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  Bloomberg Electricity prices surged to a fresh record as France scrambled to keep its lights on, sucking up supplies from the rest of Europe. France, usually an exporter of power, is boosting electricity imports and even burning fuel oil. The crunch comes after Electricite de France SA said it would halt four reactors accounting for 10% of the nation’s …

  Bloomberg Europe is bracing for energy shortages as freezing weather sets in, boosting demand and sending prices surging at a time when supply just can’t keep up. Temperatures are forecast to fall below zero degrees Celsius in several European capitals, straining electricity grids already coping with low wind speeds and severe nuclear outages in France. To make matters worse, …

  Bloomberg Swedish battery startup Northvolt AB and energy firm Galp Energia SGPS SA plan to develop a lithium-conversion plant in Portugal to supply the region’s growing electric-vehicle industry. The companies said they’ll set up a joint venture with the goal to build a facility with an annual production capacity of 35,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide — enough to …

  Bloomberg British homeowners have enjoyed a $4 trillion untaxed wealth windfall from rising property values over the last 20 years that is unlikely to be repeated, with the bulk of riches going to the well-off, the over 60s and those living in London. In a report calling for gains to be taxed, the Resolution Foundation said the surge in …

  Bloomberg Chinese companies spent 10 years aggressively maneuvering to become the dominant players in solar power. Now they’re seeking to lead the way in developing the next big thing in clean energy: hydrogen. Top solar manufacturers including Longi Green Energy Technology Co are ramping up the production of electrolyzers, the equipment needed to make green hydrogen, the cleanest form …

Bloomberg One of the few funds to predict Beijing’s clampdown on education companies is doubling down on its bets on China’s solar companies. Ken Xu, Hong Kong-based chief investment officer at Strategic Vision Investment Ltd, withdrew from tutoring stocks in March after noting that state-backed media outlets and policy makers were echoing angst among parents about the societal impact of …

Bloomberg European Union (EU) legislators are looking to tighten the region’s planned green bond standards and make it harder for issuers of environmentally-friendly debt to overstate their promises to investors. Sellers of European green bonds and sustainability-linked bonds should develop a transition plan indicating how they will adhere to a 1.5°C global warming scenario and reach climate neutrality by 2050, …

Bloomberg Activist hedge fund Bluebell Capital Partners has asked Glencore Plc to separate its thermal coal business because it has become a barrier to investment. The hedge fund firm said that the commodities giant could realise more value for shareholders if it separates that business, simplifies its asset base, disposes of non-core asset Viterra, and tackles governance issues. Bluebell’s partners …

Bloomberg BP Plc plans to build a green hydrogen facility in northeast England that could start producing the gas by 2025, part of a massive project to help the oil major transition towards cleaner sources of energy. The HyGreen Teesside proposal follows one made earlier this year to develop a blue hydrogen facility in the same location. That would produce …

Bloomberg The UK’s booming property market is headed for a slowdown as a squeeze on living standards and rising interest rates sap demand, according to Nationwide Building Society. The average price of a home rises 0.7% in October, the mortgage lender said, even after the ending of a temporary tax cut imposed by the government last year. Economists had expected …