A summary of this morning’s news…
Ok, it's finally happened. We've had to invent a fracking round-up within the round up, it's at the bottom - so as to give the OTHER NEWS a chance.
UK (excluding shale)
Problems for dash for gas
Fiona Harvey reports on the stumble for gas. "No one is making money on gas," said another industry insider. "The margins are so thin. Coal is making piles of money."
LIb Dems look to relax nuclear stance
The Independent reports that, Liberal Democrats could ditch their long-standing antipathy to nuclear energy next month in a conference debate that will cause deep divisions within the party.
British Gas trialling variable charging (for power, not gas)
British Gas yesterday revealed it was trialling the "time of use" tariff in parts of the north-east of England as it prepares to launch a range of unprecedented smart meter packages early next year. It goes alongside its "free power" Saturday idea already announced.
WORLD (excluding shale)
Siemens says Japan is set to double renewables by 2030
Siemens AG (SIE), Europe’s biggest engineering company, expects Japan to almost double its capacity of renewable energy by 2030, while continuing with nuclear power generation even after the Fukushima disaster.
EU averts China trade war
The Economist reports on peace between the EU and China over solar subsidies - but asks if it will last.
Another US nuclear project ditched
The boom in US natural gas has claimed another nuclear scalp. Duke Energy Corp said on Thursday it will not proceed with a $24 billion nuclear power project in central Florida because of licensing delays and doubts about cost recovery, but may use the site for nuclear power generation in the future.
Economist brands oil 'yesterday's fuel'
The Economist reports on the coming of peak oil. Peak demand that is, not supply, there's plenty of supply.
Coal India rebounds from record low
The company posted its first quarterly profit decline in five quarters on Saturday, saying lower sales higher wages and diesel costs were to blame.
Climate change and conflict
Carbon Brief examines the research on climate change and conflict.
SHALE
US shale a 'one off'
An executive at BG group (which is not linked to British Gas, though it once was) says shale gas will take a decade or more to come through outside of the US. “We do see shale gas development occurring globally in other places other than the US,” said Matt Shatzman, “But . . . it won’t be as easy to develop shale gas in these other places.”
Ignore protests, govt tells planners
The government's planning guidance for shale gas advises that "Mineral extraction is essential to local and national economies," and warns them against considering whether renewable energy plants would be a better fit for their communities.
Lush backing frack off
Hilary Jones, Lush’s ethics director, said Frack Off received £20,000 last year. “We are the single largest backer of Frack Off,” she told The Telegraph. “We have been concerned about fracking for some time. We tend to be ahead of the curve and we have had fracking on our radar for a while.
Fracking protests to move north- as Cuadrilla asks for extension
Cuadrilla has applied for an extension of its licence until March. The planning department of West Sussex County Council has yet to approve the request.
It also emerged that Cuadrilla is planning to drill what is likely to be its next exploratory well at Clifton, near Preston in Lancashire, next year. Clifton is one of up to six new sites where Cuadrilla will either drill or frack in Fylde, Lancashire, in the next 18 months to two years.
Coalition split over Fracking
Lib Dem president TIm Farron has predicted that opposition to fracking could be stronger than the campaign against wind farms "I am afraid the Government has seen flashing pound signs, and has not considered the long-term threats fracking poses to the countryside," he said.
His comments came as Conservative Energy Minister Michael Fallon warned that fracking would test residents in the south east including "how thick their rectory walls are" and "whether they like the flaring at the end of the drive". He preceded some of his remarks with the phrase "and please don't write this down". Never clever.
Egan receives death threat
Francis Egan, the chief executive of Cuadrilla, has send he was send an email threatening to bomb his company headquarters if he did not cease activities in the UK.
