Sustainable Energy Law Notebook

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.

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

Waiting for the announcement on 11 December 2019 of the concrete measures that the European Green Deal will cover, the European Commission has published on its website a list of policy areas which will be concerned. With the announced objective of "becoming the world's first climate-neutral continent" , the following areas of action will apparently be prioritised: adoption of a European climate law: it will set in law climate reduction targets in order for the EU to become climate-neutral by 2050; extension of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme to air transport and shipping; a "climate pact" which could relate to the development of carbon removal solutions (natural or technology-based) and the further development of "clean" energy sources; a mechanism of Carbon Border Tax; promoting circular economy approach and biodiversity; a just and socially fair transition; a necessary revision of related energy legislation to Ensure the...

Join us on 4 April 2019 in Oslo for a seminar on Electricity Market Design: "Electricity Networks and their operators in a time of change" . About the seminar: Changing patterns in electricity generation and consumption raise tremendous challenges for transport and distribution infrastructures and their operators. The electricity networks remain the backbone of the electricity system, but are going through important adaptations. Not least, grid operators will need to increase cooperation, while they also may become competitors in supplying grid services and making use of flexibility. The evolution of electricity networks and their o perators is among the central issues in current electricity market reforms.

The University of Cape Town , South Africa and the University of Oslo , Faculty of Law, Norway, are pleased to present a two-day training course .   Electricity market design underpins the functioning of power systems. With changing generation and consumption patterns, there is an urgent need to re-think electricity market design and implement reforms. The objective of this course is to explore the fundamentals of electricity market design, the challenges faced by the current power systems and the legal mechanisms available to re-design the electricity market.   Acknowledging that there is not one-size-fits-it-all approach to electricity market design and that the reasons for changes may differ between coun­tries, the course will start with the theoretical fundamentals , and then ex­plore the available mechanisms for re-designing electricity markets at the physical and financial levels. References will be made to national legal frameworks (South A...

  The Oslo District Court has today, 4 January 2018 , delivered its judgment in the case concerning the validity of decision awarding oil and gas production licenses in the Arctic waters of Norway, in the Barents Sea .   What is the case about   The case is about the validity of the decision taken by the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy and validated by the King in Council on 10 June 2016, to award petroleum production licenses as part of the 23rd licensing round in an area close to the ice edge in the South East of the Barents Sea. This happened after that the ice edge line was moved further North and the opening of new areas int eh Barent Sea in 2013 in that region.   The plantiffs are two environmental organisations, GreenPeace Norway and Natur and Ungdom, who submitted that the decission was illegal on two grounds:   the new provision of §112 of the Norwegian Constitution (environment provision) was breached; the ...

Building on the presentations held at the annual  European Energy Law Seminar taking place every January in The Hague (NL), this book reviews central energy law issues from a national, EU and international perspective. A must have! C. Banet and M. Roggenkamp (eds.), European Energy Law Report XI (Intersentia, 2017) This volume includes chapters on “EU Energy and Climate Law – Policy and Jurisprudence”, “Energy and Climate Treaty Developments”, “Energy Infrastructure Developments: Offshore Electricity Systems and Network Investments”, “Heat Supply Legislation in the EU” and “Security of Energy Supply and Safety”. Reference : ISBN 9781780684697

Marine Le Pen står for proteksjonisme og nasjonalisme også innen klima- og energipolitikken, mens Emmanuel Macrons prosjekt innebærer grønn vekst i en europeisk ramme. [...] Les hele min kronikk om klima- og energiprogrammet til de to finalekandidatene i Energi og Klima Nettmagasinet: http://energiogklima.no/kommentar/macron-vs-le-pen-hva-skjer-med-klima-og-energipolitikken/  

The Danish Energy Commission has just delivered its report on the future energy policy of the country ( " Energikommissionens anbefalinger til fremtidens energipolitik " , April 2017). The report comes with a series of recommendations which should enable the country to reach the long-term goal of becoming a low-emissions society based on renewable energy by 2050, with an intermediary 50% goal in 2030. The Commission received the mandate of looking at the measures necessary to be implemented in the period 2020-2030. It argues notably in favour of the following main points below. The summary is followed by a rapid assessment.

Malta has taken over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) for the next six months (1 January-30 June 2017) . It is now time to take a look at its energy and environmental policy priorities, and what will be on its agenda until the summer. The programme of the Maltese presidency is based on both joint and more singular interests. A new system has been established after the 2009 Lisbon Treaty to run the presidency work in groups of three Member States or "trios" , covering a period of 18 months, complemented by a more detailed programme for the 6-month presidency of each Member State. This post reflects this dynamic, and starts with a rapid review of the Trio-programme, then a review of the Maltese presidency programme, before ending by a personal analysis .

The 28th European Energy Law Seminar (EELS) is now opened for registration . Registration website : http://www.never.nl/site/ Place : The seminar will find place at the hotel Hampshire Babylon, The Hague, The Netherlands. Date : 23-24 January 2017 Organisers : The EELS-seminar is a Cooperation between the Dutch energy law Association, the Energy Law Centre of the University of Groningen and the Energy Law Department of the Scandinavian Institute of Maritime Law, University of Oslo. On the programme : review of recent EU case Law, impacts of Brexit, winter package and electricity market design, cross-border infrastructures, future roles of DSOs and TSOs, capacity market mechanisms, renewable energy investments, recast of the renewable energy Directive, prosumers, security of gas supply, future role of gas. We hope to see you there for once again some fruitful discussions around EU energy law topics with other European colleagues. ...

Today, the German Federal Constitutional Court released its decision in a case opposing the German government to the three energy companies E.ON, RWE and Vattenfall, and related to compensation for the rapid phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany . The Court concluded that the amendments made to the Atomic Energy Act following the decision by the German authorities in 2011 to accelerate the nuclear phase-out after the accident in Fukushima  did not infringe the right to property of the three companies. However, the Court ruled that those companies  were entitled to a "reasonable" compensation for the loss they suffered. The German Parliament has until 30 June 2018 to amend the Atomic Energy Act accordingly and the government  must reach an agreement on compensation with the three companies. As argued in my analysis below, even if this case remains a German domestic case, it teaches us some important lessons on the legal requirem...

30. november 2016 arrangerte NORWEA sin anerkjent  Høstkonferanse i Oslo, i samarbeid med Arntzen de Besche. Nedenfor følger en oppsummering av arrangementet: http://www.norwea.no/nyhetsarkiv/visning-nyheter/hoestkonferanse-2016.aspx?Action=1&M=NewsV2&PID=1145 Jeg hadde selv gleden av å presentere mine synspunkter om fremtiden for "Samarbeidsmekanismer og statsstøtte etter 2020 - Do's and don'ts." ---- On 30 November 2016, the Norwegian  Wind Power Association organised its renown Fall Conference. Hereafter follows a link to a summary of the event (in Norwegian): http://www.norwea.no/nyhetsarkiv/visning-nyheter/hoestkonferanse-2016.aspx?Action=1&M=NewsV2&PID=1145 Personnally, I had the pleasure to present views on the "Future of Cooperation mechanisms and state aid regime after 2020 - Do's and don'ts" . Picture: (c) Paal Frisvold

The European Commission has adopted and published, on 30 November 2016, one of the most comprehensive and voluminous legislative plackage ever, and definitely the master piece under the Energy Union Strategy . The so-called "Clean Energy for All Europeans"-package is available at the following webpage : https://ec.europa.eu/energy/en/news/commission-proposes-new-rules-consumer-centred-clean-energy-transition

The 28th European Energy Law Seminar (EELS)  will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 23-24 January 2017 . The Seminar is a unique opportunity to review the latest EU energy law developments including recent legislative proposals adopted by the European Commission and at the same time discuss in detail legal developments, case law and case practice in the field with colleagues from all over Europe. So, hold the date and see you in The Hague. On the programme: Energy Union and legislative initiatives, energy market design package, impact of Brexit, recent competition cases and EU case law, revision of the renewable energy directive, cross-border infrastructures permitting and financing, evolving roles for TSOs and DSOs, capacity reserve mechanisms, prosumers, and gas supply package. The full programme and registration details will be announced shortly on the NeVER website: http://www.never.nl The seminar is co-organised...

The Department for Petroleum and Energy Law of the University of Oslo, the Center for Energy Law of the University of Gröningen and the Dutch Energy Law Association are pleased to inform you that the 27th European Energy Law Seminar will take place on 25 and 26 January 2016 . The location is the Hilton hotel, The Hague, The Netherlands . The programme is available and can be downloaded here . Topics covered include: Energy Union, protection of investments in energy infrastructures, latest EU case law, recent competition cases, offshore electricity grid, EU LNG strategy, smart metering, heat supply, internal energy market, tariff codes, COP21 results and climate change litigation. You can register online by clicking the link or complete the Registration Form and send it to seminar@never.nl . In case you may have any questions please contact seminar@never.nl or myself at catherine.banet@jus.uio.no . Early bird rates are available. I hope to see you in...

The Norwegian Wind Energy Association ( Norwea ) is organising, together with the law firm Arntzen de Besche, its yearly fall conference on 25 November 2015.  The topic is "From Sweden and the EU to Norwegian wind energy policy" .  I am glad to hold a presentation on the possible effects of the new 2030 energy and climate targets for Norway and their legal force. Conference : " Fra Sverige og EU til norsk vindkraftpolitikk ", Norweas høst konferanse Time and place : 25 November 2015 , 12.00-16.30, Bygdøy allé 2, 0257 Oslo Programme : http://www.norwea.no/nyhetsarkiv/visning-nyheter/«fra-sverige-og-eu-til-norsk-vindkraftpolitikk»-programmet-for-hoestkonferansen-er-klart.aspx?Action=1&M=NewsV2&PID=1145 

The European Commission published on 30 June 2015 a new call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for trans-European energy infrastructure projects on the list of Projects of Common Interest . The total allocated envelope is EUR550 million . 

Spørsmålet var: Hvordan bør Norge bidra til det globale grønne skiftet? Mitt svar: " Norge bør utvikle en offensiv diplomatisk strategi for det grønne skiftet – i samsvar med en klar og sammenhengende utenrikspolitikk innen miljø, petroleum og energi. ... " Les hele mitt svar i form av en artikkel i rapporten «Slik kan Norge gjøre en forskjell» , gitt ut av Norsk Klimastiftelse i juni 2015. Les resten av innlegget HER .

The question was : How shall Norway contribute to global energy transition ? My answer : " Norway should develop an ambitious diplomatic strategy for the energy transition - in accordance with a clear and coherent foreign policy within environmental protection , petroleum and energy . ... " Read my full  answer in the form of an article in the report " How can Norway make a difference" , which was released by the Norwegian Climate Foundation in June 2015 . Read the rest of my post HERE . (in Norwegian) If you are interested in a translation, please send me an e-mail.