Innogy Issues $1 Bln Bond to Fund Wind Farms
Innogy, Germany's largest energy group, on Thursday issued a 850 million euros ($1.01 billion) corporate green bond to refinance wind power projects in Europe, it said. Proceeds of the bond, which has a 10-year maturity, will be used to refinance four offshore wind farms in Britain and Germany as well as an onshore wind farm in the Netherlands that is either under construction or already operating.
Court Rejects PGniG's Attempt to Limit Gazprom's Use of Opal Pipeline
A German court on Friday confirmed it had rejected a request by Polish energy company PGniG and its German subsidiary for an injunction to block Russia's Gazprom from increasing its use of the Opal pipeline in eastern Germany. The case is part of a long-running dispute over the routes for transporting Russian gas to Europe. The Duesseldorf higher regional court said in a statement to Reuters that relevant applications had been rejected on Oct.
Parviz Shakhbazov Becomes New Azeri Energy Minister
Parviz Shakhbazov has been appointed as Azerbaijan's new energy minister, the press service of the Caucasus nation's president said in a statement on Thursday. Shakhbazov had worked as Azerbaijan's ambassador to Germany until 2016. The previous energy minister, Natig Aliyev, died in June. Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; Writing by Polina Nikolskaya
Shell, Varo End Germany Refinery Sale Negotiations
Royal Dutch Shell and Varo Energy have ended talks on Varo's potential acquisition of Shell's 37.5 percent stake in the 220,000 barrels per day PCK refinery in Schwedt, Germany, Varo said. The two companies announced last December that they had entered advanced talks on the stake sale, but the negotiations have been "discontinued", a spokeswoman for Varo told Reuters. The spokeswoman would not provide details about why the talks had ended.
Gazprom Says Progress Made in EU Anti-trust Talks
Gazprom said on Friday that anti-trust talks with the European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager had made progress. The Russian state-controlled company is fighting allegations of overcharging customers and blocking East European rivals in contravention of EU rules. It denies the allegations. Gazprom said it and the European Commission had agreed to continue work on "seeking a mutually acceptable solution" in relation to the EU's investigation into the company's practices.
Shell Buys Electric Vehicle Charging Firm NewMotion
Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to take over NewMotion, the owner of one of Europe's largest electric vehicle charging networks, it said on Thursday. Shell has started providing charging points for electric vehicles at some of its retail stations and said the acquisition of NewMotion would help it offer a full raft of electric vehicle services. "Today's announcement is an early step towards ensuring customers can access a range of refuelling choices over the coming decades…
Rosneft Elects German Ex-chancellor Schroeder as Chairman
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is set to face a fresh backlash at home after he was elected as chairman of Russia's biggest oil producer Rosneft on Friday. Schroeder, a Social Democrat who led Germany from 1998 to 2005, prompted widespread criticism in his homeland in August when he was nominated to Rosneft's board, given Western sanctions against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis and current Chancellor Angela Merkel's frosty relations with the Kremlin.
CWind Launches German Subsidiary
CWind announced the launch of its wholly-owned subsidiary in Germany. CWind Germany will be headquartered in Hamburg and will be responsible for the sales and marketing of CWind’s services in Germany. The company has also said it has won the license to lease employees under German law, known in Germany as ‘Arbeitnehmerüberlassungslizenz’ and is now in a position to lease employees as third party technicians to German client companies. CWind is building a leading position in the U.K.
Official Opening of Statoil’s Berlin Office
Statoil’s representative office in Berlin was officially opened on 27 November by marketing and trading senior vice president Rune Bjørnson. The opening of the office reflects Statoil’s increased ambitions in the German market. “I am very pleased that Statoil now has established a Berlin office. It marks a further step-up in Statoil’s engagement in Germany. We are looking to take an even more active part in the Germany energy discussion…
German Green Energy Law Clears Final Hurdle
Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, approved on Friday revamped legislation on funding renewable energy, clearing the way for the law to come into force on Aug. The far-reaching law, which seeks to cap support payments for renewables without jeopardizing the country's shift towards a low carbon economy, had hung in the balance, after months of negotiations, due to wrangling with European Union authorities over its compatibility with state aid guidelines.
Is Merkel's Green Zeal Turning Brown?
German CO2 emissions up for last two years; medium-term CO2 goals in jeopardy. Use of brown coal rising during nuclear phase-out. Car emissions above EU average in big car economy. For all Angela Merkel's headline-grabbing "green revolution", Germany's image as a world leader on environmental policies is in danger of falling under the shadow of the smoke stack and a cloud of exhaust fumes. Increasing…
Germany: Deal with EU Commission on Renewable Energy Soon
German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Monday he was confident Germany would reach an agreement with the European Commission on the renewable energy surcharge by Tuesday. "I am optimistic that this will succeed by tomorrow," Gabriel said. Brussels is looking into whether such industry discounts on surcharges, worth 5.1 billion euros a year, designed to help Germany's transition to renewable energy and paid by all other consumers…
ADM Suspends German Diodiesel Output
U.S. agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland Co. is temporarily halting production at its biodiesel plant in Leer in Germany because of uncertainty about the future of biodiesel in the country, it said on Tuesday. The company said it would reassess biodiesel market requirements in the third quarter of this year. Enthusiasm for biofuels in Germany and other European Union countries has waned, with Germany scaling back usage targets in past years.
Siemens Setting up Wind Power Plant in Germany
Siemens is investing around €200 million to a wind turbine manufacturing facility in Cuxhaven, Germany. A few days after announcing this project an official signing ceremony took place at the planned site of the factory. The new production will be located directly at the edge of the harbor and will have a surface area of 170,000 square meters – the size of roughly 24 soccer fields. By mid-2017 the production of nacelles for the next-generation wind turbines D7 is to begin.
German Gas Trading Grows, Euro Hubs Expand
Volumes in H1 up to a third higher than last year; Germany's huge gas storage sites benefit trading. German gas demand also boosts role of Dutch trading hub. FRANKFURT, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Gas trade is growing in Germany in line with a continental European trend which has also boosted growth in the bigger Dutch market, challenging Britain's dominance of the sector. Wholesale natural gas trading volumes in continental Europe have risen sharply in the past years…
Germany May Reduce Coal-Fired Energy to Protect Climate
Germany is considering removing some of its coal plant capacity as part of a raft of new policies to help Europe's biggest economy meet its greenhouse gas emissions goals, a state secretary at the economy ministry said on Wednesday. Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet is to decide on Dec. 3 on a programme that is likely to include steps to boost energy efficiency and possibly reduce coal generation…
Spot Up On Colder Weather, Lower Renewables
European spot power prices rose on Friday, on forecasts for a drop in renewable power production and colder weather in Germany which boosted electricity demand expectations. German baseload (24 hours) power for delivery on Wednesday rose 6.9 euros to 42.25 euros ($53.9) per megawatt-hour (MWh). The equivalent French contract was 50 cents up at 47.25 euros per MWh. Wind power production was expected to drop by 780 MW in Germany between Tuesday and Wednesday and by 390 MW in France.
Germany Adds 1,723 MW Onshore Wind Capacity
Germany adds 1,723 MW of onshore capacity in Jan-June; BWE/VDMA see 3,300-3,700 MW total 2014 installations. Total end-2014 capacity could be over 37,000 MW. Germany added 1,723 megawatts (MW) of onshore wind power capacity in the first half of 2014, bringing the installed total at the end of June to 35,389 megawatts (MW), engineering association VDMA and wind industry group BWE said on Tuesday.
Germany Wants Robust Single Energy Market
Europe's energy union needs to be bolstered by EU laws binding on each nation, Germany said in a policy paper seen by Reuters that sets it at odds with Britain. The European Commission, the EU executive, is expected to publish proposals on a more closely-linked single energy market in the coming weeks as part of a drive to curb dependence on Europe's dominant energy supplier Russia. Germany's position…
Shell to Install Hydrogen Vehicle Fuelling Pumps in Germany
Shell will install a nationwide network of hydrogen fuelling pumps at retail sites in Germany from 2016, in an effort to accelerate the growth in Europe of this low-carbon alternative transport fuel. Shell, which opened its first hydrogen fuel station in Germany in 2011, has signed a declaration of intent with its H2 Mobility Germany joint venture partners and Germany’s federal transport minister, Alexander Dobrindt.
