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Confronting China’s water insecurity

Among the numerous challenges China faces in its quest to become a great power, the biggest, perhaps, is mounting water insecurity. China has 20 per cent of the world’s population but only 7 per cent of the world’s fresh water. To make matters worse, the country’s scarce water resources are unevenly distributed between the south and north of the country. With rapid industrialisation and urbanisation, the demand for fresh water is increasing at a very fast rate. It is forecast that by 2030, China’s water demand will surpass 800 billion cubic metres. However, China’s supply is severely undermined by worsening water scarcity and pollution. SCARCITY AND POLLUTION Due to over-exploration and inefficient consumption, China’s water resources are declining as more rivers disappear and aquifer water levels drop. A 2013 report published by the Chinese authorities showed that the number of rivers in China has decreased from at least 50,000 […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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U.S. probes waves as source of energy

More than $10 million will be invested into a program that will test the ability to convert wave energy into a source of power, the U.S. Energy Department said. The Energy Department announced the test program for wave energy off the coast of Hawaii. "The Energy Department-supported demonstrations at the U.S. Navy’s wave energy test site off Hawaii’s island of Oahu will help develop reliable wave energy options and collect important performance and cost data for wave energy conversion devices," it said in a Monday statement . Two prototype wave energy converters will be deployed in open waters at depths of 196 feet and 260 feet. The demonstration projects are aimed at examining wave energy technology that’s in the late stage of development or close to full-scale operations. The test program will run for one year. The project gives the federal government the ability […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Supreme Court Revives EPA Rule on Air Pollution Across State Lines

The Environmental Protection Agency can reinstate limits on power-plant pollution that blows across state lines, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday, handing a defeat to electric utilities that opposed the effort as costly regulatory overreach. The court’s 6-2 ruling breathes new life into a 2011 EPA measure known as the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which requires 28 states to reduce emissions that hurt air quality in states located downwind. The regulation stands to affect about 1,000 power plants in the eastern half of the U.S. that may have to adopt new pollution controls or reduce operations. The decision could further threaten the viability of some aging coal plants, which already face other market and regulatory pressures. "There is no doubt this will add some cost pressures," said University of Notre Dame law professor Bruce Huber. "This is an exceedingly important opinion," he said, adding that the EPA "has been trying […]

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Better tech cuts US oil, gas production costs, foils estimates: EIA's Sieminski

Recent improvements in hydraulic fracturing technology have lowered oil and gas production costs, which in turn enable the industry to drill more wells and increase production, Adam Sieminski, the administrator of the US Energy Information Administration, said Tuesday. The changes are also making it harder for federal statisticians to keep up and make reasonable projections on future production. Those changes were a major reason why the most recent EIA Energy Outlook underestimated on oil production in 2014, he said. Speaking before the Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington, Sieminski said predicting how much natural gas will be put in storage this year is a challenge. A significant unknown is whether there will be the summertime equivalent of a polar vortex. The three polar vortexes in January caused record low temperatures and unprecedented demand for natural gas. Article continues below… Gas Daily offers the most detailed […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Better tech cuts US oil, gas production costs, foils estimates: EIA’s Sieminski

Recent improvements in hydraulic fracturing technology have lowered oil and gas production costs, which in turn enable the industry to drill more wells and increase production, Adam Sieminski, the administrator of the US Energy Information Administration, said Tuesday. The changes are also making it harder for federal statisticians to keep up and make reasonable projections on future production. Those changes were a major reason why the most recent EIA Energy Outlook underestimated on oil production in 2014, he said. Speaking before the Natural Gas Roundtable in Washington, Sieminski said predicting how much natural gas will be put in storage this year is a challenge. A significant unknown is whether there will be the summertime equivalent of a polar vortex. The three polar vortexes in January caused record low temperatures and unprecedented demand for natural gas. Article continues below… Gas Daily offers the most detailed […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Pipeline Supporters Seek Quick Senate Vote

Supporters of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline are seeking a swift Senate vote on legislation to approve construction of the project that environmentalists oppose strongly and the Obama administration has delayed indefinitely. Pipeline advocates in the Senate, who include several Democrats on the November election as well as Republicans, hold a clear majority. They also may command more than the 60 votes needed to overcome blocking tactics by opponents, but they appear to be short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed in the 100-member chamber to override any veto by President Barack Obama. "I will press hard for a vote in the coming weeks to build this pipeline," Sen. Mary Landrieu, a Democrat and the chair of the Senate Energy Committee, said this week in a statement as lawmakers returned from a two-week break. Landrieu and Sen. Mark Begich, […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple
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Exxon’s $900 Billion Arctic Prize at Risk After Ukraine

Exxon Mobil (XOM) Corp.’s dream of drilling in the Russian Arctic may risk running aground on the politics of Ukraine. The company plans to start drilling in August in the Arctic’s remote Kara Sea — the centerpiece of Exxon’s global alliance with Russian state-controlled OAO Rosneft. (ROSN) The partnership, which includes shale exploration in Siberia and joint venture fields in Texas , will come under greater scrutiny after the U.S. placed sanctions on Rosneft’s Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin . “With Sechin being sanctioned it may complicate relations for Rosneft with western companies,” said Mattias Westman, who oversees about $3.3 billion in Russia assets as CEO of Prosperity Capital . “Maybe some transactions will be threatened as a result and perhaps Russia will counter and they will be less keen for American companies to work on Arctic projects.” Patrick McGinn, a spokesman for Exxon’s exploration arm, said on April […]

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Gazprom sales to Europe increased in 2013

Russian energy company Gazprom said Tuesday its sales of gas to Europe and others in the region was up more than 15 percent in 2013. Russia supplies about a quarter of the natural gas consumed in Europe, and most of that runs through a pipeline system in Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that’s tilted toward the European Union since political conflict erupted in November. Gazprom said in a report highlighting its financial results from 2013 that gas sales to Europe and other countries in the region totaled 6.1 trillion cubic feet, an increase of more than 15 percent from 2012. European leaders have looked to rival suppliers in Azerbaijan in an effort to break Russia’s grip on the region’s energy supply. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said following his meeting Monday with Slovakian Prime Minister a move to reverse gas flows from Slovakia […]

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Ukraine separatists seize second provincial capital, fire on police

Hundreds of pro-Moscow separatists stormed government buildings in one of Ukraine’s provincial capitals on Tuesday and fired on police holed up in a regional headquarters, a major escalation of their revolt despite new Western sanctions on Russia. New U.S. and EU sanctions packages, announced with fanfare, were seen as so mild that Russian share prices rose in relief. A small number of names were added to existing blacklists, while threats to take more serious measures were put on hold. Nevertheless, Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by threatening to reconsider Western participation in energy deals in Russia, the world’s biggest oil producer, where most major U.S. and European oil companies have extensive projects. Demonstrators smashed their way into the provincial government headquarters in Luhansk, Ukraine’s easternmost province, which abuts the Russian border, and raised separatist flags over the building, while police did nothing to interfere. As […]

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Putin Says Sanctions Jeopardize U.S., EU Energy Deals

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that further economic sanctions over the Ukraine crisis may lead Russia to reconsider participation by U.S. and European Union companies in energy and other key industries. While his government has prepared measures to retaliate for penalties imposed by the U.S. and its allies, Putin told reporters in Minsk, Belarus, yesterday that he doesn’t consider them necessary for now, though that may change. If sanctions continue, “then of course we will have to consider who’s working and how in the Russian Federation, in the key sectors of the Russian economy, including energy,” he said. “We really don’t want to take these reciprocal steps.” Putin’s remarks added uncertainty for companies that have stakes in Russia’s energy industry, including Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) , which is planning Arctic drilling in an alliance with Russian state-controlled OAO Rosneft. (ROSN) The Russian leader spoke […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple