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EnergySource

Aug 28, 2020

Amidst deteriorating US – China relations, energy trade picks up in Q2

By Reed Blakemore and Reid I'Anson

Despite a precipitous decline in US-Chinese relations over the past month and a half, energy trade during the second quarter of 2020 remained robust as positive economic incentives outweighed the diplomatic tit-for-tat currently dominating headlines

China Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Aug 20, 2020

Trans-Caspian Pipeline—Still a pipe dream?

By Daniel D. Stein

Although there have been intermittent efforts to revive the Trans-Caspian Pipeline (TCP), the project has largely been dormant in recent years. However, the impending completion of the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), a new source and route of gas supply to Europe, has led to renewed interest in TCP.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

EnergySource

Jul 8, 2020

Distributed solar and batteries will power a more inclusive economic recovery in developing countries

By Sandra Chavez

A reliable supply of electricity is crucial for responding to the COVID-19 health crisis and boosting economic activity. Governments in many developing countries already struggle to provide their citizens with enough high-quality electricity to satisfy demand. The additional constraints the COVID-19 crisis places upon utilities, and national economies in general, can make the delivery of reliable electricity even harder. However, distributed solar energy and battery storage can provide reliable, affordable, and pollution-free power globally, while also creating jobs that incorporate local talent—especially from groups underrepresented in the labor market such as women and low-income workers.

Coronavirus Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Jun 25, 2020

The European Commission’s hydrogen industrial strategy and COVID-19

By Mary-Rose de Valladares

As COVID-19 enveloped Europe and the Americas, Ursula van der Leyen declared clean hydrogen energy “a pillar” of the European Union (EU)’s new industrial strategy. While COVID-19 will likely have significant effects on hydrogen’s success in Europe, it has nevertheless become a top EC energy priority.

Coronavirus Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Jun 23, 2020

How can Portugal’s Port of Sines play a bigger role in assuring energy security in the European Union?

By Dr. Ricardo Silvestre

The European Union (EU) currently relies on a small number of external suppliers to meet its energy needs. To minimize reliance on foreign gas imports, the EU should increase liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports to Europe, expand gas storage capacity, and further develop energy distribution mechanisms across Member States. As a potential alternative energy hub, Sines, Portugal is in an excellent position to become an important continental European LNG entrance point as well as a key gas distribution and bunkering center. If the pieces fall into place, Sines, and Portugal writ large, may become key guarantors of European energy security.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

EnergySource

Jun 12, 2020

US foreign policy and Euro-Caspian energy security: The time is now to build the Trans-Caspian Pipeline

By Matthew Bryza, Robert M. Cutler, and Giorgi Vashakmadze

The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) represents a historic success for Azerbaijan and the European Union (EU) in regard to their common quest for new energy supply sources and routes. Over the last decade, the EU has intensified its efforts to expand the SGC, seeking to attract gas from Turkmenistan. The time is now ripe to connect Turkmen gas with SGC infrastructure and the European market through a Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline.

Central Asia Energy & Environment

EnergySource

Jun 12, 2020

Ukraine’s gas market reform: A success story that needs to be acknowledged

By Dr. Aura Sabadus

Ukraine's experience over the past five years with natural gas market reform and regulatory alignment proves that European Union rule transfer is possible in Ukraine, provided it remains committed to positive policy change.

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

EnergySource

May 18, 2020

Coronavirus emergency measures should persuade Ukraine, Romania, and Turkey to legitimize energy reform, not reverse it

By Dr. Aura Sabadus

For years, Eastern European governments and Turkey have bought into a global trend, arguing that long-term strategies in the energy sector should revolve around market deregulation. In light of the coronavirus outbreak and the emergency measures implemented worldwide to contain it, the energy industry may now face an increase in interventionist policies such as price controls and consolidation of state-owned enterprises as governments push to mitigate the shockwaves of expected consumer impacts. Such measures would be detrimental to economies, and there are compelling arguments that suggest governments should remain committed to their initial market goals.

Coronavirus Eastern Europe

EnergySource

May 11, 2020

Increasing mutual dependence in Sino-Gulf relations is changing the strategic landscape

By Christian Le Miere

The conventional wisdom that the United States is the only viable partner for Gulf states is now being challenged by a new reality: the main importer of Gulf oil is now China. At the same time, China’s strategic goals increasingly encompass stability in the Middle East, while a more activist foreign policy under Xi Jinping ensures greater involvement in the security, as well as economic, discourse in the region.

China Energy & Environment

EnergySource

May 8, 2020

The COVID-19 crisis and US and EU emissions in the new decade: Opportunities for a clean energy recovery

By Robert F. Ichord, Jr.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sudden decline in global electricity demand of up to 20-25 percent in some countries, and the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects global electricity demand for 2020 will fall by 5-10 percent, contributing to an 8 percent overall drop in energy sector CO2 emissions. This piece updates evaluates the performance of the US and EU power sectors in 2019 within the context of the coronavirus pandemic.

Coronavirus Energy & Environment