5 spunti per approfondire (23/2023)

La rubrica settimanale con i consigli di lettura di RivistaEnergia.it, dall’Europa e dal mondo. Forse non le notizie più eclatanti, ma proprio per questo interessanti da approfondire. Settimana 23/2023

“Norway’s government is readying plans to open an area of ocean nearly the size of Germany to deep-sea mining as it seeks to become the first country to extract battery metals from its sea floor. The country’s energy ministry is racing to submit to parliament in the next two weeks a proposal to open the vast area to applications for exploration and extraction. The plan would then face a parliamentary vote in autumn.”

Norway seeks to open vast ocean area to deep-sea mining
Articolo – Financial Times

“Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have committed to a cooperation deal on defense and critical minerals as the U.K. prime minister moves away from a post-Brexit vision of unfettered free trade in favor of mutual protection. The Atlantic Declaration, announced as the two men met in the White House, includes pledges to ease certain trade barriers, strengthen defense industry ties and strike a data protection deal in the face of China’s growing influence.”

Sunak and Biden reach for critical minerals deal in show of unity
Articolo – Politico

“In February, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium-inferred resources in the Salal–Haimana region of Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi district. The discovery is expected to be critical in achieving future sustainability goals. While lithium is a key component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warns that “global supplies are under strain because of rising EV demand”. According to the International Energy Agency, achieving net zero emissions by 2050 would require around 2 billion EV, but 2021 sales were only 6.6 million. The WEF highlights that lithium supply is challenged by rising demand and limited geographical availability with more than 50 percent of the current production located in areas with high water stress. However, the WEF suggests that advancements in battery technology or manufacturing methods could address lithium shortage issues. Besides EVs, lithium is used in rechargeable batteries in mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras, power tools, and energy storage for wind and solar power.”

Lithium extraction: Economy plus one, environment minus one
Articolo – Mining SEE

“A Guyana Appellate Court judge on Thursday temporarily stayed a lower court’s order requiring Exxon Mobil and partners in offshore oil production to provide an unlimited guarantee to cover potential oil spills. The stay lifts a cloud over oil production at the nation’s first offshore oil platform. Exxon had said that if the stay was not granted it could halt output at the facility, costing the partners on the project $350 million per month in lost revenue. The judge said the group, which includes Hess Corp and China’s CNOOC, must provide a $2 billion guarantee in 10 days, or else his stay would be lifted.”

Guyana court stays order for Exxon to give unlimited guarantee for oil spills
Articolo – Reuters

“As the summer approaches, the European Union (EU) is confronting an unusual situation amid the worst energy crisis in its history: too much gas to handle—at least in the near term. A short-term glut can become a shortfall in the winter if Europe slows the pace of storage injections or runs out of storage space. Ukraine, with the world’s third-largest gas storage capacity, could help solve this unexpected challenge.”

Ukraine’s Underused Gas Storage Capacity
Analisi – Columbia/SIPA

della stessa rubrica

5 spunti per approfondire (22/2023), 2 giugno
5 spunti per approfondire (21/2023), 26 maggio
5 spunti per approfondire (20/2023), 19 maggio