5 spunti per approfondire (24/2023)

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 24/2023

“European Union member states further delayed a decision on scaling-up renewable energy after a proposal to allay French concerns over its nuclear industry was criticized by nations led by Germany. At a meeting of EU government officials on Wednesday, Sweden floated amending part of a framework deal reached earlier this year with the European Parliament. That would address French demands that nuclear power has greater prominence in the green shift, but it triggered skepticism from a majority of countries, according to EU diplomats with knowledge of the talks.”

France-Germany Spat Over Nuclear Delays EU Renewables Deal
Articolo – Bloomberg

“NextDecade, an upstart liquefied natural gas (LNG) developer that has been trying to move its Rio Grande LNG project forward for almost eight years, just moved one step closer to its goal. The company announced Wednesday that Global Infrastructure Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, had agreed to take a majority ownership stake in the project. NextDecade said that the French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies plans to take a minority stake in the project, and to buy 5.4 million tons of LNG annually from the facility for 20 years after it enters service. With this announcement, NextDecade says that it’s on track to make a final investment decision to move forward on the project within weeks. Although NextDecade executives are likely breathing a sigh of relief, U.S. natural gas consumers should be wary.”

Rio Grande LNG project could raise U.S. gas prices—and add to a looming global glut
Articolo – IEEFA

“Gunfire erupted at the border of the Afghan Nimroz Province and Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan Province on May 27, 2023, amid rising tensions over water rights, killing troops on both sides. Iranian and Afghan government officials have blamed each other for triggering the incident. But whatever the cause, the tensions over water flows between these nations have been simmering for at least a century. Indeed, in 1999, under the first iteration of the Taliban, flows were restricted completely causing damage to the delicate Hamoun Region—a registered UNESCO biosphere site of social and ecological importance. Similar disputes have arisen at this moment. Earlier in May, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, accused Afghanistan of withholding their share of water, and stated publicly: “We will not allow the rights of our people to be violated.” The Taliban has denied these claims.”

Conflict, Crisis, and Peacebuilding: Afghanistan and Regional Water Security
Articolo – New Security Beat

“The dilemma for European buyers is often presented as a choice between two extremes: committing to new long-term contracts—preferably with pre-final investment decision projects that would underwrite new LNG capacity but could only start delivering five to six years out—or continuing to rely on spot and flexible LNG volumes to replace Russian gas supply. The former is squarely inconsistent with the EU’s 2050 net zero target, while the latter raises the risk of falling short, especially if demand for LNG rebounds in Asia, where contract coverage is more widespread and buyers have first call on divertible LNG supplies.”

Beyond Spot vs. Long Term: Europe’s LNG Contracting Options for an Uncertain Future
Analisi – Columbia/SIPA/Center on Global Energy Policy

“Rare earth elements (REEs) have many uses in the energy and defence industries, among others, and demand for them is set to increase rapidly in support of the low-carbon energy transition. Although the REEs are not geologically rare, China dominates the supply chain, accounting for 70% of global rare earth ore extraction and 90% of rare earth ore processing. Notably, China is the only large-scale producer of heavy rare earth ores. This dominance has been achieved through decades of state investment, export controls, cheap labour and low environmental standards. In light of the growing demand for REEs, industrialised countries have started to develop strategies to reduce REE supply chain risks.  Measures include promoting the opening of new mines and processing plants – including in third countries – technology measures to reduce demand for REEs, recycling, and international collaboration. Whilst these steps are likely to yield benefits in the long-term, the lead times for most of these initiatives will prevent China’s dominance of REE supply chains being significantly diminished before 2030.”

China’s rare earth dominance and policy responses
Ricerca – The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

della stessa rubrica

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