Bloomberg South Africa is experiencing an unprecedented level of power blackouts. Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. cut 7,045 megawatts from the grid — a move to prevent a total shutdown of the national grid — spokesman Sikonathi Mantshantsha said in a Tweet. He confirmed that the intensity of power cuts increased to the so-called Stage 7 of loadshedding, as the ...
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European gas reaches tipping point to price out coal in power
Bloomberg European gas prices rose amid expectations of higher demand from power producers, after a recent slump improved the profitability of the fuel compared to coal. Benchmark futures have been fluctuating near €50 over the last few days after plunging about 35% since the start of the year. Together with surging carbon prices, that could rein in an increased reliance ...
Read More »Eni reports record annual profit
Bloomberg Eni SpA posted a record annual profit due to high oil and gas prices, despite its fourth quarter missing estimates. The Italian energy giant followed its peers with stellar earnings for 2022, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent the value of key commodities soaring. Eni’s fourth-quarter adjusted net income was €2.5 billion ($2.6 billion), missing the average analyst ...
Read More »Solar industry faces whiplash from volatile material prices
Bloomberg Even as solar power grows into one of the world’s largest sources of new energy, the industry behind it is facing unprecedented volatility as a battle for profits intensifies. The roller-coaster ride is best seen through the lens of polysilicon, the key material in solar panels. Prices fell more than 40% over the course of a few weeks ...
Read More »Oil extends longest run of losses this year ahead of Fed minutes
Bloomberg Oil extended its longest run of losses this year ahead of the release of Federal Reserve minutes that may provide further clues on the path forward for monetary tightening in the US. West Texas Intermediate traded near $76 a barrel after declining for a fifth session. The prospect of more aggressive interest-rate hikes from the Fed to quell ...
Read More »Eskom’s $13.9bn debt plan opens up power provision
Bloomberg South Africa’s stricken power utility will receive $13.9 billion in debt relief from the government over the next three years, provided it brings in private partners to help operate its plants and electricity transmission network. The package will strengthen the Eskom Holdings’s balance sheet and cover all interest payments over the next three years, budget documents presented by Finance ...
Read More »Cost to keep UK’s lights on keeps growing
Bloomberg A Czech energy company led by billionaire Daniel Kretinsky was the big winner in a UK auction to secure power capacity, procuring a 15-year government subsidy to build a gas-fired plant. EP UK Investments Ltd.’s planned units at Eggborough, Yorkshire, were awarded provisional contracts along with a grid-scale battery at the site. That will help secure about $1.8 billion ...
Read More »Uniper says it will overcome Russian gas issues by 2024
Bloomberg Germany utility Uniper SE said it will overcome the problems generated by Russian gas cuts by 2024 at the latest. The company — which was rescued by the German government last year after the energy crisis put it on the brink of collapse — said it may continue to face high gas replacement costs in the next years, ...
Read More »Fossil-fuel subsidies hit record $1tr in 2022: IEA
Bloomberg Even as global governments raise their ambitions to cut fossil fuels in the future, they spent a record $1 trillion last year subsidising energy sources that are the main driver of climate change. That’s the finding from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which estimates that the combined subsidies for oil, natural gas, electricity and coal hit an all-time high ...
Read More »India’s Gail explores buying stake in US LNG export plant
Bloomberg Gail India Ltd. is looking to buy a stake in a US liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility amid a wider global effort to secure supply to meet rising fuel demand. The company released an expression of interest to acquire as much as 26% equity in an existing LNG plant or a proposed facility that will be commissioned ...
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