The energy thread

[Jimbuna]

USA will provide Ukraine with 2 billion cubic meters of gas, - Shmyhal

Ukraine plans to accumulate up to 15 billion cubic meters of gas before the heating season and expects to receive an additional 2 billion cubic meters from the United States.

This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Censor.NET informs with reference to the EP.

The head of the government noted that today there are already more than 13.2 billion cubic meters of gas in underground storage, while consumption has halved compared to the period before the full-scale war.

"By the first of October, between 14.5 and 15 billion cubic meters will be accumulated in our storages, besides, we have an agreement with the United States to provide 2 billion cubic meters of gas from American producers during the 4th quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. We are also negotiating with the Nordic countries, Norway and a consortium of countries, on the provision of physical volumes of gas for Ukraine as well," Shmyhal said.

Such volumes are sufficient to sustainably pass the heating season from the point of view of gas supply. At the same time, the Prime Minister emphasized, this season will be the most difficult, so it is necessary to prepare for the most difficult scenarios associated with military risks. Source: https://censor.net/en/n3367136

[Jimbuna]

Maduro reiterates willingness to export oil and gas to Europe and the U.S.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reiterated on Wednesday Venezuela's willingness to export oil and gas to the European and U.S. markets in order to contribute to world energy and economic stability.

"We have said it, we have ratified it to all diplomats: Venezuela is ready and prepared to fulfill its role to supply the oil and gas needed by the world economy, in a stable and safe way", Maduro assured during a meeting with the secretary general of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Haitham Al Ghais, as reported by 'El Universal'.

The Venezuelan president indicated that his government "has been substantially recovering" the oil industry, whose production fell to historic lows "after years of disinvestment and lack of maintenance".

"Today it is around 700,000 barrels per day", Maduro remarked, recalling that in 2002 the figure of 2.3 million barrels per day was reached, as reported by 'El Nacional'.

The Venezuelan president expressed last Friday his willingness to provide energy resources to Europe and the United States, alleging that a crisis in the supply of gas and oil during the winter could be "tragic".

"Now winter is coming in the north, there is a crisis in the supply of gas, oil, a crisis that could be tragic and I say to Europe and to the president of the United States, Joe Biden, Venezuela is here", said the Venezuelan head of state during a visit to a petrochemical complex in the north of the country.

In this sense, Maduro emphasized that Venezuela "will always be here at the command" of the country's oil and gas to "stabilize the world and to help whoever needs help".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...5fc90f2e50aa7a

[Jimbuna]

Putin’s gas blackmail risks backfiring disastrously

As Europe battles to keep the lights on this winter, leaders across the Continent have begun framing the energy standoff with Russia as an epic struggle between good and evil.

“It is about autocracy against democracy,” said Ursula Von Der Leyen, the European Commission’s president, in her annual address on Wednesday.

Her rhetoric, a far cry from past calls for diplomacy, is the latest example of hardening European attitudes amid signs that the tide may finally be turning – both on and off the battlefield in Ukraine.

With Kyiv’s soldiers pushing back the Russian invaders and the European Union comfortably exceeding targets for gas storage, academics and experts say that – although the coming months will be among the hardest in living memory – Vladimir Putin no longer holds the leverage he once did over the Continent’s gas supplies.

The Russian president has mercilessly throttled flows into Europe this summer, pushing up household energy bills and forcing governments to announce support packages of an unprecedented scale to protect consumers.

But after playing many of his strongest cards in the stand-off with EU leaders, who have supported Ukraine and sanctioned Russia, Putin's weaponisation of gas is now at risk of spectacularly backfiring, according to John Lough, an associate fellow at Chatham House.


As Europe battles to keep the lights on this winter, leaders across the Continent have begun framing the energy standoff with Russia as an epic struggle between good and evil.

Her rhetoric, a far cry from past calls for diplomacy, is the latest example of hardening European attitudes amid signs that the tide may finally be turning – both on and off the battlefield in Ukraine.

With Kyiv’s soldiers pushing back the Russian invaders and the European Union comfortably exceeding targets for gas storage, academics and experts say that – although the coming months will be among the hardest in living memory – Vladimir Putin no longer holds the leverage he once did over the Continent’s gas supplies.

The Russian president has mercilessly throttled flows into Europe this summer, pushing up household energy bills and forcing governments to announce support packages of an unprecedented scale to protect consumers.

But after playing many of his strongest cards in the stand-off with EU leaders, who have supported Ukraine and sanctioned Russia, Putin's weaponisation of gas is now at risk of spectacularly backfiring, according to John Lough, an associate fellow at Chatham House.

“What Putin has now is probably a declining asset,” says the former Nato representative to Moscow.

“He could make threats for a while, see gas prices go up, and send European governments into a panic.

“But it now rather looks as though we're going to get through this winter. It might take some European economies into recession, but it’s not going to be fatal.

“My sense is that European leaders have got a bit more confidence now – they can see a path through this.”

This cautious sense of optimism comes after a months-long effort by EU member states such as Germany to cut down gas consumption, secure alternative supplies and fill up storage facilities.

But it is also because, having already cut deliveries to levels that would have been unthinkable previously, Russia now has few ways left to ratchet up the pressure further without also causing pain to itself.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...79c39519315d81

[Dargo]

The Dutch cabinet wants to build more offshore wind farms than previously planned. By 2050, wind farms in the North Sea must provide 70 gigawatts of power. That is a more than tripling of the current ambition, reports the central government on its website. By 2040 there must be 50 gigawatts, Minister Rob Jetten for Climate and Energy (D66) announced this afternoon. The turbines should not only generate electricity. The government also wants the offshore turbines to produce sustainable hydrogen on site, an energy source that should make industry and heavy transport more sustainable.

So far, the government has planned 21 gigawatts of offshore wind turbines in the North Sea. That covers three-quarters of the electricity consumption in the Netherlands. With 70 gigawatts of wind energy from the sea, the Netherlands would be as good as self-sufficient, a study by grid managers showed last spring. Space is scarce. Space in the North Sea is scarce, however, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate recognizes. "The growth of offshore wind energy must go well with other interests in the North Sea, such as fisheries and nature." Jetten says she wants to consult with all parties involved.

The Dutch Wind Energy Association is pleasantly surprised with the cabinet's choice to want to realize 70 gigawatts of capacity in the North Sea. Chairman Jan Vos calls it "a fantastic decision." "This minister shows guts and has strategic insight. Just imagine: in 2012, as PvdA spokesperson for Energy and Climate, I was involved in the cabinet formation and, with a lot of effort, we managed to get 6 gigawatts through. And now, ten years later, it's going to 70 gigawatts. We're getting the biggest wind farm in the world. I'm super happy." According to Vos, wind energy is cheap, clean and geopolitically sensible, given the current situation in Ukraine and its impact on the energy market. "This allows the Netherlands to generate energy largely independently. Some 90 percent of our electricity will soon come from the North Sea."

[mapuc]

Don't come here and say the Danish government isn't doing anything to help the citizens who can't afford to pay the energy bill.

I give you
TADAA state-guaranteed loan

So instead of lowering the fees and VAT or what you call it-

The government offer the Danes to take a state-guaranteed loan to pay their
Energy bills.

The interest will be 2 %

How the Danes is taking it-They are furious

Markus

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Don't come here and say the Danish government isn't doing anything to help the citizens who can't afford to pay the energy bill.

I give you
TADAA state-guaranteed loan

So instead of lowering the fees and VAT or what you call it-

The government offer the Danes to take a state-guaranteed loan to pay their
Energy bills.

The interest will be 2 %

How the Danes is taking it-They are furious

Markus

If they would lower the tax on energy, the government could help the people in trouble because of higher gas/electric prizes the government still would earn money but who am I to question criminals. It is the governments and energy companies who profit the most with this crisis, it is the people who suffer they do not care, care is not in their vocabulary.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Dargo

If they would lower the tax on energy, the government could help the people in trouble because of higher gas/electric prizes the government still would earn money but who am I to question criminals. It is the governments and energy companies who profit the most with this crisis, it is the people who suffer they do not care, care is not in their vocabulary.

An addition to my last post

We have to pay the same amount of money as we did when we paid the energy bill last year-The last one before new years eve.

The rest we can borrow from the state.

For me it means that for every cent the energy bill is above 3100 DKr.(which I paid in the fourth quarter last year) I can borrow from the government.

Then I have to pay this loan it over a period of max 5 years and with this 2% interest.

My opinion ?

Markus

Edit
I thought I would find an article then translate it.

Danish Union wrote 14 Sept:

The government will let Danes defer payments on electricity, gas and heating
The government today presented a proposal to cap energy prices and allow Danes to defer paying the remaining amount until the crisis has passed

If Danes expected to get a gift from the government, they are left with a long nose. There was no direct financial help to be had. Instead, they can get a loan to pay the high electricity bill.

The government wants to help the most hard-pressed Danes by offering them a loan. This was announced by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) on Wednesday afternoon at a press conference at the Ministry of State. The government plans to introduce a so-called "price cap" on heating, electricity and gas. This means that if prices become higher than they were in the autumn of 2021, people will be able to pay off the remaining amount over a period of five years.

It is still unclear exactly what the loan will cost, but Finance Minister Nicolai Wammen (S) mentions an interest rate of around two percent as a realistic scenario

Helping Danes through the crisis
The proposal comes in the wake of huge price rises for energy, petrol and groceries. According to the prime minister, this is necessary to get Danes through difficult economic times.

- It goes without saying that we want to get Danes through the crisis as gently as possible. We have said from the start that we cannot keep everyone harm-free, and the diabolical thing about inflation is that we risk making things worse by doing too much. With what we are looking into now, there is a real risk that some people will not be able to pay their bills, said Mette Frederiksen.

- Not solving all problems
The proposal is designed to give the most financially strapped Danes the chance to cope with high prices here and now. The government is aware, however, that it is not a miracle cure.

- It is an offer to Danes that instead of paying a huge bill all at once, they can spread it over a few years. It is not a proposal that will solve all problems, but it will give more security to the individual family. We think it is sensible and a good initiative.

The loan scheme is expected to be worth DKK 45 billion if it is fully utilised.

The government hopes to bring the bill forward as soon as possible and will meet on Thursday evening to discuss the proposal with the parliamentary parties.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

End edit

[Jimbuna]

Absolutely disgraceful.

[Skybird]

Russia realises the Morgenthau plan: the looming threat of Germany's deindustrialization.

https://www.economist.com/business/2...ustrialisation

German industry’s biggest problem is the spiralling cost of energy. The electricity price for next year has already increased 15-fold, and the price of gas ten-fold, says the BDI (Bund der deutschen Industrie, Skybird) . In July industry consumed 21% less gas than in the same month last year. That is in part because firms used energy more efficiently. But the fall was mostly due to a “dramatic” reduction in output, says the BDI.

[Jimbuna]

Which countries are doing the most to tackle energy bills?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/61522123

[mapuc]

^ Denmark isn't on the list. I understand why

The development of these Windmills is taking a leap now and then

A new offshore wind farm will utilize some absolutely massive turbines to produce power – so massive that just one spin will power the average home for two full days. The turbines have recently been improved from the best in the world to even more so, and the development will be the US’ first utility-scale wind farm.

https://www.iflscience.com/new-massi...gle-spin-64247

Markus

[Jimbuna]

China takes advantage as Putin slashes energy prices

China spent a record $8.3bn (£7.3bn) on Russian energy last month as Beijing continues to snap up the Kremlin’s oil and gas at a discount.

The spend for August was 68pc higher than a year ago and included a record amount of coal, according to Chinese data.

It takes the country’s total energy spend to $44bn in the six months since the start of the war – almost 75pc higher than the same period last year.

While energy prices have surged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China is still buying up higher volumes, sometimes at a discounted price.

Putin has been scrambling to find new buyers for his energy, which is being shunned by much of the rest of the world.

China’s higher spending also came despite generally weaker energy imports this year as a slowing economy and Beijing’s brutal zero-Covid policy hampers demand.

[Skybird]

Gas storage sites in Germany are now filled up to more than 90%.

[Jimbuna]

Hopefully winter won't be too harsh this year.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Hopefully winter won't be too harsh this year.

Except in Russia.