A summary of today's news...
UK
In a move to simplify the household energy market, energy suppliers will be forced to offer just four tariff options for gas and electricity. At present some suppliers offer over 500 different deals. Ofgem believes the reform, which takes effect from December, will help customers make significant savings: “"Our reforms today are the blueprint for the simpler, clearer and fairer energy market that consumers deserve.”
A new “Tariff Comparison Rate” is being introduced to compare packages offered by different suppliers, encouraging customers to switch suppliers more often…or so the theory goes.
Bath and North East Somerset has become the first local authority to completely convert all street lamps to energy-effieicent LED technology. The 4,000 light conversion will slash energy use by 1.5 million kWh, saving £200,000 a year and cutting 780 tonnes of CO2 emissions to boot.
WORLD
EU ignores indirect land use from biofuels
The European Parliament’s Energy Committee has rejected proposals to incorporate emissions from indirect land use change (ILUC) into the latest EU biofuel policy. ILUC account for ghg emissions as farmers clear rainforests, grasslands and wetlands for biofuel cultivation. The Energy Committee also backed raising the cap on how much biofuel can be generated from food crops from 5% to 6.5%. Such an increase could translate to a release of an additional 300 million tonnes of CO2.
Poland referred to EU court of justice over gas prices
The European Commission has referred Poland to the EU Court of Justice, stating the country’s regulated gas prices for businesses are in breach of EU rules. The Poles could face daily fines if found guilty. At present Poland regulates the prices industry and private consumers pay from state monopoly PGNiG. The referral comes as the EU looks to enforce a single cross-border energy market that it claims will increase consumer choice and deflate energy prices.
In yesterday’s launch of the wind farm 15 of 31 turbines were switched on, with the remainder to come online within a month. The 50MW facility will generate 150 million kWh power each year, providing 5% of the country’s electricity needs. The pioneering renewable launch will help reduce demand for coal by 122,000 tonnes a year. Coal currently accounts for 80% Mongolia’s energy needs.
