5 spunti per approfondire (39/2023)

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 39/2023

“Mining and trading giant Glencore is to stop financing a lossmaking nickel mine in New Caledonia, as growing Indonesian production of a key metal in electric car batteries squeezes rivals. Closure of the mine would be a blow to the French territory’s economy — mining accounts for 6 per cent of its GDP — and further concentrate global nickel production in Indonesia, where the supply chain is largely controlled by Chinese companies. Glencore said on Wednesday that it plans to stop financing the Koniambo nickel mine at the end of February. It added that it had invested $9bn in the project, which is called KNS, since its beginning.”

Glencore to stop funding New Caledonia nickel mine as Indonesian supply surges
Articolo – Financial Times

“We have all been asking ourselves for some time now: How far can photovoltaic module prices go down before the bottom is finally reached? Apparently, there is still room for further drops, as all prices have fallen again this month. On average, prices in all module categories have been corrected downwards by around 10%. Never before in the history of photovoltaics have panel prices plummeted so significantly in such a short space of time. For a month or two now, the values have been below the previous all-time low of 2020 and even more so below the production costs of most manufacturers. Generating profit margins seems to be a thing of the past for the time being and for many of them it is now just a matter of minimizing damage or even survival. How could we come to this, and what are the causes of this self-destructive trend?”

Solar module price falling, with no end in sight
Articolo – PV Magazine

“Oil buyers across the planet are facing some of the highest premiums for supplies they’ve seen in months — or longer — as dwindling stockpiles at the largest US storage hub reverberate through markets from Asia to the Middle East to Europe. Flagship US crude cargoes on offer in Asia are coming in at the costliest premium this year. The spread between Brent and Middle East oil has jumped to the highest since February, while the premium for near-term US supply is close to the highest since July 2022. At the center of the story is Cushing, Oklahoma, the delivery point for benchmark US crude futures, which helps to set the price of oil across the Americas and beyond. Inventories at the hub are now sitting just above seasonal lows last seen in 2014. That’s happening just as the world was already facing a tight supply situation with Saudi Arabia and Russia cutting output.”

Plunging US Oil Supply Is Driving Up Prices Around the World
Articolo – Bloomberg

“President Biden grabbed a bullhorn and joined striking autoworkers in Michigan on Tuesday, becoming the first sitting president to join a picket line in an extraordinary show of support for workers demanding better wages. Auto companies were doing well, Mr. Biden told dozens of workers outside a General Motors facility that employs more than 200 people in Belleville, Mich., outside Detroit. “Guess what? You should be doing just as well,” Mr. Biden told the crowd, drawing applause. He fist-bumped several members of the United Auto Workers union. “You’ve heard me say many times: Wall Street didn’t build this country,” he said. “The middle class built this country. And unions built the middle class. That’s a fact. Let’s keep going. You deserve what you’ve earned, and you’ve earned a hell of a lot more than you get paid now.”

Biden Joins Autoworkers on Picket Line in Michigan
Articolo – The New York Times

“If Europe needs extra gas supply this winter compared with the last one to deal with cold snaps or unplanned supply disruptions, then it will have to turn to LNG and underground storage. Norway’s gas production is poised to edge down because of the long-term decline of maturing fields, while the end of extraction from the Netherlands’ Groningen field and the long-term decline of maturing fields should reduce production in northwest Europe as well. Infrastructure constraints limit southern Europe’s ability to take more pipeline gas from Algeria. And Russian flows to Europe cannot rise by much from winter 2022-23 while only two transit routes remain open.”

Winter 2023-24 European gas market preview
Analisi – Argus Media

della stessa rubrica

5 spunti per approfondire (38/2023), 22 settembre
5 spunti per approfondire (37/2023), 15 settembre
5 spunti per approfondire (36/2023), 8 settembre