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Local Content and Sustainable Development in Norway - New publication and Webinar recordings

The chapter reviews the use of local content requirements (LCRs) in the Norwegian oil and gas legislation . Looking at the evolution of the regulation of LCRs over time and structured around two main phases , it identifies some best practice in terms of sustainability. In the primary phase of the development of the Norwegian petroleum sector (1970s to mid-1990s), the national legislation included explicit LCRs. The chapter provides a categorisation of the different forms of LCRs practised at that time under Norwegian law. In the second phase, the use of LCRs has been constrained by the obligations deriving from the entry into force of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement in 1994 (including the Licensing Directive 94/22/EC and internal market rules), and the application of the relevant WTO Agreements after Norway joined the WTO in 1995 (TRIMs agreement, GATS). Norway has also entered into a series of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) which can restrain the country’s ability to...
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New book publication: "The Regulation of Decommissioning, Abandonment and Reuse Initiatives in the Oil and Gas Industry: From Obligation to Opportunities"

This new edited volume by A. Wawryk, H. Trischmann, C. Banet, E. Pereira and K. Hall has just been published: " The Regulation of Decommissining, Abandament and Reuse Initiatives in the Oil and Gas Industry: From Obligation to Opportunities " (Wolters Kluwer, August 2020) Overview The book gives a comprehensive description and critique of the key issues that must be addressed by nations, and of the current international, regional, and national law and policy in this field. With thousands of offshore oil and gas platforms in place across the globe, the decommissioning of these ageing installations is becoming of increasing concern to regulators, industry and other stakeholders in the marine environment. This book elucidates current initiatives aimed at maximising reuse and repurposing opportunities, such as wind power, hydrogen, carbon capture, and storage by analysing the relevant law and practices of selected oil- and gas-producing nations. Capitalising on the good decommiss...
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New publication: Electricity Network Tariffs Regulation and Distributive Energy Justice (book chapter)

In the years to come, electricity consumers will face increased grid costs associated with their consumption due to the need for investments in grid infrastructures. Both aging infrastructures and new production/consumption patterns relying increasingly on distributed and alternative sources will require economic investments by grid operators, which, in fine, will transfer the costs to final customers.  The existing models of remuneration for operators and of costs allocation for consumers need to be updated. A reflection has started in several jurisdictions to address the need for revising grid tariff structure(s) in order to ensure a ‘fair’ share of costs between distribution system operators and electricity consumers, as well as to develop the right incentives through tariff regulation . This book chapter reviews theory and practice of grid tariff regulatory reforms in the context of the current energy transition. It discusses how distributive energy justice can be better inte...
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European Commission approves Dutch state aid in favour of early closure of coal fired power plant

On 12 May 2020, the European Commission has announced having approved the financial compensation envisaged by the government of the Netherlands in favour of the early closure of the Hemweg coal fired power plant . The compensation of EUR52.5 million has been deemed to be in line with the EU state aid rules , as the closure will contribute to reducing CO 2 emissions and there will not be undue distortion of competition in the EU single market, according to the Commission.  The full non-confidential version of the Commission decision is not yet available, by the related press release (IP/20/863) gives some interesting elements of the reasoning of the Commission. 
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EU Climate Law: the proposal for a regulation is out

The European Commission has adopted today, 4 March 2020, a proposal for a regulation establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality , also called European Climate Law . The proposal for a Regulation is available at the following address: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/commission-proposal-regulation-european-climate-law-march-2020_en.pdf A short commentary will soon be available.
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Podcast Interview for Montel Weekly on the EU Green Deal and EU Climate Law

The topic of this weekly podcast by Montel News is "On the road to climate neutrality" . I answered some questions on what is on the EU climate and energy agenda. Listen to the full podcast here: http://podcast.montelnews.com/257968/2859160-on-the-road-to-climate-neutrality Summary Ahead of the EC publication of its Climate Law next week, this week’s pod discusses the implications for Europe’s energy sector. Listen to a discussion on carbon border taxes, sector coupling, ETS reform and decarbonising gas. Host:  Richard Sverrisson, Editor-in-Chief Europe, Montel.  Guest:  Catherine Banet, Associate Professor in Energy Law, University of Oslo.  Produced by Anna Siwecka.
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New Publication: European Energy Law Report XIII M.M. Roggenkamp and C. Banet (eds.) (Intersentia, 2020)

The XIIIth edition of the European Energy Law Report , edited by Martha M. Roggenkamp and Catherine Banet, has been published in January 2020 by Intersentia. The European Energy Law Reports are an initiative taken by the organisers of the European Energy Law Seminar which has been organised on an annual basis since 1989. The seminar is now taking place in January each year in The Hague. This volume includes chapters on "Newcomers in the Electricity Market: Aggregators and Storage", "Hydropower Concessions in the EU: A Need for Liberalisation or Privatisation?", "Investments and des-Investments in the Energy Sector", "Offshore Decommissioning in the North Sea", "CCS as a Climate Tool: North Sea Practice" and "From EU Climate Goals to National Climate Laws". Book website: https://intersentia.com/en/european-energy-law-report-xiii.html ISBN 9781780689500
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