The chemical make-up of methane – four atoms of hydrogen to one of carbon – makes gas the least polluting of fossil fuels, in both its climate impact and its contribution to local pollution in cities. So in an increasingly carbon – constrained world, expected to be still heavily dependent on fossil fuels by 2050, gas has a crucial role to play in mitigating greenhouse emissions and meeting projected energy demand growth. Yet last month in Paris at the industry’s largest regular gathering – the triennal World Gas Conference – the clear mesage was that the role of natural gas in the future energy mix can no longer be taken for granted. The industry urgently needs to step up its advocacy efforts to convince policymakers of the benefits of gas, reduce the climate impact of its value chain, and cut costs to make gas more competitive with other energy sources, especially coal.

Rome, at the centre of the Mediterranean, is probably the best location to extend the so-called “LNG revolution” from Northern Europe and North America to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean coasts of the Middle East and Africa.
The topics discussed was, among the others: the development of logistics and transport capacity of small quantities of LNG to supply coastal storage, filling stations, factories and off-grid facilities. The state of implementation of the European Directive 93/2013 for the realization of filling stations for alternative fuels to oil.
The program of the 3rd International LNG Conference was also enriched by a Ministerial roundtable where representatives from Energy Ministries of Mediterranean Countries and Mediterranean Organizations debated about the security of Mediterranean energy supplies and the environmental protection of the Mediterranean Sea, focusing on the Mediterranean energy dialogue and the LNG option for secure-affordable supplies and clean Mediterranean seas.

Il World Energy Inside è una pubblicazione mensile del World Energy Council (WEC) contenente interviste a rappresentanti del WEC e dei Comitati Nazionali, overview e aggiornamenti sulle attività recenti e future del WEC in tutto il mondo e, approfondimenti sulle ultime news in ambito energetico.

With the Paris COP 21 climate change talks now just six months away, the world’s energy community has called on negotiators to do all they can to commit to a policy framework conducive to the massive investments – estimated at US$53 trillion needed for the transition to a low-carbon energy economy. Tha is one of two key messages in the World Energy Council’s 2015 World Energy Trilemma Report, launched at the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting held in the Mexican city of Merida in the final week of May. The other is that policymakers need to grasp just how quickly the energy landscape is changing to ensure that policies and measures take account of realities. Only then can the step change needed in energy investment be realised.

La crescente integrazione del sistema energetico italiano con quello europeo, nell’ambito delle politiche più ampie dell’integrazione dei mercati dell’energia, sta spostando a Bruxelles gran parte delle decisioni che influenzano le politiche nazionali degli Stati Membri.

Amidst all the excitement about the growth of wind and solar power, it is easy to forget that by far the largest source of renewable energy is hydroelectricity. In 2013, hydropower capacity grew by 40 GW , more than wind or solar. Global capacity is expected to double to 2,000 GW by 2050. But there will be challenges aplenty – not least ensuring that hydropower is developed responsibly and sustainably. Ahead of the World Hydropower Congress (WHC) in Beijing later this month – where the World Energy Council will be publicly releasing its latest hydropower report as part of its World Energy Resources series – we look at the status of and prospects for this flexible baseload technology in a world of carbon constrains and intermittent renewables.

Il mese di marzo inizia con un periodo di stasi dei prezzi, dovuto alla prolungata attesa del responso degli Stati Membri circa la proposta di anticipare la messa in atto della riserva di mercato. La mancanza della spinta necessaria all’innalzamento dei prezzi ne ha addirittura causato la discesa, portando il contratto EUA Dec ’15 sotto la soglia dei 7€, fino ad un minimo di 6,66€, mentre i crediti CER ed ERU perdono sempre più valore, quasi annullandosi.

With the fossil fuels expected to provide the bulk of the world’s primary energy needs for the forseenable future – despate the rapid rise of renewables – carbon capture and storage (CCS) is seen by many as an essential technology if we are to keep global warming within the 2°C limit that scientists recommend. However, though there are sign of progress, the widespread adoption of CCS still appears to be decades away. With the industry facing a critical period in its development, World Energy Focus looks at progress to date and the future progress for CCS.

No Nation on earth faces a bigger challange in providing affordable, secure and clean energy to all its people – the conflicting imperatives that make up what the World Energy Council calls the “energy trilemma” – than India. At the recent India Energy Congress in New Delhi, hopes were running high that prime minister Narendra Modi, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured an overwhelming victory in last May’s selection , will be able fix an energy sector that struggles to meet people’s needs because of unfinished reforms and financial constraints. It is a monumental task – but the rewards of success would be immense.

Shinzo Abe’s decision to call a snap election in December paid off with a decisive victory – renewing the mandate of the ruling coalition. High on the list of policy priorities will be energy, given its crucial role in the economy. Japan will benefit from low oil prices as they reduce the burdens of heavy dependence on fossil fuel imports. However – as there is no knowing how long the low oil price will last – Abe’s government will be focusing on two energy issues with big economic impacts: re-starting still-dormant nuclear power stations, and scaling back renewables subsidies.

Il World Energy Council ha recentemente pubblicato la settima edizione del World Energy Issues Monitor, studio flagship del WEC elaborato in collaborazione con i propri Comitati Nazionali (più di 90 paesi nel mondo). L’Issues Monitor fornisce un quadro sintetico della visione e percezione delle principali problematiche con cui il settore energetico si deve confrontare, espresse da parte di ministri, top manager ed esperti appartenenti al network associativo del WEC. In particolare, lo studio rappresenta un importante strumento di conoscenza dell’Agenda mondiale dell’energia e della sua evoluzione nel tempo sia a livello globale sia regionale. Il rapporto 2015 raccoglie i punti di vista di più di 1000 energy leaders inclusi Ministeri e CEO di 79 paesi e approfondimenti su base nazionale volti ad analizzare il livello d’impatto e di incertezza delle problematiche energetiche di maggiore attualità da parte di importanti Paesi Membri del WEC.

As the new year began, the price of crude oil continued to slide, with the Brent benchmark dipping below $ 50/barrel in the first few days of January – more than 50% down from the peak of $115/b reached in June 2014. Whatever happens next, many commentators regard this shock as the most significant energy and political development of 2014 and a key determinant of what will happen economically and politically in 2015.

In occasione della Conferenza di Lima di inizio dicembre la Global Electricity Initiative (GEI*) ha presentato il Rapporto GEI 2014. L’Iniziativa costituita nel 2012 da World Energy Council (WEC), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) e Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP) elabora, tra le altre attività, un’indagine annuale tra le Utilities sulle principali problematiche del settore elettrico globale. Il rapporto 2014 ha coinvolto aziende che detengono l’80% della capacità di generazione globale.

The ability of countries to meet the future energy needs of their people could be jeopardised unless policymakers take urgent action to facilitate energy investment. So says the latest World Energy Trilemma report from the World Energy Council. Meanwhile, the WEC’s annual ranking of how well 129 countries are handling the three dimensions of the energy trilemma – reliability, affordability and sustainability – finds the number scoring an AAA rating has fallen from five to three, with four countries on negative watch.

The First Annual Workshop of ISAFF presented a panorama of the major initiatives in progress around Europe in the field of alternative and bio jet fuels, with emphasis on sustainability, actions and incentives to support large scale production.

Despite the various initiatives already under way to give the people of sub-Saharan Africa access to modern energy sources, much more could and should be done “to release the energy brake” on the region’s social and economic development. So says a comprehensive study just published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that focuses on what Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven describes as “the epicentre of a major energy poverty crisis”. Increasing access to modern energy would enable “a major push towards a more self-sustaining model of economic growth” – with “the benefits outweighing the costs”.

Gli esiti del workshop di ConferenzaGNL presso l’Autorità Portuale di Genova. Roma, 29 ottobre – L’Autorità Portuale di Genova e ConferenzaGNL hanno ospitato lunedì scorso il workshop “La propulsione navale italiana alla prova del GNL” presso la sede dell’Autorità a palazzo San Giorgio, sul fronte del Porto Vecchio.

In vista dell’accordo dell’UE 28 sul pacchetto clima-energia 2030 previsto per il prossimo ottobre, WEC Europa registra i risultati positivi raggiunti, ma anche alcune criticità, che suggeriscono un diverso approccio, l’Energy Trilemma, per la definizione dei nuovi target al 2030.

Il dibattito europeo sviluppatosi nella prima metà dell’anno sui principi base del Pacchetto Clima-Energia 2030 ha visto anche la partecipazione attiva del network dei Comitati Nazionali europei del World Energy Council (WEC Europa) che ha contribuito con un documento di raccomandazioni indirizzato ai Commissari dell’Unione Europea per il Clima e l’Energia.

Il dibattito sul capacity market e sulla sua opportunità rispetto ad un “puro” mercato europeo dell’energia è stato al centro del WEC Energy Day – Energy Strategies of Tomorrows ospitato a Berlino il 30 settembre u.s. dal comitato tedesco del World Energy Council. Il tema è noto e riguarda due differenti strade verso la cosiddetta transizione energetica: da un lato la visione della Commissione Europea che spinge per il perfezionamento di un mercato unico europeo in cui tutte le fonti competono tra loro, dall’altro l’esigenza e le preoccupazioni degli Stati Membri sulla sicurezza delle forniture energetiche che suggeriscono l’introduzione di meccanismi di remunerazione per capacità di riserva pronte a supportare le rinnovabili intermittenti.

Last month’s one – day United Nations climate summit in New York may not have met everyone’s expectations but it certainly went a long way towards building awareness of climate change and pushing the issue up the political agenda – precisely what it was meant to achieve. We have yet to see whether world leaders can achieve what they failed to achieve in Copenhagen 2009: a meaningful international climate treaty at COP 21 talks in Paris at the end of next year. But Ban Ki -moon’s summit and the thousands of demonstrations around the world that preceded it sent a clear message – the world is watching … and waiting.