TOKYO, JAPAN – The fifth meeting of the U.S.-Japan Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation (the Bilateral Commission) was held in Tokyo on August 8, 2018. Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Takeo Mori led the discussions as co-chairs. The delegations included participants representing a wide range of governmental agencies.… Keep reading →
Japan remains committed to nuclear power despite the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima plant and its tragic aftermath, for economic, environmental and political reasons. [Fox News] Carl Icahn’s 2012 purchase of CVR Energy Inc. has returned more than $2.5 billion to the hedge fund manager from market gains and dividends that has recouped much… Keep reading →
Japan has announced its vision of becoming a carbon-neutral, hydrogen-fuelled society by 2040. [The Guardian] American oil-and-gas producers are struggling to cut back the output that has lead to a global oil glut, despite spending cuts and idle drilling rigs. [WSJ Blog] Over the past two years, Microsoft has contracted for 285 MW of renewable energy from… Keep reading →
More than 6,000 European cities have signed the Covenant of Mayors, a commitment to meet coesive EU climate targets. “Their climate action plans call for, on average, a 28% cut in CO2 emissions by 2020, 8% more than the EU’s 2020 target. Even Kiev, which came last of 30 cities in Siemen’s 2009 European Green… Keep reading →
Rhetoric over China’s land reclamation work, placed at more than 2,000 acres, on submerged reefs and inlets in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea (SCS) has entered its fourth week. The latest installment of this high-stakes drama reignited in early May when US satellite images showed that China had been building artificial islands… Keep reading →
The Asahi Shimbun reported in March on the decision of four big Japanese electric utilities to decommission a total of five nuclear reactors that have been in operation for more than 40 years. Respective plans have been submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). “This is the first application of the regulation… Keep reading →
Solar power is on the brink of becoming profitable in Japan and when it does, the technology will have achieved “commercial viability” in all of the G7 countries, Reuters is reporting. “Solar has come of age in Japan and from now on will be replacing imported uranium and fossil fuels,” said Tomas Kåberger, executive board chairman of Japan… Keep reading →
Duke Energy received a delay Tuesday in pleading guilty to environmental crimes by claiming that bureaucratic red tape could result in power being cut-off for military bases across North Carolina. “U.S. District Judge Malcolm Howard approved a one-month delay in Duke’s plea and sentencing hearing for criminal violations of the Clean Water Act, which had… Keep reading →
Methane hydrates are getting increased attention as a major new source of clean hydrocarbon energy. These enormous deposits of natural gas have never been developed commercially, but research and development has been promising, and expectations are that the gas could begin coming to market within a decade. Known as flammable ice, methane hydrates are molecules… Keep reading →
The recent surprise drop in crude oil prices is having big impacts on international LNG prices and may cause a slowdown in the development of LNG export plants globally. LNG is liquefied natural gas, cooled to a temperature of -260° F, for the purpose of compression and transportation. International shipments of LNG by container ship… Keep reading →
