The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (“TCA“) establishes objectives for the energy market by providing for the facilitation of trade and investment between the EU and the UK (the “parties”) in the areas of energy and raw materials, and supporting security of supply and environmental sustainability, notably in contributing to the fight against climate change … Read more

Royal Decree 1183/2020, of 29 December, on access and connection to the electricity transmission and distribution networks (the Royal Decree or RD 1183/2020) was published in Spain’s Official State Journal (BOE) on 30 December 2020 and entered into effect on the following day. RD 1183/2020 develops and implements – thus allowing for the full application … Read more

The new German Renewable Energies Act 2021 (“EEG 2021”) was finally passed on 18 December 2020 and came into force on 1 January 2021, subject to certain exemptions. The EEG 2021 aims to promote the further expansion of renewable energies and the energy transition in Germany, and achieve greenhouse gas (“GHG”) neutrality by 2050. Setting … Read more

Why decarbonisation? Projections from various organisations all show a significant role for gas in the energy mix to meet global energy demand in 2050. Indeed, gas has widely been seen as a “transition fuel”; a bridge between an economy running on coal vs one running on renewables. However, increasingly the lifecycle emissions of gas as … Read more

In the final limb of its Ten Point Plan (the Plan), the Government acknowledges the significant investment required to achieve net zero through the developments and innovations elsewhere in the Plan. It seeks to leverage public and private sources of financing, increasing investment in research and development (R&D) while cultivating a green finance sector, including … Read more

Recognising that the natural environment plays a key role in capturing and sequestering carbon, and with the objective of reversing environmental harm and enhancing biodiversity, the government has committed to “safeguard our cherished landscapes, restore habitats for wildlife…and adapt to climate change, all whilst creating green jobs” through plans that include the planting of 30,000 … Read more

Becoming a world-leader in carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) technology is at the heart of the UK Government’s new plan for a “green industrial revolution” released on 18 November 2020 (Ten Point Plan). The Ten Point Plan makes it clear that by capturing carbon from power generation, low carbon hydrogen production and industrial processes, … Read more

One of the aspects of the Government’s new Ten Point Plan is to make homes and public buildings greener. According to Government figures, homes in the UK made up 15% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, or 22% if electricity consumption is included. The Government anticipates £11 billion of private investment in this area over … Read more