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French minister supports allowing ‘clean’ shale gas fracking

A split over France’s ban on shale gas development has emerged within the government, with one minister supporting an experimental type of "clean fracking." French Minister for Industrial Renewal Arnaud Montebourg, a member of President Francois Hollande ‘s Socialist Party, is calling on the president to reconsider his opposition to hydraulic fracturing due to what he calls the emergence of environmentally safer methods to extract natural gas trapped in shale rock. Despite Hollande’s public reiteration in July of opposition, on environmental grounds, to any exploitation of shale gas during his tenure, Montebourg has renewed his efforts to push for a change in policy — touting a potential of a type of fracking that uses fluoropropane, rather than a mix of water and chemical additives, to break apart underground rock formations. Other ministers, including Housing Minister Cecile Duflot of the Green Party, or EELV, and […]

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Total’s Five French Oil Refineries Resuming Work as Strikes End

All five of Total SA (FP) ’s refineries in France are resuming operations after employees at Gonfreville voted to return to work, the last to come back after a strike that began two weeks ago, the CGT union said. All facilities are resuming activity, Eric Sellini, a CGT union representative, said by phone today. The 247,000 barrel-a-day refinery at Gonfreville in northern France, Total’s largest in the country, is the third site since yesterday where staff have ended industrial action. Officials at Paris-based Total haven’t returned two phone calls and an e-mail seeking comment on the plant’s status. European diesel traded near the highest in two months this week, boosted by the strikes, which began on Dec. 13. “We estimate that France will have lost about 5.1 million barrels of distillates and 2.5 million barrels of gasoline production during those strikes,” Olivier Jakob , managing director of Petromatrix GmbH […]

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Foreign Minister Fabius Concerned Tehran Won’t Drop Ability to Build a Bomb

France’s foreign minister voiced doubts that Western powers will reach a final nuclear deal with Iran, questioning Tehran’s willingness to abandon its ability to build an atomic bomb. Laurent Fabius has propelled France to the forefront of nuclear talks by taking a tough stance on Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian and scientific use only. To reach a lasting agreement, six Western powers are pressing Tehran to adopt measures that unwind its nuclear capabilities to the point that a weapon is no longer within reach. That goal has been partly overshadowed by disagreements over how to implement a preliminary accord that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from biting sanctions. "We have to implement honestly the first phase," Mr. Fabius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "Then my main concern is the second phase. It is unclear if the […]

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Foreign Minister Fabius Concerned Tehran Won't Drop Ability to Build a Bomb

France’s foreign minister voiced doubts that Western powers will reach a final nuclear deal with Iran, questioning Tehran’s willingness to abandon its ability to build an atomic bomb. Laurent Fabius has propelled France to the forefront of nuclear talks by taking a tough stance on Iran, which insists its nuclear program is for civilian and scientific use only. To reach a lasting agreement, six Western powers are pressing Tehran to adopt measures that unwind its nuclear capabilities to the point that a weapon is no longer within reach. That goal has been partly overshadowed by disagreements over how to implement a preliminary accord that temporarily freezes Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from biting sanctions. "We have to implement honestly the first phase," Mr. Fabius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "Then my main concern is the second phase. It is unclear if the […]

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Israelis Embrace French President for Iran Position

JERUSALEM — President François Hollande’s trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, like all state visits, was planned months ago. But coming days before France and other world powers prepared to resume the nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, the three-day visit that started on Sunday could not have come at a more opportune time for Israel — or for France, according to some Israeli officials. The warm greetings exchanged by the French and Israeli leaders gave an international boost to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has been conducting a campaign against a deal he calls “dangerous” even before the final details have been negotiated. At the same time, a senior Israeli official said, the country’s praise for Mr. Hollande’s tough stance at the nuclear talks “will provide a boost to France and even more motivation for it to stay the course.” For years, France has been […]

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French Leader Assures Israel He Will Keep Pressure on Iran

JERUSALEM — As France and other world powers prepared to resume talks with Iran this week on its disputed nuclear program, the French president, François Hollande, arrived in Israel on Sunday for a three-day visit and was warmly embraced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been conducting a lonely campaign against a deal he calls “bad” and “dangerous.” At a red-carpet welcoming ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Mr. Netanyahu thanked Mr. Hollande for his “resolute stance” on both Syria and Iran, and Mr. Hollande assured Israel that France “will not tolerate nuclear proliferation.” He pledged to keep up the pressure on Iran until it was clear that Iran had given up its quest for nuclear weapons, and declared in Hebrew, “I will always remain a friend of Israel.” Talks in Geneva on Nov. 9 between Iran and six world powers — France, the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia […]

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German Growth Slips as French Economy Contracts

FRANKFURT — The euro zone economy marked time in the third quarter of the year, growing just 0.1 percent from the second quarter, disappointing hopes that the region was finally recovering after five years of recession or very slow growth. The economy of the 17-country currency bloc stagnated as output slowed in Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and declined in France, the second largest, Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union, reported from Luxembourg. On an annualized basis, Europe’s 0.4 percent growth compares poorly with the United States’ annualized 2.8 percent third-quarter growth and the 1.9 percent Japan reported Thursday. China, the world’s fastest growing major economy, expanded at a robust 7.8 percent rate in the third quarter. The overall European Union, made up of 28 countries, grew 0.2 percent from the second quarter, and 1 percent on an annualized basis, Eurostat said. There was some positive news, as […]

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French energy company Total investing in Canadian oil project

PARIS, Nov. 1 (UPI) — French energy company Total said it decided to proceed with an investment in an oil sands project in Canada, that is expected to yield 180,000 barrels per day. Total said it expected to spend more than $13.5 billion in the four years it should take to develop the Fort Hills oil sands mining project in Alberta, approximately 55 miles north of Fort McMurray. “With an expected mine life in excess of 50 years based on current planned production rates, Fort Hills represents more than 3 billion barrels of resources and strengthens Total’s global portfolio by adding geographic diversity and long-plateau production with limited geosciences risk,” Yves-Louis Darricarrere, president of upstream operations for Total, said in a statement. Total has been involved in Canadian operations for 15 years. Last year, it was associated with the production of about 12,000 barrels of oil per day in […]

Posted On : Published By : Tom Whipple