Late 2020 recorded the publication at European level of significant documents and decisions in relation to hydrogen. In particular, following the Hydrogen Strategy implemented by the Commission in July 2020[1], on 11 December the Council published its conclusions on the steps to be taken to create a hydrogen market for Europe[2], on 17 December an … Read more

Victoria joins New South Wales and Queensland in decentralising the path towards “Net Zero”, setting out a roadmap for development of its renewable energy zones (REZ), including the establishment of VicGrid to oversee planning and development, and allocating a AUS$540 million REZ Fund in the State Budget. Snapshot A new entity ‘VicGrid’ is being established … Read more

EU Taxonomy Regulation – proposed technical screening criteria for climate change mitigation and adaptation On 20 November 2020 the European Commission published the proposed draft technical screening criteria for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the form of a draft delegated regulation, which was open to consultation until 18 December 2020. The Taxonomy Regulation came … Read more

The Supreme Court of Victoria has confirmed that wind farm assets on leased land do not constitute land to be valued. This is significant in the context of Victorian Fire Services Levy, duty and income tax on sale for foreign investors. A recent test case in the Supreme Court of Victoria in AWF Prop Co … Read more

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

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

The Spanish Government recently approved Royal Decree 960/2020, of 3 November, which regulates the remunerative framework applicable to renewable energy production facilities (RD 960/2020), which was analysed here. In order to develop and implement RD 960/2020, the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge approved Order TED/1161/2020, of 4 December, which regulates the first … Read more

Point 5 of the Ten Point Plan reveals the ways in which the government proposes to encourage more journeys to be taken by public transport, cycling and/or walking, and how it will decarbonise public transport in the UK. The Ten Point Plan was quickly followed up with the National Infrastructure Strategy on 25 November. Three … Read more