac president, Jose Lopez-Tafall, attributes the country's falling production from the pre-pandemic peak to two factors. "One of these factors is negative and one is positive," Lopez-Tafall said at Anfac's 2026 forum. "The negative is that 90pc of our exports continue to go to the European market." The Anfac president added that "if Europe gets the flu, Spain does too", referring to weakening demand in Europe impacting Spain's manufacturing output. Europe's declining demand in recent years reflects the bottleneck as manufacturers have been slow in their transition to majority EV manufacturing over Ice. Spain's transition to produce EVs at an increasing scale has hurt output, as factories are forced to adopt new and complicated processes, according to Lopez-Tafall. But he pointed to major progress in this area which he believes will help the industry in the long term, as Spain will transition from producing 22 EV models in 2025 to 32 this year, likely supporting EV output going forward. This decline has outweighed higher electrification, with the industry moving more of its energy consumption towards electricity over the past 10 years. So far this decade, 63.4pc of the industry's final energy consumption has come from electricity, according to data from the ecological transition ministry Miteco ( see demand graph ). This is up from about 58.9pc in 2010-19 and just 40.6pc in 2000-09. The increasing share of electricity has displaced oil products and, to a lesser extent, natural gas. The former has fallen from a share of about 11pc in final energy demand over 2010-19 to less than 3pc so far this decade. Despite progress in electrification, outright power demand in the automotive sector has receded since its peak in the late 2010s. Excluding the outlier of 2020, which was heavily impacted by Covid-19, power demand in the sector was below 4TWh for the first time since 2015 in 2024, and down by about 12pc from the 2017 peak. EV manufacturing picking up, but not quickly enough Production of Ice passenger car models reached about 2.2mn in 2019, before a steady decline to reach a year-end figure of about 1mn in 2025, according to Mintur. EVs are yet to make up the Ice deficit, but the sector has registered growth across the past four years. Mintur records production data for battery EVs (BEVs), hybrid EVs (HEVs) and plug-in HEVs (PHEVs). Since Mintur began recording the full breakdown of EV passenger car production in 2023, these three categories have risen to 176,000 units produced in 2025 from 139,000 units in 2023 ( see car production graph ). Most of the growth in EV production across this period has largely come as a result of HEV output, rather than from BEVs or PHEVs. Spain's government launched the Spain Auto 2030 plan in December to address the country's slow progress in EV production and purchasing. Under the new scheme, Spain is targeting total vehicle production across all types of 2.7mn by 2035 — an increase of about 10pc from 2023 levels. And the government intends for 95pc of these units to be EVs, meaning production of about 2.55mn/yr by the end of the decade. This would mean an increase in EV production of at least three times in the next four years. The plan also notes that the average BEV vehicle requires 10MWh of electricity consumption per unit, double the average for an Ice model. EV supply chain to support sector growth The Spanish government has earmarked major financial support to build up the country's EV industry along the entire supply chain. The Perte Vec scheme has awarded €837mn to EV battery production projects across Spain. One of the largest recipients from the scheme was Dutch firm Stellantis, the largest car manufacturer in Spain by total output. The firm received €114mn from the scheme for its Figueruelas EV battery gigafactory near Zaragoza in northern Spain. Stellantis is building the factory as part of a joint venture with Chinese battery firm CATL, with construction starting in November 2025. The venture will have capacity of up to 50GWh with production likely to start at the end of 2026, according to Stellantis. The Perte Vec scheme also allocated €167mn to Volkswagen's Sagunto gigafactory near Valencia in 2022 . The site has a planned capacity of 40GWh with the option to expand to 60GWh, with first production starting this year, according to Volkswagen. By James Doran Car sector power demand Spanish car production % Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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