Professional Documents
Culture Documents
REPORT
Issue 6 | March 2015
PAGE
PAGE
France
France turns the heat up on COP21, the
climate change conference in Paris in 2015
Italy
A law that promises faster authorisation and
new opportunities for Italian and international
players.
PAGE
PAGE
13
UK
A view from the UK as the pre-election cold
begins to bite
Netherlands
Blue Energy: the never-ending energy source
Typically Dutch solution could be a game
changer
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Contents
Contents
Introduction
Unlocking Italy
11
13
15
Where we are
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Introduction
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Romain Seignovert
MSLGROUP, Brussels
romain.seignovert@mslgroup.com
The strategy is expected to include 42 diplomatic, political and legislative measures in the energy domain,
which will encapsulate the various initiatives previously
discussed separately or in subgroups. In particular, it
will propose a revision of directives, including those on
carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, renewable energy and fuel quality. However, the objective,
timeline and content of these reviews remain unclear
for the moment.
The European Commission will put forward options
for the common purchasing of gas and initiatives to
increase the diversification of gas supply routes by targeting Norway, North Africa and the USA. It will also
put forward measures to legally require gas suppliers
to build up reserves. This strategy is of utmost importance to energy stakeholders in Brussels, as it will set
the tone and perspective for the next five years of EU
energy policy. The uncertainty over oil prices in the
short and long term has already reshaped the debate
and has forced policymakers to reconsider their original energy strategies, which were built on the assumption of higher oil prices. As gas contracts are linked to
the price of oil, renewable energy producers are apprehensive of increased competition from electricity
generated by gas-fired power stations. Some Member
States are considering a reduction or removal of their
subsidies for fossil fuel infrastructure. This stance has
been backed by the European Commissioner for Energy who has called for a reallocation of these subsidies
for renewable energy projects.
Until June, the rotating presidency of the European
Council is being held by Latvia. This government has
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Besides those two major energy dossiers, the European Commission will continue its policy debates on the
reform of the European Emissions Trading System (EU
ETS), the deployment and funding of Trans-European
energy infrastructures, the uptake of Carbon Capture
and Storage (CSS) technologies, and the negotiation
of international partnerships in the field of energy.
Spring
New Energy Charter with
Central and Eastern European
Countries (Brussels)
EU Energy Ministers
meeting (Brussels)
June 8
EU Energy Ministers
meeting (Brussels)
March 5
EU Heads of State
and Government
meeting
(Brussels)
February 12
February 25
Presentation of the
Strategy for the Energy
Union (Brussels)
April 14-16
Informal meeting of EU
Energy Ministers (Riga)
March 19
EU Heads of State
and Government
meeting (Brussels)
November 30 - December 11
United Nations
Climate Change
Conference (Paris)
June 25
EU Heads of State
and Government
meeting (Brussels)
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The good news for them - and, theoretically at least for the world and its climate, is that COP20 in Lima,
Peru, actually went far to set the stage for success in
Paris this year.
One of the reasons for that success was the pre-conference bombshell announcement that China and the
US -the worlds top two carbon emitters - had agreed
between themselves on an ambitious joint plan to
cut carbon emissions as a way of encouraging other
nations to make their own reductions in greenhouse
gases.
The unexpected accord was a key catalyst for Lima, and
perhaps for Paris, because it includes new targets for
carbon emission reductions by the US, as well as unprecedented commitments by China to stop its emissions from increasing by 2030.
The stratagem seemed to have worked, among other
diplomatic efforts, to achieve enough progress in Lima
to allow for some optimism for a strong multilateral
accord in Paris this year, providing that all nations commit to their own significant reductions.
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Unlocking Italy
A decree-law that promises faster authorisation and approval
procedures and new opportunities for Italian and international
exploration and production players
Alessandro Chiarmasso
Italy
Alessandro.chiarmasso@mslgroup.com
drocarbons onshore. Specifically, it allows the transition from the three existing authorisation and approval
stages covering exploration, appraisal drilling and
production - to one simple process, as seen in other
European countries such as the UK and Norway.
The authorization and approval process will last just six
months and will be based on the general programme
of work submitted by the proponent.
Within the next six months, the Ministry of Economic
Development will implement new procedural guidelines that will lay out detailed procedures to obtain the
authorisation and regulate related activities.
Overall, the measures envisaged, although still to be
integrated and improved, are valuable and may initiate
a revitalisation of the exploration and production market, consider the potential of the national reserves of
oil and gas, and attract new investment, potentially by
foreign operators.
According to Nomisma Energia, there are 15 billion worth of potential investments ready to be
unlocked in the area, granting about 1 billion in terms of taxes and royalties to Italys
budget.
Arguably, even if the decree is meeting its
aim, it is unlikely that there will be a unanimous agreement among the multiple
stakeholders.
Through the decree, the national government holds the power to decide what has
been defined as strategic, urgent and not
deferrable matters. This is in line with
the hunger for solutions and radical reforms driving Renzis
approach.
The government decree introduces provisions aimed at simplifying and speeding up the
authorisation and approval procedures for the extraction of hy-
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Liam Clark
UK
liam.clark@cnc-communications.com
Similarly to other European countries, the topic of energy, or more precisely energy prices, will be both front
of mind for the electorate and a problem that most
British MPs could do without.
The average UK familys annual dual-fuel bill (gas and
electricity) is now over 1,575 while energy prices in
Britain have risen eight times faster than wage increases over the past three years and this is expected to
rise again this winter. Some Europeans will no doubt
be wondering why the Brits are moaning; in comparison to countries such as Greece, Spain or Portugal, UK
energy costs appear a bargain. The problem is that the
UK had it too cheap for too long, and the sector has
been crippled by a lack of investment in infrastructure.
Whos who?
With potential change on the horizon, weve provided a
snapshot of what to expect from the three main political parties in terms of energy policy:
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March 2015
were shattered overnight. Reduction of the national deficit comes first, so expect more yo-yo style
policy on renewables
North Sea; oil and gas production has been in
decline since the turn of the millennium. The
Conservatives need the tax revenue the North Sea
generates. As a result, we expect a more liberal
North Sea tax regime and deals done on a case-bycase basis
Fracking; George Osborne is determined to see
fracking and a subsequent shale gas revolution
across Britain. With rising energy costs, increased
foreign imports and declining energy security wed
expect him to get his way if a deal can be done with
landowners
Liberal Democrats:
Rather than talk directly about energy policy, the Liberal Democrats have tended to talk more about climate
change and the need for emission reduction. Whilst
the Lib Dems are highly unlikely to win the General
Election outright, should they form part of a repeat coalition government, we would expect to see:
Renewable investment; an increase in renewable
investment, notably offshore and onshore wind, is a
given. The Lib Dems have come to blows with The
Conservatives during this coalition government but
still claim to have more than doubled renewable
energy generation and investment over the past
five years. They are determined to increase the
number of green jobs in the UK and further subsidies would help pave the way
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But if or when Sweden (and, for that matter, other European countries) introduces a capacity market, the
question remains as to who will invest in traditional
power plants. Private investors will demand very longterm thinking in terms of the regulations offered. Can
Swedens new government party the Greens go
along with this?
The Green Partys energy policy spokesperson, Lise
Nordin, was asked via Twitter last autumn what would
guarantee supply to the electricity system when wind
and solar power are not producing any electricity. Her
answer: Renewable!
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Erik Martens
Netherlands
erik.martens@msl.nl
timen.van.haaster@msl.nl
The project was initiated by a consortium of three parties: manufacturer of the membranes Fujifilm, water
technology institute, Wetsus, and Red Stack, a company that develops the Blue Energy technology. Together,
they ultimately aim to further develop the pilot plant in
order to quadruple the energy output to 200kW. This
would lead to the creation of a core module that, in
principle, could be stacked infinitely.
13
How it works
In this project, the pilot plant uses reverse electro dialysis (RED) technology to generate energy by letting salt
and fresh water flow through membranes in separate
compartments. The salt water contains negative particles and the fresh water positive ones, which are being
filtered out by the membranes. This leads to a voltage
difference that can be transformed into electrical energy by connecting the two streams with a wire. All this
is quite similar to the principle of a battery. After the
whole process, the water is then disposed as brackish
water. The whole procedure ensures that Blue Energy
is a sustainable technology with which one can generate energy 24 hours a day, without any CO2 emissions!
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Afsluitdijk
The Afsluitdijk is a fundamental part of the
larger Zuiderzee Works which were completed
in the 1930s to protect the country from the sea
and to polder sizeable areas. It dammed off the
Zuiderzee, a salt water inlet of the North Sea,
and turned it into a fresh water lake.
Conclusion
The dawn of Blue Energy could prove to be a disruptive innovation in the energy sector, albeit one with very
positive consequences. Although Blue Energy alone
does not have the ability to make the whole economy
sustainable (yet), over time it may become a considerable, green player in the overall energy mix. Lets
hope that this new business case in the energy field
rises to the challenge and gets the attention and opportunities it deserves.
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OUR TEAM
Anders Kempe
Regional president MSLGROUP EMEA
anders.kempe@mslgroup.com
Nick Bastin
Head of Energy
MSLGROUP EMEA
nick.bastin@cnc-communications.com
Alessandro Chiarmasso
Italy
alessandro.chiarmasso@
mslgroup.com
personer
Liam Clark
UK
liam.clark@cnc-communications.com
Seth Goldschlager
France
seth.goldschlager@
consultants.publicis.fr
Otto Fricke
Germany
otto.fricke@ cnc-communications.com
Peter Steere
Belgium/ Sweden
peter.steere@jklgroup.com
Pawel Tomczuk
Poland
pawel.tomczuk@mslgroup.
com
Erik Martens
MSLGROUP is Publicis Groupes strategic communications and engagement group, advisors in all aspects of communication strategy: from
consumer PR to financial communications, from public affairs to reputation management and from crisis communications to experiential
marketing and events. With more than 3,500 people across close to 100
offices worldwide, MSLGROUP is also the largest PR network in Europe,
fast-growing China and India. The group offers strategic planning and
counsel, insight-guided thinking and big, compelling ideas followed by
thorough execution.
MSLGROUPs EMEA Energy Practice is a leader in advising companies
from Europe and around the world on communications issues in the energy sector. Across 15 countries and 27 offices, our European network
supports clients that range from large publicly listed Fortune 500 organisations, to small, privately held companies. We currently advise a third
of the energy companies in the Eurotop 100.
From attracting the best talent, to communications with investors; from
crisis preparedness, to corporate reputation management; and from nuclear to renewables: we understand the key communications issues that
keep energy companies awake at night.
With both breadth and depth of energy communications expertise across
Europes key markets, we know that effective, best practice communications can deliver value to stakeholders across the energy value chain.
In January 2015, Capital MSL merged with CNC Communications, our
sister company within MSLGROUP. CNC Communications is one of the
largest strategic financial communications agencies in Europe and this
merger brings significantly enhanced scale and reach, with 150 specialist
colleagues in 11 offices in 8 countries, all under the umbrella of MSLGROUP.
Have a look at our new website to find out more - www.cnc-communications.com.
If you want to find out more about the work we do, or enquire as to how we
might be able to help, dont hesitate to contact our team member in your
market or contact Nick Bastin at nick.bastin@cnc-communications.com.
Netherlands
erik.martens@msl.nl
Leonardo Sforza
Brussels
leonardo.sforza@
mslgroup.com
Florian Wastl
Germany
florian.wastl@mslgroup.com
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Where we are
Helsinki
Warsaw
Stockholm
SWEDEN
Gothenburg
FINLAND
NORWAY
Oslo
Boston
New York
RUSSIAN
FEDERATION
Copenhagen
CANADA
ESTONIA
LATVIA
DENMARK
IRELAND
Breda
Toronto
LITHUANIA
UNITED
KINGDOM
BELARUS
GERMANY
POLAND
UKRAINE
CZECH
REPUBLIC
Seattle
FRANCE
Chicago
KAZAKHSTAN
HUNGARY
MOLDOVA
SERBIA
MONTENEGRO
ITALY
BULGARIA
UZBEKISTAN
GEORGIA
ALBANIA
PORTUGAL
KYRGYZSTAN
BAKU
GREECE
SPAIN
TURKEY
TURKMENISTAN
NORTH
KOREA
JAPAN
TAJIKISTAN
SYRIA
Brussels
Amsterdam
Geneva
MEXICO
ISRAEL
IRAN
LIBYA
Seoul
Shanghai
Chengdu
Taipei
Guangzhou
AFGHANISTAN
PAKISTAN
ALGERIA
WESTERN
SAHARA
SOUTH
KOREA
CHINA
IRAQ
JORDAN
NEPAL
EGYPT
BANGLADESH
SAUDI
ARABIA
INDIA
BURMA
LAOS
OMAN
Los Angeles
San Francisco
Monaco
Cologne
Frankfurt
Hamburg
VENEZUELA
Atlanta
Detroit
LEBANON
MOROCCO
MAURITANIA
PUERTO RICO
Beijing
Tokyo
MONGOLIA
ROMANIA
London
Paris
UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
AUSTRIA
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
MALI
SENEGAL
NIGER
CHAD
YAMEN
VIETNAM
SUDAN
BURKINA
GUINEA
BENIN
NIGERIA
TOGO
LIBERIA
IVORY
COAST
ETHIOPIA
GHANA
CENTRAL AFRICAN
REPUBLIC
SOMALIA
UGANDA
GABON
Dubai
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ZEALAND
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MSLGROUP Office
Affiliate Office
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ENERGY
NEWSLETTER
www.mslgroup.com
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