By the end of 2019, Poland plans to approve programmatic documents in the field of energy, namely the “Energy Policy of Poland until 2040” and the “Polish Nuclear Power Programme”, required for the implementation of NPP construction projects. The relevant draft documents have been approved and are planned for consideration by the Polish Parliament in September-October 2019.
In August 2019, scientists at the Catholic University of Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) in Belgium released the results of a study on the development of a new solar panel design capable of generating hydrogen through solar energy.
Wood Mackenzie, an international consulting firm, gives a fairly conservative assessment of the global energy sector’s ability to carry out a low-carbon transformation by 2040 and emphasizes the emergence of new challenges – political tensions, trade wars, protectionism, inertia to changes in business and society, with the consistent willingness to invest in high-profit hydrogen use or production projects. The study can help to shape more balanced approaches to energy transformation and accelerate the introduction of new legislation, especially in the EU, which seeks to remain the planet’s “green” leader.
According to a study conducted by the American Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), the United States belongs to a limited number of countries where federal tax deductions are the main form of RES development support. Production tax credit is applied to wind energy (wind power plants) and investment tax credit (ITC) is applied to solar energy.
An analytical study titled “Photovoltaic Generation: New Opportunities for Coal Mining Regions, that are in the process of curtailing production”, published by the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC), identifies the prospects for deploying solar power plants in the EU coal mining regions in the process of decommissioning coal mines and power plants.
The UK is demonstrating a systematic approach to ensuring energy supply and sustainability of the energy system under the conditions of significant change of the generation structure by increasing RES and reducing the share of traditional power plants. One of the main tasks in modern conditions is considered to be the possibility of starting the power system at partial or full blackout.
Poland keeps trying to overcome by means of administrative methods the negative impact of national electricity policy which has raised electricity prices and caused conflict between Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Minister of Energy Krzysztof Tchorzewski.
On August 2, 2019 American energy company “ExxonMobil” announced hat it is leaving hydrocarbon production projects in Romania’s offshore economic zone, in particular, Romania’s “ExxonMobil” regional director Richard Tusker outlined “ExxonMobil’s” intention to sell its share in development of offshore gas field “Neptun Deep” in the Romanian Black Sea where ExxonMobil holds 50% shares. According to Richard Tusker, “ExxonMobil” has already informed the Romanian government, the National Authority for Mineral Resources (“ANRM”) and its partner “OMV Petrom” of its intentions.
On August 2, 2019, the Chairman of the Board of Islamic Azad University and Senior International Relations Advisor to the Supreme Leader of Iran Akbar Velayati delivered the message about the willingness of the Russian Federation to invest USD 50 billion into development of Iran’s oil and gas sector.
