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According to the European Energy Agency (EEA), the European Union’s (EU) progress towards improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewable energies is slowing down and putting the ability to meet its 2020 and 2030 objectives at risk. Good progress towards the energy efficiency targets was made between 2005 and 2014 but the pace has slowed in recent years due to the rising energy consumption, particularly in the transport sector.

The EU remains on track to meet its target of a renewables share of 20 % by 2020 but the EEA’s preliminary data shows that the uptake of renewable energy in the EU gross final energy consumption stood at 17.4% only in 2017, up from 17% in 2016. Besides, there has been insufficient progress towards the 10% renewable energy use target in the transportation sector. The preliminary data showed that only 20 member states were on track to reach their individual targets on renewables by 2020, a decline from 2016 when 25 countries were in line.

The energy efficiency targets for 2020 and 2030 are set at 20% and 32.5% below the level in primary and final energy consumption projected for 2020 and 2030 in the European Commission’s 2007 Energy Baseline Scenario. According to EEA’s preliminary estimates for 2017, both primary energy consumption and final energy consumption now lie above the indicative trajectory towards 2020 and 13 Member States (up from 10 in 2016) are expected to have increased their primary energy consumption to levels above the trajectories to their 2020 targets.

The EEA estimates that the EU member states will require to implement relevant policies and measures to keep energy consumption in check on the path to these objectives.

Chinese state-run oil and gas company CNPC has replaced the French company Total on the South Pars field Phase 11 (SP11) in the Persian Gulf (Iran). Total failed to secure a special project waiver from US sanctions against Iran and announced its withdrawal from the project in July 2018, resulting in a loss worth US$40m. Even though CNPC has taken over the project,…

State-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has sold a 10% stake in the Ghasha ultra-sour gas mega project in the Al Dhafra region (United Arab Emirates) to the German oil and gas company Wintershall. The asset will be jointly developed by ADNOC (operator), Wintershall and Eni, which acquired a 25% interest earlier in November 2018.

Taiwanese voters have rejected the government’s policy to phase out nuclear power by 2025 in a referendum, which means that the 2017 Electricity Act’s amendments regarding the planned nuclear exit policy cannot be implemented. The referendum asked voters whether they agree with abolishing with a law article,…

Russian state-held energy company Gazprom has reviewed the operational readiness of the Unified Gas Supply System (UGSS) facilities in Russia for the upcoming peak loads in late 2018 – early 2019. According to the group, its underground gas storage (UGS) facilities have reached a record potential maximum deliverability of 812.5 mcm/d for the 2018–2019 withdrawal season,…

Polish state-run liquefied natural gas import terminal operator Polskie LNG plans to launch a tender procedure for the expansion of the Świnoujście LNG import terminal in December 2018. This will help to increase the terminal’s regasification capacity along with the range of available transshipment services.

Thailand’s state-run utility Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will modify the 576 MW third unit of the Bang Pakong power plant (Bang Pakong TPP-3) to integrate 160,000 tons of palm oil for power generation along with natural gas. The project is slated to take 2 months to complete.

General Electric (GE) and two banks (Trade Bank of Iraq and Standard Chartered) have signed a US$600m agreement for the construction of around 2,000 MW power project in Iraq.. The financing is also expected to help Iraq revamp its power sector and meet the rising demand.