German coal-biased utility RWE on Tuesday warned of a quick exit from coal power to further reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which the Green Party is demanding in talks to Continue Reading
A stormy weekend led to free electricity in Germany as wind generation reached a record, forcing power producers to pay customers the most since Christmas 2012 to use electricity. Power Continue Reading
The German carmaker last month put out a tender seeking a five-year supply of the strategic metal at a fixed price. But people familiar with the deal said the offer Continue Reading
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder faced further criticism at home after he was elected as chairman of Russia’s biggest oil producer Rosneft on Friday. Schroeder, a Social Democrat who led Continue Reading
With the start of construction of a new wind farm off the coast of Germany, officials said the nation’s economy was supported through low-carbon efforts. German energy company E.ON, with Continue Reading
Germany’s Volkswagen ( VOWG_p.DE ) is moving to secure long-term supplies of cobalt, a vital component of rechargeable batteries, as the group accelerates its ambitious shift to electric cars. Cobalt Continue Reading
German energy company E.ON said Thursday it laid the first of the 60 foundations for a wind farm development in national waters of the Baltic Sea. The German company said Continue Reading
Siemens has been commissioned by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead contact line for electrified freight transport on a ten-kilometer stretch of autobahn. The line will supply Continue Reading
German energy company Wintershall, a European partner with Russia’s Gazprom, said the European energy sector can’t be used for “geopolitical football .” President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a bill Continue Reading
Germany’s wind and solar portfolio now stands at 95 GW after 3.8 GW of new capacity was brought online in the first six months of 2017, an S&P Global Platts Continue Reading
Germany should soon start phasing out petrol and diesel, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) said as Britain announced it would ban the sale of new petrol Continue Reading
German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her closing speech at the recent Group of 20 summit to chide President Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord. Yet the Continue Reading
New pipeline would cut costs of shipping gas to western Europe Hearing on local objections scheduled for later this month Hidden by pine forests near the deserted site of what Continue Reading
Technology for wind energy could use fixed-wing or sails for power in a way that would make deployment easier for deep waters, a German company said. German energy company E.ON Continue Reading
Eon, the German utility, recorded a net loss of €16bn for 2016 — the largest in his history — and unveiled ambitious measures to reduce debt by €7bn through asset sales and Continue Reading
Volkswagen took a big step toward resolving its legal problems in the United States when it pleaded guilty on Friday to its vast emissions deception. But in Europe, its troubles Continue Reading
BASF SE is exploring options for tapping Iran’s recently opened energy market, making it the latest in a long line of German firms looking to expand into the Islamic Republic. Continue Reading
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday of the risk of Ukraine siphoning off Russian gas destined for Europe, the Kremlin said. In a statement, it Continue Reading
Tesla announced an expansion into Europe on Tuesday, acquiring one company and revealing plans to open one or two “gigafactories” in the coming years. The all-electric car company is buying Continue Reading
The council also wants the European Commission to review its taxation policies and their effect on the “stimulation of emission-free mobility.” Just what that means isn’t clear. It could involve Continue Reading
Volkswagen’s ( VOWG_p.DE ) CEO has rejected calls for the carmaker to compensate customers in Europe over the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions scandal along the lines of its $15 billion deal in Continue Reading
Volkswagen AG’s ( VOWG_p.DE ) diesel emissions settlement with U.S. regulators is valued at nearly $10.3 billion, a source briefed on the agreement said on Thursday. The settlement includes offers Continue Reading
Electric Car In an effort to make good on a pledge to cut its carbon output anywhere from 80 percent to 95 percent by 2050, Germany is mandating that new Continue Reading
When Martin Winterkorn dropped by to order some new glasses in the Volkswagen company town of Wolfsburg, he was “visibly dejected”, according to his optician. But the visit wasn’t last Continue Reading
Almost 300 institutional investors in Volkswagen have filed a multi-billion euro suit against the carmaker for what they see as breaches of its capital markets duty in the emissions scandal, Continue Reading
The suggestion was startling: Maybe VW should give up on selling cars to America’s masses. It was late January, at the Detroit auto show, and Herbert Diess, the global chief Continue Reading
Siemens AG said on Wednesday it would cut about 2,500 jobs at its Process Industries and Drives division, most of them in Germany, in response to intense competition in the Continue Reading
Iran said Monday it expected to renew an energy relationship with German company Siemens, which was suspected of Internet sabotage in 2010. Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser met in Tehran Continue Reading
The charging plug of an electric Volkswagen Passat car is pictured at charging station at a VW dealer in Berlin, Germany, February 2, 2016. U.S. authorities have asked the German Continue Reading
China’s Beijing Enterprises Holdings Ltd. has emerged as the front-runner to acquire a German operator of waste-burning power plants from private-equity firm EQT for around €1.8 billion ($2 billion), according Continue Reading
Angela Merkel prepares to press the button to generate the machine’s first burst of hydrogen plasma. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government is committed to funding nuclear-fusion research as Continue Reading
German Chancellor Angela Merkel found herself under pressure on Friday from other Europe Union leaders over her government’s support for a natural-gas pipeline from Russia that others fear could further Continue Reading
Water levels on the Rhine are likely to rise to above one meter in some places later this week, temporarily easing navigation and enabling oil product importers in Germany and Switzerland to restock, traders said Wednesday. Rhine levels have been low since July, hampering the normal circulation of barges laden with oil products on the river and forcing operators to load less volume than usual by as much as several thousand mt. "We’re expecting big improvements on the Rhine. There’s a lot of rainfall expected this week and over the weekend," one trader said. "We should see Rhine levels back up to around one meter in some parts, which means you can start loading around 1,200 mt on a barge again." Water levels at Kaub — a key transit hub along the middle Rhine — will reach one meter by 7:00 local time on Saturday, up from just 57 […]
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, based on Thomson Reuters Low water levels on the Rhine River have resulted in transportation disruptions for shipments of petroleum products by barge, which in turn have resulted in record supply disruptions in markets upriver, such as Switzerland and southern Germany, and high stock levels downriver, in the Netherlands and northwestern Germany. The Rhine River, which runs northwest from the Swiss Alps through Switzerland, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, where it flows into the North Sea, is a major petroleum product transportation corridor. The navigable portions of the river connect the major refinery and petroleum trading centers of Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands and Antwerp in Belgium, collectively known as the ARA, to inland markets. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Tanker barges carry petroleum products from the ARA upriver to inland bulk distribution terminals that provide petroleum products to nearby areas. Water levels […]
German company BASF says Russia will retain a strong role in the European energy market. File Photo by UPI/Shutterstock/Kodda ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 13 (UPI) — Russia will remain a key oil and natural gas supplier through its strong connections to the European market, the chairman of Germany’s BASF said. "Our cooperation makes outstanding contribution towards securing energy supplies to Europe," BASF Chairman Kurt Bock said in a statement. BASF subsidiary Wintershall is a partner to Russian energy company Gazprom in the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline running through the Baltic Sea to the German coast and sending Russian natural gas into the European market. Gazprom in early September signed a shareholder agreement on the development of the second phase of the twin Nord Stream pipeline system in the Baltic Sea with German energy companies BASF and E.ON, French company ENGIE, Austria’s OMV and Royal Dutch Shell. Under the […]
German industrial output fell in August at its fastest pace in a year, data from the Economy Ministry showed on Wednesday, suggesting Europe’s largest economy may have lost momentum in the third quarter. Factories produced 1.2 percent fewer goods than in the previous month, the ministry said, blaming some of the weakness on the large number of summer holiday days in the month. It was the strongest fall since August 2014 and missed the Reuters consensus forecast for a rise of 0.2 percent. The output drop followed a sharp decline in August industrial orders data on Tuesday. On a positive note, the July figure was revised up to a 1.2 percent increase from a previously reported rise of 0.7 percent. "German industry is still struggling to gain momentum. Yesterday’s drop in new orders already signaled a note of caution," said ING economist Carsten Brzeski. "Today’s weak industrial production data […]
LONDON–The recent scandal involving Volkswagen VLKAY 4.56 % ’s diesel engine testing could increase crude oil demand due to higher gasoline consumption, according to Adam Sieminski, administrator for the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Mr. Sieminski reasoned that if more light automobiles switched from diesel, crude demand would grow due to more oil being needed to process gasoline. Gasoline demand is rising especially in U.S. and emerging markets where consumption is growing due to continued low oil prices. EIA data suggests that gasoline consumption in the U.S. increased by 3% during the first half of 2015, compared with the corresponding period of 2014. Gasoline is expected to grow by 210,000 barrels a day in 2015, a rise of 2.3%. Gasoline consumption rose by 80,000 b/d in 2014. China is driving growth from the emerging markets, with consumption hitting 2.7 million b/d in August, a year-on-year rise of 17%. “When oil […]
Photo A Volkswagen factory building in Wolfsburg, Germany. The company installed software in 11 million diesel vehicles to provide false information about emissions. Credit Michael Sohn/Associated Press BRUSSELS — European legislators got a jolt this month in their long-running effort to update auto-emissions standards when a German member of the European Parliament suddenly proposed exempting a whole class of vehicles. “This was a huge loophole, and everyone was asking: Where does this idea come from?” recalled Bas Eickhout, a member of the Dutch Green party who sits on the committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety. It did not take long to discover the origin of the contentious proposal: Volkswagen Group. What had seemed a proposal by a legislator was in reality the work of the German carmaker. This was just one particularly brazen example of how European automobile manufacturers have for years sought to thwart or […]
He has promised investors and customers a thorough investigation into the emissions cheating scandal that has rocked Europe’s biggest car maker. And in a letter to employees, which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Müller closed ranks with labor representatives, vowing to ensure that such misconduct “never happens again.” “We will be relentless in getting to the bottom of this—fast, open and as decisively as possible,” Mr. Müller and Bernd Osterloh, head of VW’s powerful works council, said in the letter, which is to be sent to employees on Monday. The letter echoes comments Mr. Müller made during his first public appearance after being named CEO of the group on Friday. By sending it together with Mr. Osterloh, the new VW chief is demonstrating his willingness to work closely with labor, a key reason why he was chosen for the job. On Friday, Mr. Müller acknowledged the […]
A lone bird sits atop of the Volkswagen power plant in Wolfsburg September 22, 2015. Some of Europe’s struggling refineries could get an unexpected boost from Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal if once-dominant gasoline regains its popularity. Europe’s refineries, many of which were built in the 1950s to support booming petrol demand, have been hit over the past 20 years by shrinking fuel demand and government incentives that skewed car sales toward diesel engines, which were seen as more efficient and emitted less carbon dioxide. The rise of the diesel car, which accounted for 50 percent of car sales last year, has forced Europe to rely on diesel imports while its refineries struggled to find overseas markets for excess gasoline, which has put heavy pressure on profits and prompted a wave of plant closures in recent years. Volkswagen’s diesel emissions rigging scandal in the United States could reverse the fortunes […]
Photo The Volkswagen plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. The emissions cheating scandal at Volkswagen has initiated a reconsideration of how pollution tests are carried out worldwide. Credit Alexander Koerner/Getty Images In the United States, automakers conduct their own emissions tests and submit the results to the government. In Europe, automakers pick who conducts the tests and where they are done. And these two regulatory systems are considered the world’s gold standards. Questions about the wisdom of allowing automakers so much sway in how air pollution standards are enforced grew on Wednesday after the resignation of Volkswagen’s chief executive , following the company’s diesel emissions cheating scandal . Regulators in several European countries have opened investigations, attorneys general in the United States have joined federal inquiries, and there has been broader criticism of Volkswagen , and diesels, in markets from South Korea to Brazil. Volkswagen has admitted installing software in 11 […]
BERLIN–Investigations into Volkswagen AG’s alleged manipulation of U.S. emissions tests should widen to include the entire auto industry, German and French officials said Tuesday, as regulators begin to ponder whether such trickery is more widespread. Concerns that the scandal could lead to broader damage for the industry hit the shares of car companies across Europe on Tuesday, with Volkswagen’s stock down another 5% after dropping as much as 20% on Monday. The state of Lower Saxony, a major Volkswagen shareholder with 20% of the car maker’s voting stock, said the emissions allegations raised doubts about tailpipe data published by all car makers. The French government also called for a broader probe, suggesting a European-wide examination of the auto industry. "We need to do it at the European level," French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said Tuesday. In Germany, Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony’s economy minister and a member of the Volkswagen’s […]
Photo Volkswagen said it would halt sales in the United States of 2015 and 2016 Volkswagen and Audi models equipped with 4-cylinder turbo diesel engines. Credit Friso Gentsch/European Pressphoto Agency FRANKFURT — For more than a year, Volkswagen executives told the Environmental Protection Agency that discrepancies between the formal air-quality tests on its diesel cars and the much higher pollution levels out on the road were the result of technical issues, not a deliberate attempt to deceive Washington officials. But early this month, Volkswagen executives finally made a startling admission: The diesels it sold in the United States used software deliberately designed to cheat on the tests. The company was evidently concerned that actually meeting the federal emissions standards would degrade the power of the diesels, which it marketed as comparable in performance to gasoline engines. Meeting the standard would also undercut the fuel efficiency that is one of […]
Photo Martin Winterkorn, the chief executive of Volkswagen, speaking before the start of the International Motor Show in Frankfurt. Credit Odd Andersen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images FRANKFURT — The chief executive of Volkswagen apologized on Sunday for what he said was a breach of trust that resulted in the company’s being accused by the United States authorities of illegally installing software in its diesel-power cars to evade standards for reducing smog. “I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public,” Martin Winterkorn, the chief executive of the German automaker, said in a statement . The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly half a million vehicles, and the company could face billions of dollars in fines. Mr. Winterkorn said the company would “cooperate fully” with the authorities and order its own independent investigation into the accusations. In his statement, […]
Berlin has said it expects to receive a record 800,000 asylum seekers this year, more than the entire EU combined in 2014, laying bare the scale of the biggest refugee Continue Reading
Photo Solar panels are commonplace now in Grafenrheinfeld, where a nuclear plant was shut last month. Germany aims to close all such plants by 2022. Credit Gordon Welters for The New York Times GRAFENRHEINFELD, Germany — In one of this country’s most popular novels for young readers, the nuclear reactor on the edge of this Bavarian town melts down, spewing a radioactive cloud that threatens all of Germany and robs a 14-year-old girl of her family and her hope for the future. Last month, that nuclear power plant in Grafenrheinfeld , responsible for meeting the energy needs of industry-heavy Bavaria since 1981, came to a less dramatic but equally symbolic end. The plant became the first active reactor to be decommissioned since 2011, following Chancellor Angela Merkel ’s about-face on nuclear power after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant catastrophe in Japan. Taking Grafenrheinfeld offline is a milestone in Germany’s […]
Chart: German Wind Power Peaks Germany’s drive to harness wind and solar power is producing so much electricity that it’s spilling over into neighbors’ grids and increasing the threat of blackouts. Poland and the Czech Republic are spending $180 million on equipment to protect their systems from German power surges, while Austria is curbing some trading to prevent regional networks from collapsing. On a windy day, the overflow east can exceed the output from four atomic reactors. Germany’s fivefold increase in green energy in the past decade has outpaced investment in power lines to move it across the country. Electricity is looping through Poland and the Czech Republic to reach southern Germany, where supply is constrained as Chancellor Angela Merkel shuts nuclear plants after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. The disruptions show the limits to the European Commission’s vision of a single power market. “A huge accumulation of […]
Germany stood firm against debt relief for Greece the day after the country’s voters issued a resounding “no” to more austerity, signaling a tough fight ahead on one of the few opportunities for compromise on any potential bailout for Athens. About 61% of Greek voters cast their referendum ballots on Sunday in support of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s stance against the pension cuts and tax increases that Greece’s creditors—the rest of the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund— say are necessary to get Greece’s economy going again. That leaves cutting debt as a possible make-or-break element of any deal to keep Europe’s currency union intact. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande, whose country has emerged as one of the few friendly voices for Greece in the eurozone, made no mention of the debt issue at a joint news conference in Paris. But opposing comments from their […]
AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau BERLIN (AP) — Europe’s heat wave has pushed the mercury to its highest level in Germany since measurements began in 1881. The country’s national weather service says an automated measurement station recorded a temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.54 Fahrenheit) in Kitzingen, northern Bavaria, on Sunday afternoon. Weather service spokesman Uwe Kirsche said Monday that the record won’t be official until technicians have manually checked the station. But he says "we assume that our equipment worked properly." The previous record of 40.2 Celsius was measured in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe in 2003. Storms across parts of Germany on Sunday night brought temperatures back down.
Germany’s nuclear phase-out plan is entering its final stage with the first of the country’s nine remaining modern reactors shutting down for good this Saturday. Plant operator E.ON decided to close the 1.3 GW Grafenrheinfeld nuclear power plant half a year ahead of its final decommissioning date, set by the government in the weeks after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, because it is not profitable to run. Last year, E.ON decided to retire the 33-year-old reactor in the southern state of Bavaria earlier than required because operation of nuclear power stations in Germany only makes economic sense if they can run for a sufficient length of time without the burden of the nuclear-fuel tax, it said. The brevity of Grafenrheinfeld’s remaining operating lifetime after a required annual refueling stop this June made an early shutdown unavoidable in the interests of E.ON’s shareholders, it said last year. […]
