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Good morning, folks. It’s a relatively calm morning of news as we end the week, but there’s a lot of movement on the nuclear front both at home and across the pond…
THE BIG CLIMATE STORIES OUTSIDE THE REGION- There’s no single story leading the conversation this morning, but news broke over night that the Biden administration is mulling over a potential expansion of tax credits targeted to aid the domestic solar and wind energy industry to cover a wider range of green energy tech including nuclear fission and fusion. Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta said The Inflation Reduction Act’s new Clean Electricity credits will come into effect next year and will help the US 2035 netzero goal for its power sector. The story got ink in Reuters and Bloomberg.
The White House is also throwing its weight behind nuclear power and lining up plans to support the development of new plants with a raft of measures designed to temper rising security costs and competition from other power sources. Climate, science and energy policy experts from the White House and the US Department of Energy will collaborate with stakeholders and developers to plan cost mitigation strategies and manage schedule overruns in the construction of new plants. The story got ink in Reuters and Bloomberg.
IN OTHER NEWS- Shell and Siemens are planning to begin major layoffs in their wind divisions as the market slows down. As Shell shifts its focus away from the renewable energy sector, it is set to begin layoffs within months from their offshore wind business, mainly in Europe, according to sources familiar with the matter. Shell had dedicated a lot of capital to the sector but is moving away as costs of production rise. Siemens will lay off around 15% (4.1k jobs) of its wind turbine division Siemens Gamesa, CEO Jochen Eickholt said in an internal letter to staff. The move is an attempt to “adapt to lower business volumes, reduced activity in non-core markets, and a streamlined portfolio,” the letter added, as the division is restructured to keep the total workforce “stable.” The story got ink in Reuters, Bloomberg, and The Telegraph.
WATCH THIS SPACE-
#1- Egypt will scale back its public sector involvement in the renewables sector: The Egyptian government is planning to withdraw from implementing new renewable energy projects and will instead allow the private sector to handle further expansions, Asharq Business reports, citing an unnamed government official. The New and Renewable Energy Authority — which currently manages 1.6 GW of renewable energy capacity — will not initiate new projects itself and will only oversee agreements that have already been signed with international firms for more than 5 TW of projects under development.
REMEMBER- Sales of the state-owned 580 MW Gabal El Zeit plant and the 545 MW Zafarana plant are expected to wrap this year, albeit a little delayed from earlier reports of wrapping by March. The government also plans to enact supportive legislation, provide land for private projects, and set purchase prices for energy from these projects, to incentivize private renewable energy projects.
#2- Morocco is working on a MAD 19 bn industrial pollution reduction program: Morocco’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development is developing a MAD 19 bn (c. USD 1.91 bn) draft program for the prevention and control of industrial pollution, the minister Laila Benali said, according to Map. The exact amount of funding has not yet reached final approval, but will be provided by international partners and local public and private sectors.
Part of bigger efforts to promote clean industrial development: The Ministry has already signed a MAD 185 mn agreement for waste collection, treatment, and recovery from the olive sector, and provided around MAD 1 bn in funding to curb liquid, gaseous, and solid industrial pollution through 125 different projects, Map wrote. Two funds — the Industrial Pollution Control Fund and the Voluntary Industrial Pollution Control Mechanism — were also created to encourage better environmental practices in the sector with grants of up to 40% of total costs.
#3- The EU gives hydrogen powered mobility a EUR 1.4 bn push: The European Commission is allocating EUR 1.4 bn (USD 1.5 mn) of state aid to 11 mobility companies working on a total of 13 projects for developing hydrogen powered mobility technologies, according to a statement. The initiative — dubbed Hy2Move — is expected to draw in an additional EUR 3.3 bn in private investments to support the hydrogen value chain. Some of the technological products that will be developed include fuel cell vehicle platforms for use in buses and trucks, high-performance fuel cell technologies for ships and locomotives, on-board hydrogen storage for aircrafts, and supplying hydrogen refueling stations on-site.
There are some big names in the bag: Airbus, BMW, and Michelin are amongst the 11 companies that are set to receive funds from the initiative, Bloomberg reported. The project is expected to create around 3.6k jobs and be completed by 2031, the statement added.
Which EU countries are contributing to the fund? Hy2Move — which has been given the status of Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) — was launched by Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovakia, and Spain. IPCEI are European projects in a key strategic value chain that consist of several company projects from various EU Member States.
Not the first hydrogen IPCEI: The Commission approved IPCEI Hy2Tech in 2022, focusing on the development of hydrogen technologies for end users, the statement said. IPCEI Hy2Use was approved in the same year with the aim of addressing hydrogen applications in the industrial sector, while IPCEI Hy2Infra was approved earlier this year to help raise more investments for hydrogen infrastructure.
ON A RELATED NOTE- BYD remains competitive with release of new hybrid models: Chinese giant automaker BYD has launched two new plug-in hybrid models — Qin L and Seal 06 — positioning itself as a major player in the auto industry, Reuters reported. BYD’s new model has reached a new low of fuel consumption at 2.9 liters per 100 km — compared to the older version’s 3.8 liters per 100 km — and can drive 2.1k km on a full battery and gas tank. Customers can save up to CNY 9.7k (c. USD 1.3k) in fuel costs annually using the new releases. Plug-in hybrids — vehicles that have both a battery-powered electric motor and a fuel-powered internal combustion engine — have accounted for most of the company’s sales since 2021 and have been responsible for its rapid growth.
Hybrid models are outperforming gasoline-powered cars: BYD’s sales haven’t quite caught up to those of Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors, and Stellantis, but its successful run with hybrid releases has propelled it closer to the rivals. Toyota recently revealed prototypes for lower-emitting internal combustion engines that can run on hydrogen, gasoline, and other fuels, but Chinese plug-in hybrids use larger batteries and have a much longer range, Reuters writes. The carmaker is also giving Volkswagen a run for its money with its Qin and Song hybrid models outselling their Lavida and Sagitar gasoline cars. BYD’s hybrids are cost competitive too after cutting prices in Q1 2024 by 10-22%.
WORTH READING-
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have forced 600 vessels to reroute since October, significantly increasing carbon emissions, Reuters reported in a visually engaging journey it created through a detailed infographic. A large container ship’s journey from Shanghai to Hamburg alone emits 38% more CO2 if it goes around Africa instead of through the Suez Canal, according to data pulled for Reuters by the London Exchange. Some companies are choosing to transport some of their goods by air or by truck, despite Truck journeys being roughly 10x more carbon intensive than shipping, and long-haul air freight generating 47x the emissions as shipping per ton-mile, Reuters said citing MIT research.
More emissions = more costs: The Red Sea crisis has pushed up the cost of EU shipping emissions permits “by a third” as the typical 30-day voyage becomes a 40-day trip, S&P Supply Chain Research manager Chris Rogers told the newswire.
Ships’ reputations are on the line: Failing to cut overall emissions could “risk alienating consumers, losing investors, or jeopardizing their ability to secure sustainable financing,” the infographic writes. Several top investors told Reuters that they would challenge or engage with companies that say they missed their Scope 3 emissions targets because of supply chain troubles like the Red Sea crisis. However, “the first priority for everyone still remains cost, [and not missed emissions targets],” Unique Logistics CEO Sunandan Ray said.
Some firms are working on alternatives to long distance shipping: Some companies told Reuters that they are looking to localize more of their operations by using suppliers closer to home, sometimes called “nearshoring.” Kraft Heinz has been building capacity with local suppliers in Egypt and Eastern European in order to reduce its overall emissions. Pudliszki factory will source nearly all of the tomato paste used in its products from dozens of small farms within 60 km of the Polish town.
IN OTHER EMISSION NEWS- Shadow tankers using cheap fuel undermine decarbonization efforts: A growing fleet of tankers transporting sanctioned Iranian, Venezuelan, and Russian oil is using the cheapest, high sulfur fuel, undermining efforts to reduce shipping emissions, Reuters writes. This shadow fleet — which now consists of around 630 to 800 tankers — operates outside Western jurisdictions with complex deceptive practices, making it difficult to enforce cleaner fuel regulations. There has also been an increase in non-compliance with the IMO 2020 sulfur limits, with more ships detained for violations.
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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-
The UAE will host the Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Middle East event from Tuesday, 4 June to Wednesday, 5 June in Dubai. Billed as the Middle East’s largest corporate and investment banking event, it serves as a key meeting point for those active in the region’s capital markets. Over 1.4k governments, corporates, investors, banks, law firms, regulators and service providers as well as more than 75 expert speakers will be in attendance.
Turkey will host the International Conference on European Energy Market from Monday, 10 June to Wednesday, 12 June in Istanbul. The three-day event will gather experts from scientific, industry, and policy sectors for discussions on various energy market-related topics. The conference covers themes including energy modeling, market design, regulatory policies, and climate change.
Morocco will host the Morocco Energy Week Summit from Tuesday, 11 June to Thursday, 12 June in Marrakech. The event will gather Morocco’s leading energy players, companies and developers alongside financiers and implementation experts to discuss the country’s green transition.
Spain will host the Connecting Green Hydrogen Europe conference from Tuesday, 25 June to Thursday, 27 June in Madrid. The event will see around 5k attendees including industry leaders, energy ministers, and executives to explore solutions, new technologies, and transformative advancements to advance the hydrogen industry.
Saudi Arabia will host the Global EV and Mobility Tech Forum from Wednesday, 10 July to Thursday, 11 July in Riyadh. The event will bring together policymakers, NGOs, and startups.
Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.
