By Bhuvan BAGGA NEW DELHI, June 18, 2024 (AFP) – Searing heatwave temperatures in northern India pushed power demand to a record high, the government said Tuesday, with residents of the capital New Delhi also struggling with water shortages. Much of northern India has been gripped by a brutal month-long heatwave, with temperatures regularly soaring above 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). Northern India has “been experiencing high demand conditions due to a prevailing heat […]
Tag: energy
Manila and Washington sign agreement to develop Philippines’ nuclear workforce
MANILA, May 21, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines and the United States agreed Tuesday to train Filipinos how to build and operate nuclear power plants, as the Southeast Asian country seeks to boost its electricity supply. The announcement comes after Manila and Washington struck a nuclear cooperation agreement in November that cleared a path for US investment to jumpstart atomic power in the energy-hungry Philippines. Under Tuesday’s deal, the Philippine Department of Energy and the […]
Russia hits Ukrainian energy sites in ‘massive’ overnight attack
KYIV, Ukraine, April 27, 2024 (AFP) – Russia launched a “massive” missile strike at Ukraine overnight, damaging four power plants in the latest barrage targeting the country’s energy supply, officials in Kyiv said on Saturday. Two people were killed and at least 10 more wounded in Russian shelling. Moscow has launched some of its largest ever strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities in recent months, knocking out a significant chunk of production, and triggering blackouts and […]
Leap year outage shutters New Zealand petrol pumps
WELLINGTON, Feb 29, 2024 (AFP) – Self-service petrol pumps across New Zealand were shuttered Thursday as several companies reported a leap year “software glitch” that left motorists stranded. In the capital Wellington, some stations closed completely, leaving forecourts empty and customers confronted with signs reading “Nationwide Payment Outage – Site Unavailable”. “It is a nationwide issue affecting all fuel brands and it does appear to be a software glitch with the payment provider because it […]
QatarEnergy says Red Sea attacks ‘may impact’ gas shipments
DOHA, Jan 24, 2024 (AFP) – Qatar’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) deliveries may be delayed by attacks in the Red Sea, QatarEnergy warned on Wednesday, stressing that production had not been impacted. The state-owned giant confirmed in a statement that “Qatar’s LNG production continues uninterrupted, and our commitment to ensuring the reliable supply of LNG to our customers remains unwavering”. “While the ongoing developments in the Red Sea area may impact the scheduling of some […]
UK unveils plans for ‘biggest nuclear power expansion in 70 years’
LONDON, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – The UK government on Thursday announced plans for what it said was the country’s “biggest expansion of nuclear power for 70 years” to bolster its energy independence and meet carbon emission targets. The Civil Nuclear Roadmap includes exploring the construction of a major new power station, £300 million ($382 million) of investment to produce an advanced uranium fuel and “smarter regulation”. Taken together, the measures would quadruple UK nuclear […]
World added 50% more renewable energy capacity last year over 2022: IEA
PARIS, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – The world added 50 percent more renewable energy capacity in 2023 over the year before, the International Energy Agency said Thursday, predicting booming growth in the next five years. The United Nations-led COP28 summit concluded in Dubai last month with nearly 200 nations agreeing to a first-ever call for the world to transition away from fossil fuels. “The amount of renewable energy capacity added to energy systems around the […]
Nepal signs hydro energy export deal with India
KATHMANDU, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Nepal signed a deal with India on Thursday for the Himalayan republic to export 10,000 megawatts of hydroelectricity over the next decade to its energy-hungry neighbour. More than four in five Nepalis did not have access to electricity in 2000, according to the International Energy Agency, but a dam building spree in the years since has helped connect nearly all of its 30 million people to the grid. It […]
‘Urban mining’ offers green solution to old solar panels
By Paula RAMON YUMA, United States, Dec 23, 2023 (AFP) – As the world pivots from planet-warming fossil fuels to renewable energy, a new pollution problem is rearing its head: What to do with old or worn-out solar panels? Thousands of photovoltaic slabs are being installed across the United States every day, particularly in the sunny west and south of the country, as states like California race to towards greener energy production. But with an […]
OPEC loses a player: Angola quits cartel, oil dips despite rally
LONDON, Dec 21, 2023 (AFP) – Crude prices slumped on Thursday after Angola quit the OPEC oil cartel, while Wall Street stocks rebounded after a streak of records was snapped. The price of the main international and US crude contracts dropped more than 1.5 percent after Angola said it was leaving as it did not want to go along with further production cuts that OPEC and 10 Russian-led allies agreed last month. They later pared […]
China launches world’s first next-gen nuclear reactor
BEIJING, Dec 6, 2023 (AFP) – China began commercial operations of the world’s first next-generation, gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant, state media reported Wednesday. The Shidao Bay plant in eastern Shandong province is powered by two high-temperature reactors cooled by gas rather than pressurised water, according to state news agency Xinhua, making it more efficient and cost-effective. Conventional reactors produce electricity from nuclear energy. However, these advanced models — known as small modular reactors, or […]
Tripling renewable energy by 2030 ‘ambitious but doable’
By Catherine HOURS PARIS, Nov 30, 2023 (AFP) – Host United Arab Emirates wants nearly 200 nations attending the COP28 climate summit starting Thursday to commit to tripling installed renewable energy capacity worldwide by 2030, a goal experts say is “ambitious but achievable”. If the UN forum sets that target in stone, it could become a key marker of COP28’s success, especially if coupled with a pledge to drawn down fossil fuel use. – Why […]





