The Karabakh War and Energy Security

Azerbaijan soldiers

Exactly one year has passed since the beginning of the second Nagorno-Karabakh war. The frozen conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan lasted almost 30 years, writes Nargiz Gambarova. The Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding regions are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan. As a result of two flare-ups in April 2016 and July 2020, the tensions broke…

Taxing Green Energy in Ukraine: the Wrong Time for the Wrong Policy

Renewables

While the focus in the EU is on the New Green Deal and making sure that the policies and regulatory framework are in place to help the EU members on the pathway to net zero, on the EU’s borders the commitment to renewables and decarbonisation is less clear, writes Jock Mendoza Wilson.  To the east…

Nuclear insists it has key role in meeting world’s energy needs

Astravets NPP

Nuclear energy is an issue like few others, dividing opinion in the extreme over its safety and role in the energy mix.  But construction work on new nuclear plants continues apace, with the latest being in Belarus with the Astravets nuclear power plant (NPP). Building work on the twin-reactor plant is coming to an end…

EU Energy Future Needs to Take account of NGO Concerns

Europe's Energy Future

Fossil fuel industry lobbyists are expected to retain a stranglehold on Europe’s energy future, with a formal role in EU decisions on energy infrastructure development and funding, a new report claims. The European Commission has proposed to keep an obscure body advocating for vested gas industry interests – the European Network of Transmission System Operators…

Uzbekistan’s Energy Strategy

EU Political Report published an article on Uzbekistan’s Nuclear Project on 1st February. The National Agency for Nuclear Power in Uzbekistan “Uzatom” has requested the opportunity to respond to this article, and we publish their response here in full below:- On January 29, EU Today hosted at the Press Club in Brussels a conference dedicated…

Parliament Calls to Suspend Ostrovets Nuclear Power Plant

The European Parliament has voiced serious concerns over the safety of the Ostrovets nuclear plant in Belarus and demand that its commercial launch be suspended. In a resolution adopted today, the Parliament criticised the hasty commissioning of the Ostrovets nuclear plant and the continued lack of transparency and official communication regarding the frequent emergency shutdowns…

Morocco Ranked 5th in World for Clean Innovation

According to newly published research, Morocco is ranked 5th in the world for clean innovation. The index is produced by MIT and published in “The Green Future Index” sponsored by Salesforce, Citrix, and Morgan Stanley.  The research was conducted through in-depth secondary research and analysis as well as interviews with global experts on climate change,…

Uzbekistan’s Nuclear Project: Expensive, and Environmentally Unsound.

On December 11th of last year Uzbekistan became an observer in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the latest and most important step to date on the path toward full membership of Vladimir Putin’s rival to the EU, through which the Russian president  hopes to entice former Soviet republics back into Moscow’s orbit. Tashkent plans to…

Which Countries Get the most EU Subsidies for Sustainable Energy Projects?

In order to reduce carbon emissions, the European Union set up the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (2014-2020) – the biggest EU research and innovation project looking into smart energy systems for a sustainable and renewable energy future.  Interested in sustainable energy, HeatingForce.co.uk analysed data on Smart Energy Systems within the Horizon 2020 programme to discover the countries receiving the…

Study says hydrogen can be a “vital” tool in the decarbonisation of energy systems

There has never been a greater focus on the development of a clean hydrogen market.  However, the focus of policy to date has been directed towards increasing production using electricity generated by renewables, ignoring the potential role of other low-carbon power sources, notably nuclear power.  A new report by the New Nuclear Watch Institute analyses…