OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — The leaders of Canada and Germany signed a green hydrogen deal on Tuesday, laying a path for a transatlantic supply chain as Europe seeks to lessen its dependence on Russian energy. “It’s a vote of confidence for Canada as a leader in clean energy,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a joint press conference with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We cannot as a world continue to rely on authoritarian countries […]
Tag: energy
Germany’s Scholz looks to Canada as energy supplier
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Canada to firm up access to new energy supplies as his country moves to quickly end its reliance on Russian oil and gas. At a joint news conference in Montreal on the first full day of his three-day visit, Scholz said Germany is rushing construction of liquid natural gas (LNG) ports infrastructure and pipelines to boost imports and […]
Chinese city dims lights in heatwave power crunch
Beijing, China | AFP | A provincial capital in southwest China has dimmed outdoor advertisements, subway lighting and building signs to save energy, official announcements said, as the area battles a power crunch triggered by record-high temperatures. The mercury has soared beyond 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in Sichuan province this week, fueling massive demand for air conditioning and drying up reservoirs in a region reliant on dams for most of its electricity. Factories including […]
China factories ration power as heatwave sends demand soaring
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese lithium hub Sichuan province will ration electricity supply to factories until Saturday, state media reported, as a heatwave sends power demands soaring and dries up reservoirs. Temperatures in the province — home to nearly 84 million people — have hovered above 40-42 degrees Celsius (104-108 degrees Fahrenheit) since last week, according to data from China’s Meteorological Administration, increasing the demand for air conditioning. The region relies on dams to […]
Germany to turn thermostat down as gas shortage looms
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | Germany will limit heating in public buildings over the winter to save on gas as Russia throttles supplies to Europe, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Friday. “Public properties — with the exception of hospitals and other parts of the social system, of course — will only be heated to 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit)”, Habeck told the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview. Public buildings and monuments […]
Shell profit rockets on high oil prices
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British energy giant Shell said Thursday that its net profit soared more than five-fold to $18 billion in the second quarter, fuelled by resurgent oil and gas prices, and rewarded shareholders with another bumper buyback. The surge in profits in the three months to June was partially attributable to a reversal of $4.3 billion in impairments after the company raised its forecasts for the gas and oil market. “We […]
Saudi prince to sign deal for ‘cheaper energy’ in Greece
by Helene COLLIOPOULOU with Robbie COREY-BOULET in Riyadh Agence France-Presse ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced upcoming bilateral projects on a visit to Greece Tuesday, including for a power cable between both countries to provide Europe with “cheaper renewable energy”. Prince Mohammed landed in Greece on Tuesday on his first Europe trip since the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and is set to head to France later in the […]
EU debates plan to cut Russian gas and protect Germany
Brussels, Belgium | AFP by Daniel ARONSSOHN / Alex PIGMAN EU ministers debated Tuesday how to reduce gas consumption this winter, an act of solidarity for Germany and a response to Russia’s manipulation of supplies as an economic weapon. The plan, under discussion in Brussels, could see exceptions and carve-outs as European Union countries blanched at making too deep a sacrifice for Berlin and a few landlocked member states. Germany, the EU’s economic powerhouse, is […]
Sri Lankans return to cooking with firewood as economy burns
by Amal JAYASINGHE Agence France Presse NEHINNA, Sri Lanka (AFP) — As once relatively wealthy Sri Lanka suffers a dire economic crisis with shortages of everything from medicines to gas, people are returning to cooking with firewood. The switch began at the beginning of the year when more than 1,000 kitchens exploded across the country, killing at least seven people and injuring hundreds more. The reason was suppliers looking to cut costs and increasing […]
Gas consumption set to contract due to Russia: IEA
PARIS, France (AFP) — Gas consumption will contract slightly this year due to high prices and Russian cuts to Europe, with only slow growth over coming years as consumers switch to alternatives, the IEA said Tuesday. The International Energy Agency chopped its forecast for global gas demand by more than half in its latest quarterly report on gas markets. It now expects growth of just 3.4 percent by 2025, an increase of 140 billion cubic […]
Japan warns on ‘interests’ after Russia gas project decree
TOKYO, July 1, 2022 (AFP) – Japan‘s energy “interests must not be undermined”, Tokyo said Friday, after Moscow issued a decree transferring operations of a key oil and gas project to a new Russian company. Japanese trading houses Mitsui and Mitsubishi Corp own 12.5 and 10 percent stakes respectively in the Sakhalin-2 project, but the future of their investments appears uncertain after the Russian decree. It calls for the establishment of a new Russian operator […]
Ukraine begins electricity exports to EU: Zelensky
KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine has started exporting electricity to the European Union, via Romania, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, as Russia reduces gas supplies to the bloc which is supporting Kyiv in resisting Moscow’s invasion. Several European countries, including Italy and Germany, are highly reliant upon Russian gas for their energy needs but have been forced to look for alternatives as Moscow slashes deliveries. Speaking Thursday, Zelensky said Ukraine had “launched a significant export […]





