This area focuses on the economic and geopolitic transformation of the electricity sector, at French, European and global levels. A specific attention is devoted to the future of the nuclear industry and the strong development of renewable energy sources.
In most of the pathways that limit global warming to 1.5°C, capture of CO2 from fossil-fuel or biomass-based installations and its long-term geological storage (carbon capture and storage - CCS and bio-energy with carbon capture and storage - BECCS) plays a crucial role.
According to a 2008 estimate, the Arctic hosts approximately 412 billion barrels of oil equivalent of conventional oil and gas resources. And since then, following the so-called shale revolution and technology improvements, numbers have gone even higher.
Interest in deep seabed mining is growing due to the increasing in global demand for metals and recent technological progress. Critical metals are used in low carbon energy technologies, as well as in the mobility, electronics and the defense industries. Metals become strategic when they are...
When it comes to energy and electricity in particular, there can be no winner in the Brexit negotiations. The only reasonable objective should be to minimise losses and avoid trade friction.
Coal in the power sector is the principal focus of climate-related policies due to its high carbon intensity, making CO2 emissions from coal a leading contributor to climate change.
The European Union is about to adopt new renewable energy targets for 2030. While going beyond the initially-planned 27% is absolutely feasible, the EU strategy can only be credible if it is based on a good mix between performance and effort obligations, and also includes possible review...
As 2017 drew to close, China officially approved plans for its long-awaited national Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) outlined some of the implementation details[1]. Though it will be limited...
Shortly after his inauguration in May 2017, the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, announced a major policy shift away from nuclear and coal power, and toward renewables and gas. This would have meant a complete U-turn from previous policies, considering that nuclear and coal produced 40%...
With the launch of its “battery alliance”, the European Union is finally taking up the industrial battle with Asia and hopes to meet a large share of the surging demand for electrical batteries. Yet, the clock is ticking and the future of battery manufacturing in Europe depends primarily on...
The electricity system in North-West continental Europe is highly-interconnected and political decisions to adjust the national generation mixes have direct implications on neighboring countries.
The 4x4 Directors Forum is an annual meeting gathering the directors of four European and four African Think Tanks to discuss current challenges that both continents are facing. The purpose is to identify common positions and asymmetries, and address possible areas of cooperation in order to...
Despite its marginal contribution to the historical growth in greenhouse gas emissions, the African continent could be one of the most vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change.
After years of debates around the structural failures of the EU electricity markets, time has come to agree on potential remedies. With the adoption of the Clean Energy Package, a new legislative framework will govern electricity exchanges for the next decade. In parallel, the EU is about to...
Mediterranean countries have to embrace the challenge of balancing the energy needs of their growing populations and economies, with energy security considerations and environmental sustainability commitments, in line with the recent Paris Agreement on climate.
Despite the EU’s long-standing commitment to climate action, its energy-related GHG emissions have picked up again in 2017. Renewables keep making inroads in the EU electricity mix but delays in reducing coal-fired generation are undermining the EU’s overall climate policy.
The European Union (EU) is speeding up the deployment of electric vehicles and integrating large shares of intermittent renewables into its electricity grids. In doing so, the EU hopes to tackle climate change and air pollution concerns, but it cannot neglect the geo-economic shifts that a...
With the ETS reform about to be finally adopted and the Clean Energy Package now submitted to parliamentary debate, 2017 is set to be a critical year for the future of the EU electricity system. The goal is clear and widely accepted; accelerating investments in decarbonised...
The energy sector experiences an unprecedented digital transformation upsetting its activities and business models. The convergence of the global industrial system with the power of advanced computing and analytics reveals untapped opportunities at every step of the energy...
The United Kingdom faces numerous long term energy challenges, in a context of declining gas reserves, aging thermal power plants and increasing intermittent sources of power. To sustain its energy transition, the UK implemented a carbon price-floor, yet the development of renewable energy...
Belgium is slowly phasing out its aging nuclear energy infrastructure. But looming winter weather, limited renewable options and a poorly connected electricity network have left the country at risk of blackouts.
Shared projects, shared tenders and joint R&D projects could see low-cost offshore windfarms and interconnectors criss-crossing the North Sea.
Vincent Thouvenin, Director for European Affairs of RTE, explains the role and challenges faced by transmission system operators in the energy transition at the 2030 horizon, and how the Clean Energy Package will accompany the transformation of our electricity systems.
Deputy Director, Ministère de la transition écologique et solidaire, describes the main challenges for the French energy system at the 2030 horizon and highlights the need to find the right balance between EU harmonization and national measures to achieve energy transition at the lowest cost.<...>
Laurent Schmitt, Secretary General, ENTSO-E, explains how to improve cooperation between transmission system operators and strengthen security of electricity supply, and how the Clean Energy Package will enhance the design of electricity market as a continuation of the network codes.
Florian Ermacora, Head of the Internal Energy Market Unit in DG Energy, explains how the Clean Energy Package will improve the functioning of the internal electricity market, and how the new market design will help integrating larger shares of renewables.
