Chinese imports of major commodities from its northern neighbour totalled $88.3 billion in 2022, up 52% from 2021 as refiners, utilities and smelters snapped up discounted Russian resources after western buyers shunned the trade.
In the first quarter of 2023, Russia leapfrogged Saudi Arabia to rank as China's top crude oil supplier, with volumes up a third to a record 2.05 million bpd, worth $13.7 billion during the quarter.
China has shifted to paying in yuan for piped gas imports via the Power of Siberia pipeline that began operation in late 2019. Imports last year amounted to 16 billion cubic meters, worth nearly $4 billion, a volume poised to reach 38 bcm in 2025.
Ranking second in value at $12.2 billion in 2022, settlements for almost all of Chinese imports of Russian coal have shifted from dollars to yuan since the Ukraine war, according to three Chinese importers.
China, the world's top metals consumer, imported a combined $5.1 billion worth of aluminium, refined copper and refined nickel from Russia in 2022, up 16% from 2021 with import volumes heading higher so far this year.
Apart from sanctions concerns, high dollar borrowing costs and the growing use of the Chinese market for pricing metals imports have also spurred the use of yuan.
Offshore wind farms in UK waters generated enough power to meet the electricity needs of 41% (11.5 million) of the nation’s homes in 2022.
In total, offshore wind generated 45 TWh of electricity last year, up from 37 TWh in 2021 and a sixfold increase over the past 10 years, and is estimated to be generating enough electricity to meet the needs of nearly half (47%) of UK homes by the end of the current year. The new record was achieved despite 2022 wind speeds coming in lower than the long-term average.
Plans have been unveiled for what is claimed would be the world’s largest-of-its-kind electricity link connecting offshore wind between the Netherlands and the UK. The LionLink project aims to support decarbonisation and energy independence and strengthen UK, Dutch and European security of supply.
Unveiled at the North Sea Summit in Belgium last week and seen as a key project in the newly announced North Sea Energy Declaration, the LionLink subsea high voltage electricity cable, called a multi-purpose, hybrid interconnector, would supply clean power to 1.8 million UK homes. The project would mark the first step towards an integrated electricity grid in the North Sea, report the UK’s National Grid and European transmission system operator TenneT.
The cross-border electricity line will be only the second of its kind in the world, with the first having been built by Germany and Denmark. However, it will be able to carry more than four times the amount of electricity as its predecessor – making it the largest of its kind in terms of capacity anywhere in the world.
The UK and European Union have a combined target of 110 GW of installed offshore wind capacity by 2030. The British and Dutch energy markets were first connected in 2011 via the BritNed point-to-point interconnector.
A disjointed and elderly electricity transmission grid, hobbled by a complex planning and regulatory system, threatens the expansion of renewable energy in the US.
To unlock the full emissions reduction potential of the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a report from Princeton University’s Zero-Carbon Energy Systems Research and Optimization Laboratory (Zero Lab) finds that ‘the pace of [electricity] transmission expansion must more than double the rate over the last decade’.
Among the goals of the IRA is that the US enjoys 100% clean electricity by 2035 and a zero-emissions economy by 2050. But renewable energy projects that might help meet those goals are stuck waiting in queues – in part because of a weak grid and rigid bureaucratic controls.
‘The power grid in the US is ageing, inefficient and unreliable,’ says Dr Gilbert Michaud, Assistant Professor, School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago. More than 70% of the nation’s grid transmission lines and power transformers are over 25 years old according to notes the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity. ‘Due to the geographic breadth of the US, the transmission of electricity over long distances causes notable energy losses, and the overhead nature of these power lines makes them more susceptible to natural disasters. Cyber and physical attacks on the power grid are also a growing concern.’
The continental US grid system is not only old but also highly fragmented. Its three sections – the Eastern, Western, and Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) – ‘are almost completely isolated from one another, electrically speaking’, according to a statement by the RMI, a non-profit organisation working on clean energy transition. There is also a separate grid for Alaska.
Although the global transport sector will be revolutionised by electrification, it faces a ‘severe emission challenge’, according to the latest analysis from DNV. The sector’s share of overall emissions is set to grow from 25% today to 30% by 2050 as a large part of the transport system will remain fossil fuel dependent.
Electricity is gaining traction in so called ‘hard-to-electrify’ transport sectors such as heavy trucking and aviation, and is anticipated to grow from 1% today to 23% in 2050, according to DNV’s latest Transport in Transition report.
However, despite oil demand in the transport sector forecast to halve by 2050, the present pace of the transition still falls severely short of the goals of the Paris Agreement, suggests the study. Today, transport of passengers and goods accounts for about a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emissions, a share forecast to rise to 30% by 2050. ‘Opportunities to accelerate change through pilot projects and uptake of alternative energy need to be seized as soon as possible,’ the report states.
Neste has unveiled plans to move forward with its green hydrogen project in Porvoo, Finland; while Ineos Inovyn and HyMove have teamed up to establish a hydrogen distribution network in eastern France.
As part of its drive to reach carbon neutral production by 2035, Neste has decided to proceed to the basic engineering phase on a 120 MW electrolyser project to produce green hydrogen at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. A final investment decision (FID) is expected in early 2024, with first production targeted for 2026.
In France, Ineos Inovyn and HyMove (a joint venture between Inthy group and Alpiq) are looking to set up a hydrogen distribution network for heavy-duty transport in the country’s Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
The hydrogen for the ‘ReadHy to Move’ project will be supplied by Ineos from its Tavaux facility, where it is planning to construct new hydrogen purification and compression systems that will be commissioned in 2026.
Ineos Inovyn currently produces more than 10,000 t/y of low-carbon hydrogen at its Tavaux site, which is equivalent to approximately 50mn l/y of diesel.
HyWay, a second joint venture between Inthy and Alpiq, will also offer pay-per-use hydrogen trucks to local logistics companies wanting to reduce their carbon footprint.
Canada’s new renewable energy investment tax credit (ITC), unveiled in the 2023 federal budget, is claimed to make the country a ‘global leader’ in favourable financial conditions for green energy projects. These new tax breaks will raise the value of some projects by more than 50% over their lifetime, positioning Canada as the second most attractive place for renewable developers, behind only the US.
The ‘made in Canada’ strategy is part of a growing global trend of policies prioritising domestic production and labour, similar to the US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The ITC – a refundable incentive that offers up a percentage of the cost of capital investment – will provide a 30% tax write-off for renewable technologies deployed through 2034.
Canada is already a global leader in renewable energy power generation, with 83% of its grid power coming from renewable and nuclear sources. That share is expected to hit 97% by 2050, with most of the additional capacity supported by solar project development.
The full ITC (investment tax credit) applies to geothermal, solar, wind and energy storage projects and will be in effect until December 2033, falling to 15% in 2034 and being phased out after 2034. Hydrogen projects also stand to benefit from a government-backed credit line for new projects. The plan provides up to 40% tax credits for green hydrogen projects emitting less than 0.75 kg CO2e per kg of clean hydrogen. Grey or blue hydrogen projects could see 5% to 25% ITC, depending on labour conditions.
Conflicts, economic shocks driven by COVID-19 and Russia’s war against Ukraine, and weather extremes are pushing up the number of people who suffer acute hunger and malnutrition, according to the latest edition of the Global Report on Food Crises.
More articles on this topic are coming in our WeChat official account.
Last year, wildfires in 45 observed countries burnt an area about the size of Montenegro, hitting Natura 2000 protected sites hard. This year, France has already surpassed its annual average of fire-ravaged area.
2022 was the second-worst wildfire season in the European Union since 2000 when the Copernicus’ European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) records began. Damages in 2022 exceeded those of 2021 and are only surpassed by those of 2017, according to data from the EFFIS Advance Report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2022.
EFFIS observed fires in 45 countries in 2022. These countries suffered 16 941 fires that burnt 1 624 381 hectares (ha), which is about the size of Montenegro.
Excluding war-torn Ukraine, Spain was the most affected by wildfires with a total of 315 705 ha. This is three-and-a-half more than in 2021. Romania (16 2518 ha), Portugal (11 2063 ha), Bosnia and Herzegovina (76 473 ha) and France (74 654 ha) were also among the five countries that were most affected.
2022 年，中国从北方邻国进口的主要大宗商品总额为 883 亿美元，比 2021 年增长 52%，原因是在西方买家回避贸易后，炼油厂、公用事业和冶炼厂抢购了打折的俄罗斯资源。
2023 年第一季度，俄罗斯超越沙特阿拉伯成为中国最大的原油供应国，该季度的量增长了三分之一，达到创纪录的 205 万桶/日，价值 137 亿美元。
中国已转为通过 2019 年底开始运营的西伯利亚力量管道进口管道天然气并以人民币支付。去年的进口量达到 160 亿立方米，价值近 40 亿美元，预计到 2025 年将达到 38 亿立方米。
据三位中国进口商称，自乌克兰战争以来，中国从俄罗斯进口的煤炭的结算价在 2022 年达到 122 亿美元，位居第二。
中国是世界最大的金属消费国，2022 年从俄罗斯进口了总价值 51 亿美元的铝、精炼铜和精炼镍，比 2021 年增长了 16%，今年迄今为止的进口量还在增加。
除了对制裁的担忧，高美元借贷成本和越来越多地使用中国市场为金属进口定价也刺激了人民币的使用。
英国水域的海上风电场产生的电力足以满足 2022 年全国 41%（1150 万）家庭的电力需求。
去年海上风电总发电量为 45 TWh，高于 2021 年的 37 TWh，是过去 10 年的六倍，到今年年底预计产生的电力足以满足英国近一半 (47%) 家庭的需求。 尽管 2022 年的风速低于长期平均水平，但仍取得了新纪录。
根据一个已经公布的计划， 英国将建设世界上最大的跨境电力线，据称这将是世界上最大的， 用以连接荷兰和英国之间海上风电的电力线路。 LionLink 项目旨在支持脱碳和能源独立，并加强英国、荷兰和欧洲的供应安全。
LionLink 海底高压电缆被称为多用途混合互连器，上周在比利时北海峰会上揭幕，被视为新公布的北海能源宣言中的关键项目，将为 180 万英国人家庭提供清洁电力。 据英国国家电网和欧洲输电系统运营商 TenneT 报道，该项目将标志着北海一体化电网迈出的第一步。
这条跨境电力线将是世界上第二条此类线路，第一条由德国和丹麦建造。 然而，它能够承载的电量是其前身的四倍多——就容量而言，它是世界上同类产品中最大的。
英国和欧盟的共同目标是到 2030 年海上风电装机容量达到 110 GW。英国和荷兰的能源市场于 2011 年首次通过 BritNed 点对点互连器连接起来。
一个脱节和老化的输电网，复杂的规划和监管系统阻碍和威胁着美国可再生能源的扩张。
为了释放美国通货膨胀降低法案 (IRA) 的全部减排潜力，普林斯顿大学零碳能源系统研究和优化实验室 (Zero Lab) 的一份报告发现，“[电力] 传输扩展的速度必须比过去十年增加一倍以上的速率”。
IRA 的目标之一是到 2035 年美国享有 100% 的清洁电力，到 2050 年实现零排放经济。但可能有助于实现这些目标的可再生能源项目却在排队等待——部分原因是电网薄弱和严格的官僚控制。
“美国的电网正在老化、效率低下且不可靠，”芝加哥洛约拉大学环境可持续发展学院助理教授 Gilbert Michaud 博士说。 根据能源部 (DOE) 电力办公室的记录，全国 70% 以上的电网输电线路和电力变压器已超过 25 年。 “由于美国幅员辽阔，长距离输电会造成显着的能量损失，而这些电力线的架空性质使它们更容易受到自然灾害的影响。 对电网的网络和物理攻击也日益受到关注。”
美国大陆电网系统不仅陈旧而且高度分散。 根据致力于清洁能源转型的非营利组织 RMI 的一份声明，它的三个部分——东部、西部和得克萨斯州电力可靠性委员会 (ERCOT)——“在电气方面几乎完全相互隔离” . 阿拉斯加也有一个单独的网格。
根据 DNV 的最新分析，尽管全球运输行业将因电气化而发生革命性变化，但它仍面临着“严峻的排放挑战”。 到 2050 年，该行业占总排放量的份额将从目前的 25% 增长到 30%，因为交通系统的很大一部分仍将依赖化石燃料。
根据 DNV 最新的运输转型报告，电力在重型卡车运输和航空等所谓的“难以电气化”的运输部门越来越受欢迎，预计到 2050 年将从今天的 1% 增长到 23%。
然而，该研究表明，尽管交通部门的石油需求预计到 2050 年将减半，但目前的转型速度仍严重低于《巴黎协定》的目标。 如今，旅客和货物运输约占全球与能源相关的二氧化碳排放量的四分之一，预计到 2050 年这一比例将上升到 30%。“需要尽快抓住通过试点项目和采用替代能源来加速变革的机会，”报告指出。
Neste 公布了推进其在芬兰波尔沃的绿色氢能项目的计划； 而 Ineos Inovyn 和 HyMove 已联手在法国东部建立氢气分配网络。
作为到 2035 年实现碳中和生产的努力的一部分，Neste 已决定进入 120 兆瓦电解槽项目的基础工程阶段，以在其位于芬兰的波尔沃炼油厂生产绿色氢气。 最终投资决定 (FID) 预计将在 2024 年初做出，首次生产的目标是 2026 年。
在法国，Ineos Inovyn 和 HyMove（Inthy 集团和 Alpiq 的合资企业）正在寻求在该国的 Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 地区建立一个用于重型运输的氢配输网络。
“ReadHy to Move”项目的氢气将由 Ineos 从其 Tavaux 工厂提供，该工厂计划建造新的氢气净化和压缩系统，该系统将于 2026 年投入使用。
Ineos Inovyn 目前在其 Tavaux 工厂每年生产超过 10,000 吨低碳氢，相当于约 5000 万升/年的柴油。
HyWay 是 Inthy 和 Alpiq 的第二家合资企业，还将向希望减少碳足迹的当地物流公司提供按次付费的氢卡车。
加拿大在 2023 年联邦预算中公布了新的可再生能源投资税收抵免 (ITC)政策，据称将使该国成为绿色能源项目有利财务条件的“全球领导者”。 这些新的税收减免将使一些项目的价值在其生命周期内提高 50% 以上，使加拿大成为仅次于美国的对可再生能源开发商第二大最具吸引力的国家。
“加拿大制造”战略是全球日益增长的优先考虑国内生产和劳动力政策趋势的一部分，类似于美国的《降低通胀法案》(IRA)。 ITC——一项可退还的激励措施，提供一定比例的资本投资成本——将为到 2034 年部署的可再生技术提供 30% 的税收减免。
加拿大已经是可再生能源发电的全球领导者，83% 的电网电力来自可再生能源和核能。 到 2050 年，这一份额预计将达到 97%，其中大部分新增产能由太阳能项目开发支持。
完整的 ITC（投资税收抵免）适用于地热、太阳能、风能和储能项目，有效期至 2033 年 12 月，2034 年降至 15%，并在 2034 年后逐步取消。氢能项目也将受益于政府 -支持新项目的信贷额度。 该计划为每公斤清洁氢排放量低于 0.75 公斤二氧化碳当量的绿色氢项目提供高达 40% 的税收抵免。 根据劳动条件，灰色或蓝色氢项目可能会出现 5% 至 25% 的 ITC。
根据最新一期《全球粮食危机报告》，冲突、COVID-19 引发的经济冲击以及俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争以及极端天气正在推高遭受严重饥饿和营养不良的人数。
关于这个主题的更多文章将在我们的微信公众号中发布。
去年，在 45 个观察到的国家发生的野火烧毁了大约黑山那么大的面积，严重打击了 Natura 2000 保护区。 今年，法国的火灾面积已经超过其年平均水平。
2022 年是自 2000 年哥白尼欧洲森林火灾信息系统 (EFFIS) 记录开始以来欧盟第二严重的野火季节。 根据 EFFIS 的2022 年欧洲、中东和北非森林火灾报告的数据，2022 年的损失超过了 2021 年，仅次于 2017 年。
EFFIS 在 2022 年观测到 45 个国家发生火灾。这些国家发生 16 941 起火灾，燃烧面积为 1 624 381 公顷 (ha)，相当于黑山的面积。
除饱受战争蹂躏的乌克兰外，西班牙受野火影响最严重，总面积为 315705 公顷。 这比 2021 年多了三倍半。罗马尼亚（162518 公顷）、葡萄牙（112063 公顷）、波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那（76473 公顷）和法国（74654 公顷）也是五个国家之一 受影响最大。
END
