Shale gas has been called a game changer in the US but Europe will have a tough job emulating the US’ success, writes Tim Probert. This article first appeared in the December issue of The Energy Industry Times. There is no question that shale gas has been a ‘game-changer’ in the United States. From virtually … Continue reading
Cuadrilla Resources, Britain’s first shale gas exploration license holder, claims a 500 square miles area around Blackpool, Preston and Southport contains enough methane to meet national gas demand for at least 50 years and create thousands of jobs. Proponents say Cuadrilla’s resource is revolutionary, opponents say shale gas is unnecessary. Who’s right? Tim Probert digs … Continue reading
Swedish power utility Vattenfall has abandoned a planned 500 MW carbon capture and storage (CCS) plant at Jaenschwalde, Germany, expected to cost €1.5 billion, after the German federal government rejected a bill allowing underground carbon storage. The 500 MW CCS demonstration project was to utilize a new 250 MW Oxyfuel boiler and see another 250 MW … Continue reading
The Caprivi Link ensures reliable power transfer capability between the east and west of the Southern African Power Pool. Tim Probert takes a first-hand look at the link, which is ABB’s first HVDC Light installation built with overhead lines and is also the highest rated and longest system of its type currently in operation. This article … Continue reading
The average EU Allowance (EUA) price in the third phase of the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) will be €12/tonne, predicts Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. The most depressed price levels will probably be seen in the 2013-2015 period when the average price of EUAs could drop to as little as €10/tonne before rising … Continue reading
Ever wondered how much it costs to boil the kettle when making your cup of tea? Well, Andrew Moir of bigmouthmedia has been in touch to let you know. Working with price comparison site Confused.com, bigmouthmedia came up with this graphic, comparing each of the Big Six’s prices with those of Europe (as of November 2011) to show the annual … Continue reading
Namibia will tender in January a $1 billion, 800 MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant project as part of a novel gas-to-power project which will be the southern African nation’s largest ever engineering project, according to head of state utility NamPower. The integrated $2 billion gas-to-power Kudu project, equivalent to 15 per cent of … Continue reading
The British Geological Survey (BGS) is working on a new estimate of the amount of shale gas in Lancashire’s Bowland Basin after suggesting Cuadrilla Resources’ figure of 200 trillion cubic feet (tcf) – enough to meet national natural gas demand for 56 years – could be flawed. Head of energy Mike Stephenson said it is … Continue reading
As part of researching a forthcoming Gas Turbine World article about retrofitting CCS for gas-fired power plants, last night I attended a ‘Green in the City’ panel discussion put on by EcoConnect to discuss the future of carbon capture technology. Attendees would be forgiven for thinking carbon capture has no future. There is no shortage … Continue reading
The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change’s (DECC) response towards recent domestic shale gas developments has been notably reserved and avoids the partisan hyperbole of environmentalists and oil & gas industry players alike. Why? Isn’t shale gas the best thing since sliced bread? In case you hadn’t heard, Cuadrilla Resources, a joint venture between Australian … Continue reading