Sustainable Energy Law Notebook

The EU Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger, has presented today a new Communication from the Commission on renewable energy . From a first analysis of the Communication and the documents attached to it, the following can be retained: Based on the 2010 indicative targets: " The EU as a whole reached just over 18% for the share of renewable energy in the electricity in 2010 rather than the target of 21%. For transport, the EU reached 5.1% instead of 5.75% ." 2020 targets are likely to be met and even exceeded ; The Commisison requires improvement of Member States' financing instruments and their management in order to close the "investment gap". The Commission calls on the Member States to ensure a doubling annual capital investments in renewable energy from EUR35bn per year to Eur70bn. "COOPERATION" and "CONVERGENCE" are well the two key words (and successive steps) as regards support schemes. Further coooperation could lead to 10 b...

On 31 January the European Commission will adopt a new Communication on renewable energy , in accordance to its reporting obligation in Directives 2001/77/EC, Directive 2003/30/EC (formerly), and now Directive 2009/28/EC. The Communication is aimed to report on the progress made in the promotion of renewable energy at EU and Member State levels , based on the 2010 targets defined in the 2001 and 2003 Directives. Support schemes will also be covered in the Communication. Earlier this week, the European Commissioner responsible for Energy, Günther Oettinger, has made several statements as regards the EU policy. In particular, his address to the ITRE Committee of the European Parliament on 26 January (video available here ) served as forewords to the European Council on Energy planned on 4 February in Brussels. Waiting for the Renewable Energy Communication of 31 January Some EU Member States are currently reviewing their support schemes, such as Germany, Spain, The Netherlands (and No...

The Order of 15 December 2010 defining the standardised operations for energy savings has been published in today's Official Journal ( JORF No.23, 28.01.2011, p.1700 ). The new order completes and updates the previous series of orders, and lately the order of 28 June 2010. See also previous post relative to decrees and orders adopted in December 2010. The new Order defines three types of "fiches" (charts) : new , revised , and former , in accordance with the different types and dates of implementation of the energy savings operations.

The Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing has published on 27 January a complete press brief detayling the agenda of the forthcoming first call for tenders for offshore wind in France . 5 pre-selected zones The pre-identified 5 development zones have been confirmed, i.e. off the coasts of: Le Trépor (110 km2, 750 MW), Fécamp (88 km2, 500 MW), Courseulles-sur-Mer (77 km2, 500 MW), Saint-Brieuc (180 km2, 500 MW), and Saint-Nazaire (78 km2, 750 MW). Agenda The following agenda should be followed: public consultation of the stakeholderes on the forthcoming call: from 1 to 28 February 2011; launch of the call for tender: May 2011; deadline for submission of the tenders: 30 November 2011; award decision: first semester 2012; checking the feasibility of the project: summer 2013; start of operation of the installations: 2015. Award criteria Some of the award criteria pre-identified by the Ministry are: price, quality of the industrial project; respect of the...

Almost there but not yet. No need to check the French energy regulator's website (CRE), the first ever call for tenders dedicated to offshore wind in France will be launched in April 2011. Meanwhile, the President and its services have given a few details : by 2015, up to 3 GW of generation capacity (half of the target) should be built in the Atlantic and The English Channel. The targeted project size should be of around 5MW for a number of 600 turbines. EUR 10 billions for the tenders; 5 pre-identified development zones (see map); tenders should be awarded in 2012; entry into operation of the mills in 2015; a second call for tenders to be launched for the other 3 GW. Based on the French President declarations, a core motivation in delaying the call was the protection of a nescent national industry in a sector that cannot yet measure itself to the international competition. For an overview of the most competitive manufacturers, see article by the economic newspaper La Tribune . T...

Media ( Reuters ) is reporting this morning the statement from a representative from the Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development concerning the launch today of the first tender procedure for the construction of offshore wind farms in France . The tender should already have been launched in September, a delay that underlines the multiple issues surrounding offshore wind in France . Other countries that are investing in offshore wind have also elaborated new regulatory framework applicable to offshore wind (see e.g, Norway and previous post ). The French Energy Regulator ( Commission de Régulation de l'Energie , CRE ) will be responsible for conducting the call, as it usually does for other tenders. International manufacturers will certainly be attentive to the news and to reinforcing their commercial position in a country which will probably need to count on foreign expertise in offshore wind. Meanwhile, and as underlined in the Reuters' article , Alstom could be able ...

The European Parliament (EP) adopted yesterday, 20 January, a resolution on the Commission's Report on Competition Policy in 2009 . After recalling that competition in the energy sector is still imperfect , the EP made the following "remarks" on the Commission's competition actions in that field: "45. Urges the Commission to examine the extent to which a too generous allocation of free EUA (European Union Allowances) permits in certain sectors may distort competition , given that these permits, whose efficiency has diminished since the slowdown of economic activity, have generated windfall profits for certain companies while reducing their incentives to play their part in the transition to an eco-efficient economy ; 46. Underlines that State aid should be channelled primarily into promoting common-interest projects within the Union , such as the deployment of ... energy infrastructures ; 72. Regrets that energy consumers in the EU continue to suffer from a di...

I en pressemelding fra 18. januar informerer Olje- og Energidepartementet (OED) om kraftsituasjonen i Norge . Den reflekterer særlig tiltak tatt av regjeringen de siste måneder med fokus på husholdssektoren mens det er forventet en pris økning på kraftfaktura . Den reflekterer også økende fokus på retail sektoren . Pressemeldingen gir svar fra OED på følgende spørsmålene: Hvorfor er det så lite vann i kraftmagasinene? Hva kan jeg gjøre for å spare strøm? Kan jeg få støtte til energisparetiltak? Når får alle avanserte måle- og styringssystemer (AMS)? Er det noe sted jeg kan henvende meg hvis jeg ikke klarer å betale strømregningen min? Hvorfor fjerner ikke regjeringen moms og el-avgift i perioder hvor strømmen er ekstra dyr? Hvorfor skal vi eksportere kraft når vi trenger den selv? Hva gjøre regjeringen for at vi ikke i kommende år skal få en lignende situasjon som vi nå har? Pressemelding tilgjengelig HER .

The University of Oslo , College of Law , is proposing this Spring a new elective course at Master level: International Climate and Energy Law . Description This course reviews the sources and principles of international climate and energy law , the interactions of the commitments under both regimes , and the new opportunities it creates for the promotion of sustainable energy, energy efficiency, and corporate responsibility . In particular, the course is based on a detailed examination of the following topics: the international climate change regime (UNFCCC/Kyoto Protocol) and the related legal mechanisms; the regulatory approaches for the involvement of companies in achieving a sustainable development and combating climate change; the legal obligations deriving from the climate regime and affecting the energy sector (as a major sour of emissions); the international regulation of renewable energy sources and their support; the promotion of energy efficiency measures; an assessmen...

Le 4 novembre 2010, les gouvernements francais et chinois signaient un accord de coopération entre les deux pays dans le domaine de la lutte contre les changements climatiques. Cet accord fait suite aux engagements pris dans une déclaration conjointe adoptée le 26 novembre 2007 sur le même sujet, dans le cadre du renforcement du partenariat stratégique global sino-francais (V. déclaration ). Un accord diplomatique dans la ligne des négociations internationales climatiques et commerciales Commen souligné par la réponse apportée le 11 janvier dernier par le ministère de l'écologie à une question parlementaire, les domaines de coopération couverts par l'accord de 2010 concernent ' l'atténuation des émissions de gaz à effet de serre, l'adaptation aux changements climatiques, le renforcement des capacités administratives à lutter efficacement contre les changements climatiques et les mécanismes de marché ' (càd mécanisme de développement propre, MDP). En France, l...

The European Commission adopted on 12 January a Decision concerning the types of information about biofuels and bioliquids that economic operators have to submit to their Member State to fulfil requirements on sustainability. ( Commission Decision 2011/13/EU, JOEU L 9 of 13.01.2011, p.11 ). Pursuant to Article 18 of Directive 2009/28/EC, and to Article 7c(3) of Directive 98/70/EC, the European Commission must adopt a list of appropriate and relevant information concerning the compliance with the sustainability criteria for bioliquids and biofuels respectively. Two obligations are defined in the Commission's Decission . First , economic operators "shall" indicate, as part of the information submitted to their Member State, whether the consignment of biofuel or bioliquids has been certified or accepted under a voluntary scheme recognised by the Commission, and indicate the name of the scheme . Under such scheme, particular attention is paid to the accuracy of data relate...

Le premier ministre francais a pris deux arrêtés approuvant respectivement le cahier des charges " solaire " et " photovoltaïque " en rapport à l'action 1 du programme " démonstrateurs et plates-formes technologiques en énergies renouvelables et décarbonnées et chimie verte " (ci-après "le programme") issu de la Loi No. 2010-327 du 9 mars 2010 de finances rectificatives pour 2010 (article 8). Les deux appels à manifestation d'intérêt (AMI) sont désormais disponibles sur le site de l' Agence de l'Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l'Energie (ADEME) . Investir dans l'Avenir de l'Industrie du Renouvelable La tenue du programme en question a été confiée à l'ADEME au titre des "Investissements d'Avenir". D'autres programmes et actions sont également menés par l'ADEME dans le même cadre, en particulier les programmes: "véhicules du futur" et "réseaux électriques intelligents"...

The French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices ( OPECST ) has made public a report drafted in 2010 on the effects on human health and the environment of the exposure to electro magnetic field emitted by the transmission lines . The issue might not be a new one, it is however crucial to address this other aspect of power generation and transmission. The SEL Notebook will come back to this topic. References : " Les effets sur la santé et l'environnement des champs électromagnétiques produits par les lignes à haute et très haute tensions ," Office Parlementaire d'Evaluation des Choix Scientifiques et Technologiques, by D. Raoul, May 2010.

France has updated its legal framework regarding white certificates for energy savings . The new rules will enter into force on 1 January 2011 . Two decrees and three administrative orders have been published in the French official journal of 30 December 2010 (JORF No. 302, 30.12.2010): Décret No. 2010-1663 du 29 décembre 2010 relatif aux obligations d'économies d'énergie dans le cadre du dispositif des certificates d'économies d'énergie; Décret No. 2010-1664 du 29 décembre 2010 relatif aux certificats d'économie d'énergie; Arrêté du 23 décembre 2010 fixant le montant des frais de tenue de compte du registre national des certificates d'économie d'énergie; Arrêté du 29 décembre 2010 fixant la liste des éléments d'une demande de certificats d'économies d'énergie et la composition d'une demande d'agrément d'un plan d'actions d'économies d'énergie; Arrêté du 29 décembre 2010 relatif aux modalités d'application d...