U.N. CO2 offsets equal historic low, EUAs find support

U.N. CO2 offsets equal historic low, EUAs find support - News - Point Carbon
U.N. carbon credits eased to equal their all-time low on Thursday as European carbon permits found support from fatter dark spreads and edged sideways for the sixth successive day...

Exelon sees natural-gas threat to nuclear earnings

Exelon sees natural-gas threat to nuclear earnings - chicagotribune.com
Chicago-based Exelon Corp. told analysts Thursday that a bevy of new government-subsidized natural gas-fired power expected to come online by 2015 has robbed it of earnings it expected  from its nuclear power plants.  Natural gas prices are at historic lows, which has made natrual-gas fired power attractive to some states at a time when historically cheap coal-fired plants are closing.  Exelon -- the country's largest owner of nuclear power -- has seen its stock fall 14 percent this year, in part because of low natural gas prices that have driven down prices for power. 

Senate Commerce Committee Examines EU Emissions Trading System

Senate Commerce Committee Examines EU Emissions Trading System
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Wednesday held a hearing on the highly controversial European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS).  The hearing examined issues associated with the inclusion of the airline sector in the ETS, a program that caps greenhouse gas emissions for certain industries in the EU, and its potential impact on U.S. air carrier operations. Lawmakers heard from DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, as well as European Commission Directorate-General for Climate Action Director General Jos Delbeke and a panel of industry stakeholders.

Korea Gas Says U.S. Exports to Affect Asian Gas Pricing

Korea Gas Says U.S. Exports to Affect Asian Gas Pricing - Bloomberg
Korea Gas Corp. (036460), the world’s biggest importer of liquefied natural gas, said U.S. policies will determine how much LNG the country exports and shipments will undermine a 40-year-old oil-linked price mechanism used in Asia.  “There is good potential for the U.S and Canada to export LNG to Asia,” Chief Executive Officer Choo Kang-Soo said in an interview today in Kuala Lumpur, where he is attending an industry conference. “How much they can ship out will depend on the policy of the U.S. and also what American people think.”  Asia’s LNG buyers, which account for more than 60 percent of global demand, are turning to North America because U.S. prices are tumbling amid record production driven by extraction from shale deposits.

Carbon Limits Will Help Fix a Broken Energy Market and Spur Economic Growth

Carbon Limits Will Help Fix a Broken Energy Market and Spur Economic Growth
As the saying goes: When one door closes, another opens. That is certainly true of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed carbon pollution rule, which will finally shut the door on new coal plants polluting for free and open the door to more clean energy.  Power plants that burn coal for electricity are not held accountable for the “hidden” health and environmental impacts they impose on society. Recent research published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences estimates that these hidden impacts from coal-fired electricity, or “externalities”—such as land-use disturbance from mountaintop removal coal mining in Appalachia, the release of methane and mercury contaminants into our air and water, and the buildup of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere—cost the United States between $175 billion and $523 billion per year. Likewise, a National Research Council study placed the health costs from coal-electricity generation, including a rise in respiratory illnesses, at $62 billion annually...

Steelmakers say top EU court rejects carbon case

UPDATE 1-Steelmakers say top EU court rejects carbon case | Reuters
European steelmakers said the European Union's top court had thrown out their case seeking to change the rules on free carbon allowances in the next phase of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).  Steel industry body Eurofer confirmed the case had been declared inadmissible by the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice.  "We knew it was possible because of the ... rules for going to the court," Eurofer Director for Public Affairs Axel Eggert said.  Eurofer launched the case in July last year, challenging the regime that determines how many permits to pollute that steelmakers will get for free in the next phase of the ETS beginning in 2013.  It said the rules did not set a fair benchmark for allowing the industry's most efficient 10 percent of factories to get all their pollution permits at no cost.

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Thomson Reuters Point Carbon's OTC price assessments

		Close	+/-
EUA	Dec 2012	6.51	0.02
sCER	Dec 2012	3.34	-0.04

 

 

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07 Jun 2012 17:57

U.N. CO2 offsets equal historic low, EUAs find support

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters Point Carbon) - U.N. carbon credits eased to equal their all-time low on Thu…

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07 Jun 2012 18:41

U.N. to review CER requests from 6 retrofitted HCFC-22 plants

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters Point Carbon) – A U.N. panel will investigate requests for nearly 5 million…

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Markets

07 Jun 2012 18:48

EU ETS Q1 emissions likely to rise as coal use soars

EU emissions are poised to rise in 2012 as big emitting countries opt to burn coal over cleaner gas…

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07 Jun 2012 16:23

CORRECTED: POLL: Analysts trim outlook for EU carbon prices

LONDON, June 7 (Reuters) - Analysts forecast European Union carbon permit prices in the second half…

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07 Jun 2012 17:24

Steelmakers say top EU court rejects carbon permits case

BRUSSELS, June 7 (Reuters) - European steelmakers said the European Union's top court had thrown out…

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07 Jun 2012 15:15

Gold Standard to certify forestry carbon offsets

Forestry carbon credits can overcome a perceived image problem if suppliers can show clearly that em…

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07 Jun 2012 10:42

NZ carbon rises 5 percent to halt 8-week slide

BEIJING, June 7 (Reuters Point Carbon) - Spot permits in the New Zealand emissions trading scheme cl…

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Renewables could access $6bn of financing with MLPs, says study

Environmental Finance | News | Renewables could access $6bn of financing with MLPs, says study
Allowing the US renewable energy industry to tap into master limited partnerships (MLP) could provide up to $6 billion in financing for new projects, according to a new study.  Renewable energy groups have been trying to convince federal legislators to allow their projects to use the MLP, a limited partnership that is publicly traded on a securities exchange, which combines the tax benefits of a limited partnership with the liquidity of publicly traded securities. The US tax code limits these partnerships to specific sectors such as oil and gas infrastructure.  Between $5 billion and $6 billion is currently sidelined by the current tax code, which excludes renewable energy projects from using the tax-advantaged vehicles, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University.  Access to capital markets will demonstrate the market strength of attractive projects, the report said. MLPs are a strong fit for renewable investments because most projects have secured a long-term power purchase agreement, which supports cash flow stability, according to the report.  “Expanding MLPs to include renewable energy sources could attract capital to the sector, reduce the risk of investments, impose some market discipline on the players, and offer a way to grow a sector of the economy that will be important in meeting America’s future energy needs,” the report stated.

Wind energy is ‘good business’ for banks

Environmental Finance | News | Wind energy is ‘good business’ for banks – BayernLB

The banking sector sees the wind energy industry as good business, but should perhaps express its support for the industry more forcefully, according to one banker.  The presence of many commercial and investment bankers at the American Wind Energy Association’s Windpower conference in Atlanta is evidence of their interest in the sector, said James King, senior vice-president and head of structured finance Americas for Munich-based commercial bank BayernLB.  “The investment banking space has been incredibly active,” he said.

Airline group says biofuels need govt support

Airline group says biofuels need govt support - BusinessWeek
Airlines need government support to lower the cost of biofuels that could help to reduce pollution and carbon emissions, the head of the global aviation industry group said Thursday.  Airlines have flown some 1,500 commercial flights using fuel made from plants, but supplies are limited and costly, said Tony Tyler, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association.  "We need governments to adopt policies to help support commercialization of biofuels to bring up the volume and bring down the price," Tyler said. He was in Beijing for IATA's annual general meeting, due to be held next week.  Airline emissions have become a contentious issue amid opposition by China, the United States, Russia and other governments to European Union carbon charges on carriers that took effect Jan. 1. China and India have ordered their airlines not to cooperate.

Europe Calls for Green Goals Beyond 2020

Europe Calls for Green Goals Beyond 2020 - Forbes
As if Europe’s member states did not have enough pressure from above these days, yesterday saw European Commission Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger push for greater cooperation and immediate action to carry the region beyond the EU’s 2020 goals.   Adopted in 2009, the European Union’s Renewable Energy Directive includes a binding agreement for 20 percent dependence on renewable energy sources, a 20 percent reduction in carbon emissions and a non-binding 20 percent decrease in energy consumption, all appropriately by 2020. With many of the 27 member states on their way to reaching those goals, Oettinger and company have begun calling for swifter action when it comes to revising the immediate criteria to reflect the progress made and looking beyond the 2020 deadline. If the revisions are not made soon, Oettinger has said, there is a fear that any momentum will evaporate without a solid strategy towards 2030.