#energy-policy

#energy-policy

Rachel Reeves announced in her budget that she would cut 150 a year from the average energy bill, partly financed by axing the 1.3bn energy company obligation (ECO) scheme that helped fund upgrades for homes owned or rented by households earning under 31,000. This scheme is due to be end in March. The government plans to launch a warm homes plan to provide funding for heat pumps, insulation and other home upgrades but this has been beset by delays.

Under the order, the Department of Energy will build a platform with AI capabilities for scientists and engineers to use in their work. It would also create a portfolio of scientific and engineering challenges around energy and national security for Genesis Mission participants to pursue. Other departments and agencies will be able to tackle their own challenges - such as around drug discovery - through the executive order.

She will argue that eight in ten firms believe the legislation, in its current form, will make hiring harder, acting as a brake on economic growth. "Lasting reform takes partnership, not a closed door," she will say. "When eight in ten firms say this bill will make it harder to hire, they are brakes on growth. The government must change course and ask business and unions to forge consensus through compromise."

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

These regions were selected to ease grid pressure, we're told. Scotland's wind generation, for example, often exceeds transmission capacity. "There are sometimes mismatches between the amount of electricity generated in a certain region and the electricity grid's ability to transmit that electricity from that region to another," the document explains. "When datacenters locate in Scotland and the north of England, they can harness this generation, and reduce the overall cost of our electricity system."

"My office will audit the state's role in these price hikes," he said. "New Yorkers pay more while utilities and their shareholders pocket tax credits, abatements, bonuses, and side deals - and for years no one in state government has followed the money. I will expose those deals and put real pressure on regulators and Albany to stop letting the system work for utilities while everyone else keeps getting squeezed."

The decision to turn off nuclear reactors before closing coal plants has sullied the country's climate credentials among clean energy advocates. The diligent recycling culture has lost its shine, as separate waste bins have sprung up across Europe and public faith in recycling has taken a hit. Even Germany's once-punctual trains and expertly engineered vehicles have become cause for embarrassment.

President Donald Trump's efforts to help the U.S. coal industry at home are being undermined by falling sales abroad amid his trade war with China, new government reports show. China has stopped importing U.S. coal, accounting for most of a 14% decline in U.S. coal exports so far this year, according to analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Trump's meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week suggests trade progress.

Kemi Badenoch has committed the party to repealing the Climate Change Act and abandoning the commitment to reach net zero by 2050, arguing that the target threatens to bankrupt Britain. The repeal of the act would remove the need to meet carbon budgets ceilings, set for five-year periods, on the amount of greenhouse gas that can be emitted and disband the Climate Change Committee – a watchdog that advises on how policies affect the UK's carbon footprint.

European leaders are meeting on Thursday with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Brussels to reaffirm support for Kyiv. The president of the European Council, Antonio Costa, welcomed Zelenskyy, addressing him as future member of the European Union. The meeting comes as the 27 member bloc formally adopted a 19th package of sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine that includes a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports.

Germany's ex-chancellor Gerhard Schröder on Friday slammed a state parliamentary inquiry into the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia as 'ridiculous' and said he did not regret his role in its controversial construction. The inquiry, at the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania regional parliament, is looking into political influence around construction of the pipeline between Russia and Germany and possible Russian interventions in favour of the project. The investigation focuses on the state's Climate Protection Foundation that was allegedly used to shield companies involved in building it from US sanctions.

"My opponent has put forth an illegitimate plan that isn't feasible. Even the governor, a member of her own party, has said, 'I don't think you can do that,'"

The next Conservative Government will axe the carbon tax on electricity generation. When Ed Miliband blames gas for high energy bills, what he doesn't tell you is that over 30% of what we pay for gas power is not to pay for fuel, but to pay for a carbon tax that the Government chooses to impose. Now, we know that we'll need gas to keep the lights on for decades, so it just adds extra costs to our bills for no reason.

The Trump administration's plan to cancel billions of dollars for energy projects following the US government shutdown includes an initiative to upgrade electric transmission lines in California. A consortium that included the California Energy Commission and Southern California Edison was awarded a federal grant of $600 million for the upgrade last year, which was to allow faster access to clean energy. But that project - which was slated to improve 100 miles of transmission lines - will have its funding cut, according to a list from the Department of Energy.

The American colonies had been settled by Britain for over 150 years before what is today eastern Canada was wrested from the French and added to the empire in 1763 (technically Britain had already taken control militarily in 1760; the treaty formalized the transfer). Only about 70,000 people lived there compared to about 1,000,000 in the 13 American colonies. Canadians were invited to join the Revolution in 1776 but having just lost a war to the British a decade earlier, decided to pass on a rematch.

We want to cut these revenues. So we are banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets. The sanctions must be endorsed by all 27 EU member countries before they can enter into force. It is time to turn off the tap, von der Leyen said, calling on members to quickly endorse the move. We want Russia to leave the battlefield and come to the negotiation table, and this is the way to give peace a real chance, she added.

The H100 project in Levenmouth, supported by the Scottish Government and gas network operator SGN, is supplying green hydrogen produced from an offshore wind turbine to 300 homes. Residents are using hydrogen-powered boilers and radiators like they would natural gas, but without carbon emissions. First Minister John Swinney called the project "a new prospect and a really exciting opportunity," emphasising its potential to inform UK energy policy.

Painting a rather rosy picture, she argues that Europe is not only a challenger, but a leader in many fields that will define that race on innovation, including computing power and AI adoption. She insists that Europe is not playing catch up like it was during the rise of the Internet, but is among the frontrunners. But on a slightly more critical tone, she says that Europe needs to capitalise on our strengths