Green, ethical, energy issues in the news

Martyn1981

This might lead to something (or not?)

Court convicts French state for failure to address climate crisis

A Paris court has convicted the French state for failure to address the climate crisis and not keeping its promises to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

In what has been hailed as a historic ruling, the court found the state guilty of “non-respect of its engagements” aimed at combating global warming.

Billed the “affair of the century”, the legal case was brought by four French environmental groups after a petition signed by 2.3 million people.

“This is an historic win for climate justice. The decision not only takes into consideration what scientists say and what people want from French public policies, but it should also inspire people all over the world to hold their governments accountable for climate change in their courts,” Jean-François Julliard, the executive director of Greenpeace France, one of the plaintiffs, said.

Martyn1981

I'm sure there's a pun about 'giant cable ties' in here somewhere, but dinner is calling.

UK, German interconnection has 'significant' carbon benefits

The privately-financed £1.4bn interconnector is expected to create the first direct link between UK and German electricity networks, connecting two of Europe’s largest energy markets for the first time.

Over 700km of subsea cables will form an ‘invisible highway’ to allow 1.4GW of electricity to flow in either direction, helping to deliver a more resilient and sustainable supply in the UK and Germany.

Coastalwatch

Giant cable ties indeed!

EVandPV

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell sank to a net loss of $21.7bn (£16bn) last year after the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to slump.

The announcement comes after two of its rivals, BP and Exxon, posted similar big losses.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55931523

Martyn1981

EVandPV said:

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell sank to a net loss of $21.7bn (£16bn) last year after the coronavirus pandemic caused demand to slump.

The announcement comes after two of its rivals, BP and Exxon, posted similar big losses.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55931523

This line is so important:

The Shell results will also quickly be forgotten. They are largely accounting rather than cash losses, the result of a giant write-down in the future value of the company's oil fields and prospects. Already investors are turning their attention to next week, when chief executive Ben van Beurden will present the company's long-awaited plans to shift the company towards greener forms of energy.

This has been coming for a decade. To fight AGW, and now to meet Paris Accord targets, most of the reserves that these companies have on their books, can never be extracted, so has zero value.

EVandPV

Good to see the back of this, especially with it being just a few miles along the road from us ........

The boiler house at the closed Longannet Power Station in Fife has been demolished in a controlled explosion.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-55936720

Martyn1981

So, this looks to be a very big battery as I don't think the '1,200MW' is a mistake, and that is actually the power (not energy (MWh)), but I can't find an energy figure. So that's a power supply potential right up there with very large FF powerstations and nuclear reactor(s), but it'll be nice to learn the duration.

World's biggest battery with 1,200MW capacity set to be built in NSW Hunter Valley

Developers plan to build what they say will be the world’s biggest large-scale battery in the New South Wales Hunter Valley, the latest in a flurry of major energy storage projects announced for the national electricity grid.

CEP Energy said its $2.4bn battery at Kurri Kurri, north-west of Newcastle, would have a power capacity of up to 1,200 megawatts – about eight times greater than the battery at Hornsdale in South Australia, which was the biggest when it began operating in 2017.

Martyn1981

Coastalwatch said:

Martyn1981 said:

EVandPV said:

Coastalwatch said:

Does this announcement suggest the governments newly heralded Green Recovery is little more than a Green washing exercise!

Whitehaven coal mine: Government refuses to call in plans

Plans for the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years can progress after the government decided not to intervene.

Cumbria County Council approved the £165m West Cumbria Mining plan in Whitehaven in October.

The government could have called in the plans for an inquiry, but has chosen not to do so, the council said.

Citing environmental concerns, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said the decision was a "complete disaster for our children's future".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-55561852

W.T.F !!??😨

Playing Devil's Advocate, it's for coking coal, not thermal coal. But, hopefully the future lies in RE leccy generation to hydrogen for a cleaner method to produce raw iron and steel.
So it's bad news, but perhaps (maybe?) not as bad as it may first appear to be.

Edit - LOL, I'm feeling really uncomfortable about this post. I knew that New Year resolution to 'Big up' coal would bite me on the as........

Apparently only 70% of steel produced today uses coal, the remaining 30% use other methods. So it is possible and achievable to produce steel without continuing to pollute the planet unnecessarily for the next thirty years.

I do not see how it can be claimed to be a sustainable solution and an essential part of a green recovery as appears to be the stance of government at present. For Secretary of State Rober Jenrick to claim that shoud be a local decision seems rather a cop out to me.

Rather like energy produced via Nuclear also being claimed to be green!

Some good news, regarding 'that coal mine', lots of people aren't happy, and the argument (a fair one I think) is that we should be sending a better signal than mining coal and exporting it for the next 30yrs.
As alternatives to coal for steel production now exist, I think a strong argument can be made to expand those choices, rather than create new sources of coking coal.

Experts pile pressure on Boris Johnson over 'shocking' new coalmine

Pressure is growing on the government over its support for a new coalmine in Cumbria, as the UK prepares to host the most important UN climate summit since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015.

Developing country experts, scientists, green campaigners and government advisers are increasingly concerned about the seeming contradiction of ministers backing the new mine – the UK’s first new deep coalmine in three decades, which will produce coking coal, mostly for export, until 2049 – while gathering support from world leaders for a fresh deal on the climate crisis.

Coastalwatch

Bit of a mute point given that Hitachi had already pulled out, but interesting all the same that the Inspectorate should find against Wylfa project. The primary reasons were impacts on wildlife, especially a SSSI together with the influx of thousands of workers during the construction phase was problematic. Given the proximity of Sizewell C to the RSPB's Minsmere site and in an area of AONB then I wonder how they may judge EDF's application over the coming months. With the Treasury also having to find £Billions to address the covid pandemic then it might be that economics will play an increasing role as well come the final decision.

Planning inspectors recommended refusal for new nuclear power plant

Plans to build a new nuclear power station were likely to be refused even before the project was shelved by backers.

UK Government appointed planning inspectors had recommended that the Wylfa Newydd project on Anglesey be rejected over a number of concerns from experts.

The application has since been withdrawn after Hitachi, the company behind the project, decided that the power plant was too expensive to build without a funding deal with the UK Government in place.

https://nation.cymru/news/planning-inspectors-recommended-refusal-for-new-nuclear-power-plant/

EVandPV

Renewables firm Ampyr has submitted a proposal of application notice to Fife Council outlining the plan for the 29.9 megawatt (MW) solar farm south of Lochead landfill site and west of the A823.

The 45 hectare farm - as big as 62 football pitches - would host around 82,500 solar panels up to 3.5 metres tall along with six inverter stations to convert the electricity from DC to AC so it can be fed into the National Grid.

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/politics/council/bid-place-solar-panels-fife-farm-which-could-power-8000-homes-3126315