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The share of electricity in China generated from coal dipped below 60% of the total for the first time since the start of the year. Some have seen this as a win for the country’s transition efforts. Alas, it is a temporary one. China’s share of coal power generation in the total mix stood at 58.7% over the first ten months of the year, Reuters’ Gavin Maguire reported this week. This is down from 61.6% for the same period of 2023 and 61.8% for the first ten months of 2022. This may seem like a small but significant victory for…
The automotive industry “urgently” needs government-backed incentives to improve customer uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) or the UK faces missing its net zero targets, the boss of Ford UK has said. Speaking the morning after the government announced a consultation into its EVs sales targets for automakers, Lisa Brankin said the move was welcome but that it needed to be carried out quickly. “The first thing I would say is that the government has listened,” she told the BBC’s Today programme. “We have been talking…
One of President-elect Donald Trump’s key achievements when first in office was keeping the benchmark oil prices within a very carefully managed range – ‘The Trump Oil Price Range’. The lower part of this is US$40-45 per barrel of the Brent benchmark, which is the price at which the bulk of U.S. shale oil producers can breakeven and make a good profit on top. The upper part is US$75-80 per barrel, which ties into historical data showing that a gasoline price of under US$2 per gallon has been most advantageous for U.S. economic…
Last week the United States authorized the use of American-made long-range missiles by Ukraine against Russia which the Russian government says risks escalation to a nuclear conflict in the almost three-year-old war. The Russian government reacted by announcing an unnerving shift in nuclear doctrine. It also announced reductions in uranium exports to the United States. By how much and for how long, the government did not say. In light of what can only be seen as a proxy war in Ukraine between the United States along with its NATO allies and the…
Until about a year ago, no one paid much attention to data centers. Everyone used them, of course, but they didn’t think about them. Then, the AI rush began. It was followed by a rush for energy supply. One year in, and data centers are threatening the very energy transition on which so many governments have staked everything. Power utilities, regulators, and climate activists appear to be experiencing growing concern about the immediate outlook for oil and gas demand, Reuters reported this week, saying the fast growth in demand for electricity…
A week ago, renewables utility company NextEra Energy (NYSE:NEE) delivered a healthy third-quarter earnings report. During the third quarter earnings call, CEO John Ketchum told investors that the company is currently evaluating the possibility of reopening its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa amid growing interest from data center companies. According to Ketchum, Duane Arnold’s boiling water reactor makes it easier to restart and operate economically compared to other nuclear power plants. However, Ketchum said he was…
