海角大神

From Russia-Ukraine gas wars to solar innovation to climate change, Recharge delivers global energy's big ideas to your inbox each weekend.听.

Pressure: Failed Russia-Ukraine-EU gas talks Friday raise听the specter of a cold, dark winter in Ukraine and elsewhere. Russia says it will ensure gas flows onward to Europe, and there's听. But Ukraine has threatened to block transit of Russian gas, and continued regional violence complicate a longterm solution.

Caliphates: The IS threat shows little sign of waning, with听. Its rapid spread has only bolstered听, which covets听Nigeria's oil wealth. Booming US production has largely offset these threats听so far, but a major supply disruption in Iraq and/or Nigeria听would send shocks through the market.

Executive power: President Obama has found some success circumventing Congress in his domestic climate agenda. Now,听. With international climate talks approaching, there's听new evidence that his听brand of听clean-power policy听saves more than it costs.

In the pipeline

• Tuesday, Sept. 2 to Friday, Sept. 5: TALLINN, ESTONIA and NEWPORT, WALES 鈥� President Obama meets with Baltic leaders before heading to the听. Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania get all their natural gas from Russia, so pressure will be on听Obama听to expand US LNG export capacity as a gesture听of support for US allies.
• Wednesday, Sept. 3 to Thursday, Sept. 4: NAIROBI, KENYA 鈥� The听听convenes officials from a region aiming to generate eight times more power in the next 25 years. Kenya and Mozambique in particular have drawn听attention recently, both for oil and gas development, and abundant renewable potential.
• Friday, Sept. 5: LINCOLN, NEB. 鈥� The听听through the state. The Obama administration has delayed a decision on pipeline approval until after the Nebraska appeal is decided.

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Drill deeper

听[BBC]
On Sept. 18, Scotland will vote on independence from the UK, with energy playing a key role in the debate. North Sea oil reserves would help fund an independent Scotland 鈥� but supplies have already dwindled, and the region's oil and gas faces an uncertain future in years to come.

听[Washington Post]
鈥淐oal is what鈥檚 made our country the best on God鈥檚 green earth,鈥� a mining association representative says during a session to retrain miners for other careers. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got homes, mortgages, bills, and the industry you鈥檝e worked in all this time is gone. But life, it鈥檚 changing. Those who can adapt can be successful."

听[ProPublica听and听The Lens]
Every 48 minutes, a piece of Louisiana the size of a听football field听slips underwater. Oil and gas drilling and dredging contributes to the cause, and is dangerously exposed to the effects 鈥� the region is home to half of the country鈥檚 oil refineries, and pipelines that serve 90 percent of the nation鈥檚 offshore energy production.

Energy sources

• : "[P]olicy and market risks [are] ... raising concerns over how fast renewables can scale up to meet long-term deployment objectives. Just when renewables are becoming a cost-competitive option in an increasing number of cases, policy uncertainty is rising in some key OECD markets."
• : "... Mexico's production could stabilize at 2.9 MMbbl/d through 2020 and then rise to 3.7 MMbbl/d by 2040鈥攁bout 75% higher than in last year's outlook."
• US District Judge Gray Miller via听: "Kurdistan's unauthorized export of oil over land鈥攁nd later overseas鈥攎ay violate Iraqi law, but it doesn't violate U.S. maritime law."

Unplug

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From Ukraine gas wars to solar innovation to climate change, Recharge delivers global energy's big ideas to your inbox听each weekend.听.