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UK ‘Off Track’ For 2020 Renewables Target
31 July 2013 Official energy statistics published today by the UK government report that the UK has missed its indicative renewable energy target for 2011-12. As a result the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) will have to submit an amended national renewable energy action plan to the European Commission by 30th June 2014, setting out measures to get the country back ‘on track’. The means that the UK is the only Member State which has failed to meet both 2011 and 2013 indicative targets and which is expected not to reach its 2020 target. “This is a near miss. Had government interfered less with its existing policies for biomass power, stuck to its timetable on the Renewable Heat Incentive, or laid out a clear framework for biofuels, then it would almost certainly have met its indicative target,” commented Renewable Energy Association (REA) chief executive Gaynor Hartnell. The 2011-12 UK figure shows that 3.94% of energy comes from renewables, 0.1% short of the indicative target of 4.04%. Meanwhile, the majority of the EU-27 had already met their 2011-12 indicative targets by the end of 2011. According to the latest EUROSTAT data, the UK remains 25th out of the 27 EU Member States on the share of renewables in its heating system, power supply and transport fuels. The UK’s 2020 target is one of the lowest across the EU-27 (15%), and requires one of the highest annual growth rates (16.5% year-on-year to 2020). The REA is the UK partner for the EU-wide ‘ Keep on Track! ’ project, which assesses Member States’ progress towards their 2020 targets. The first ‘Keep on Track’ Tracking Roadmap report was published last month and revealed that the UK had missed its indicative 2011 NREAP target. The REA estimates that if the renewables industry expands sufficiently to meet the UK’s 2020 target, it will sustain 400,000 jobs across the supply chain. Continue reading
Erste:Agriculture To Boost Romania’s Economic Growth
Friday, July 5, 2013 Austrian banking group Erste estimates indicate that agriculture could occupy the position of locomotive in 2013 for Romania’s economy. In case of a good harvest, experts estimate that Romania will register a higher advance from the initial forecast, Erste counting this year on an economic growth of 2.2 percent. The analysis shows that the estimate for Romania this year is 1.8 percent, but with a potential of speeding up to 2.2 percent, ‘in case of a good agricultural harvest, which seems likely, according to the director of capital markets research for CEE of Erste Group, Henning Esskuchen. The following year, the Romanian economy could grow by 2.3 percent. The international financial institutions, the European Commission, the IMF, and the Government have economic growth expectations for this year slightly more pessimistic than Erste forecast. The European Commission anticipates that Romania’s economy will grow by 1.6 percent this year, in line with IMF and Government estimates, and by 2.2 percent next year. IMF forecasts a growth of 2 percent for 2014. The World Bank expects an economic advance of 1.7 percent this year and 2.2 percent next year, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is the most pessimistic, considering an advance of GDP of 1.4 percent this year and 2.2 percent next year. Romania has successfully completed two successive stand-by agreements with the IMF and the European Commission, conditional on austerity measures and reforms. The austerity measures have included layoffs and a 25 percent reduction in public sector wages, as well as a VAT increase. Public employees wages were subsequently recovered in two stages. The European Commissiona ceased in June the excessive deficit procedure for Romania, Hungary and other three countries, after assessing that the governments have lowered the budget deficit below the limit of 3 percent, and the Commission appreciated a downward trend in the coming years. Continue reading
Alaska Airlines To Buy Sustainable Biojet From Hawaii BioEnergy
By Alaska Airlines | July 29, 2013 Photo: Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines and Hawai`i BioEnergy LLC announced they have signed an agreement for the carrier to purchase sustainable biofuel for its aircraft. Founded in 2006, Hawai`i BioEnergy is a consortium of three of Hawaii’s largest landowners and three venture capital companies who plan to use locally grown feedstocks to produce biofuels. Alaska Airlines is Hawai`i BioEnergy’s second customer, and the first airline to sign a contract. Hawaiian Electric Co. previously announced it had agreed to purchase 10 million gallons of fuel a year from Hawai`i BioEnergy for power generation to the state, pending approval by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission. Hawai`i BioEnergy will ramp up production of the sustainable fuels within five years of regulatory approval, allowing Alaska Airlines to begin procuring sustainable jet fuel for its Hawaii flights possibly as soon as fall 2018. “We are pleased to be partnering with Hawai`i BioEnergy to encourage the production and commercial distribution of sustainable fuels,” said Keith Loveless, Alaska Air Group’s executive vice president and general counsel. “Beyond the environmental advantages, it improves the fuel supply integrity in the state of Hawaii, which will allow for the further growth of our airline operations throughout the Islands.” “Alaska Airlines shares our goals of environmental responsibility and our commitment to sustainable, local energy production,” said Joel Matsunaga, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hawai`i BioEnergy. “The development and commercialization of local, renewable energy is of critical importance to Hawaii, given the state imports 95 percent of its energy needs. Use of locally grown feedstocks for biofuel production will improve Hawaii’s energy sustainability and security while creating jobs in our communities.” The feedstock for the biofuel is anticipated to be woody biomass-based and will be consistent with the sustainability criteria established by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biofuels, an international multistakeholder initiative concerned with ensuring the sustainability of biomass production and processing. Alaska Airlines has reduced its carbon footprint intensity by 30 percent (measured by revenue passenger miles) since 2004. In 2011, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air were the first domestic airlines to fly multiple passenger flights powered by a biofuel blend. Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group, together with its partner regional airlines, serves 95 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines has ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Network Carriers” in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Airline Satisfaction StudySM for six consecutive years from 2008 to 2013. Hawai`i BioEnergy LLC is a consortium established by three of Hawaii’s largest landowners: Kamehameha Schools, Grove Farm Company Inc., and Maui Land & Pineapple Inc., along with venture capital partnerships including Vinod Khosla, Ulupono Initiative and Finistere Ventures. HBE’s mission is to contribute to a sustainable energy future for the state of Hawai`i through the production of biobased liquid fuels, power and other valuable coproducts from locally grown feedstocks. Continue reading
