Energy News Beat

In case you missed it the other day, the Municipal District of Greenview, in west-central Alberta, announced some rather huge plans: to develop the “world’s largest AI Data Centre industrial Park”. The potential total value of the project could exceed a staggering $70 billion. This might, just might, be the tip of a big iceberg, because it shows the first indications that word is spreading about what some people have known for a while: there is no better place for these power-hungry data behemoths than the cold, relatively unpopulated, natural-gas-rich region of western Canada.

The announcement has garnered significant attention, which was awesome to see. The terms “AI data centre” and “$70 billion” will do that, and for good reason. AI is sweeping the world and no business or institution wants to be left behind. Furthermore, everyone wants them yesterday, and the challenge is where to put them all. It’s not easy finding the right place to plop something onto the grid within a few months that consumes the electricity of a small city, that doesn’t cause very problematic disruptions. We are in a power-short world, and this new entrant doesn’t really care. Which spells nothing but opportunity for power-rich regions.

Despite the positivity of the news release, it is important to keep our feet on the ground. Not meaning to be a buzzkill, here, but we shouldn’t fool ourselves that this will be easy. At any rate, here’s a quick run through the challenges, before getting to the more optimistic view. And in the spirit of Kevin O’Leary, I’ll let ‘er rip.

Mr. O’Leary is of course the driving force behind the Greenview AI project, which means that out of the chute it is going to be a colourful ride. He has dubbed himself “Mr. Wonderful” in an odd burst of mirth; the title is I guess supposed to be ironic because he, in his own words, courts controversy. He does seem to go out of his way to be provocative, with a certain Howard Stern-type shock-jock vibe that is not always helpful.

At least a few very bright people I’ve spoken to raise their eyebrows when they hear that Mr. O’Leary is leading this charge (he has even dubbed the location “Wonder Valley”, presumably a play on his chosen nickname, which comes across a bit like a tinpot dictator putting up a huge statue of himself). His business chatter is often mostly a lot of shouting, a lot of feathers but not much chicken; he is an astute businessman but seems to take delight in boisterous battles or boasts that cause people to think otherwise. In a recent BNN interview this past summer, he mused that he would buy TikTok (“I will be the buyer, I think”), which is a bit of an astonishing claim, considering that later in the conversation he went on to talk about his investment in a cupcake-in-a-jar business, which sounds fun, but does not enhance his Renaissance-man-style, nor when talking about executing 70 billion dollar projects. His focus is, to put it mildly, rather wild-eyed.

He is not a stranger to data centers, but even then his low polar moment of inertia leads to some serious longitudinal instability (oops, too much F1 lately). At the 2022 “Montana on the Rise Economic Summit”, he spoke extensively of data centers, concluding that data centers would be built “right here in Montana” because of the clean power attributes, and abundance of space and water. He went on to say that he would only place data centers (he does invest in them) where he requires “policy that he can see at least 7 years ahead.” When he invests in data centers, per his speech, what matters are two parameters: “the source of energy and the stability of the policy and the tax regime.” Regarding energy sources, he talked about Montana’s zero-carbon power sources as being key to this Montana vision of his. His statement was clear: clean power was the key to Montana data center development, from hydro, wind, nuclear. He introduced four speakers that each spoke of the clean power that was pretty much a prerequisite.

But now here he is leading the charge into Canada, which is a great omen possibly, more on that in a second, but it does fly in the face of what he said two years ago. In fact, not just two years ago but even earlier this year he was lamenting that Canada was un-investable. Here is another batch of sound bites from Mr. O’Leary from March 2024, where he vigorously follows up on his requirement for 7 clear years of policy vision:  Canada is “run by complete idiots…Canada should have at least five of them [data centers]. There are none of them going on right now because you can’t get energy permits…you wouldn’t waste your time trying to go through the regulatory process of getting a permit issued…No one is going to risk capital there. You cannot get anything done in Canada, not in mining, not in data centers, not in anything to do with the federal government…”

Furthermore, as he ascertains, the challenges will be considerable. He was not wrong in his assessment of Canada’s challenging investment climate, and anyone involved in building anything in Canada can spill yarns until the cows come home about the endless challenges.

You wouldn’t know this by looking at the Wonder Valley website. It is somewhat different than the norm for this type of thing, in Canada – some entities that I am in touch with are attempting to build such projects, but are doing it the hard way – doing as much legwork as possible before making a big public statement, because of the considerable uncertainty. Mr. O’Leary has chosen a different tack, including creating a minute-long AI video of a dreamy forest landscape with prancing deer and pristine buildings, to go with his wonderful name, and anyone with any project development experience up here is well aware of the challenges that are being visually swept under the rug. It makes one wonder just where the project is at in the planning timeline, because the peacock feathers need to be affixed to something substantial, or they’re all just for show. And that’s where this project has an aura of haziness, because anyone that builds anything knows the flash is the easy part.

OK, that was the bad news. And it’s no surprise, we all know he is flamboyantly combative and blustery. But that’s not the end of the story.

Now let’s look at the good. And it could be very good indeed.

Regardless of the antics chronicled above, the fact remains that Mr. O’Leary is a very successful businessman, that does not run from a challenge. There are also numerous reasons why he might just make this all happen despite his historical comments on the topic.

First off, Mr. O’Leary, like everyone else, no doubt has a different view of data centers than from 2022. The whole world has exploded in AI demand in just the past 12 months. So we can easily forgive him for that change of heart, including his adaptation to welcome natural gas. Given the current demand for AI services over the next few years, there is no other way.

Then Mr. O’Leary spoke of Canada being un-investable because of Ottawa. He’s not crazy there, I would agree completely. But the good news is that perhaps the winds of change are blowing so hard that investors might be willing to start placing bets that the era of insane governance in Canada is nearing the end. That would be a very good sign, because this country will continue to sink as long as the current regime keeps flexing in ways that terrify any investor that isn’t building a battery plant or other albatross with the fed’s $.

The last part of the good news equation is that Mr. O’Leary is publicizing something that is exactly right. From the Greenview/O’Leary news release: “Given existing permits, proximity to stranded sources of natural gas, pipeline infrastructure, water and a fiber optic network within just a few kilometers of the Greenview Industrial Gateway, we will be in the ground and up and running sooner than any scale project of its kind… The GIG’s ideal cold-weather climate, a highly skilled labor force, Alberta’s pro-business policies and attractive tax regime make the GIG the perfect site for this project.” Mr. O’Leary has not forgotten the carbon-free angle, noting that geothermal energy is under development in the region as well. And finally, the project, according to the news release, promises a positive relationship with First Nations, a cornerstone of any future large-scale industrial construction in any part of Canada that is not a major city.

Behind the regulatory woes, the tools required to make this project a success are mostly there. The energy sector has a formidable ability to get things done, with a strong, motivated workforce, world-class talent, and legendary enthusiasm. The dynamism of the sector has drawn young people from across the country for decades.

Thanks to the enthusiasm of producers, we are also blessed with many decades of reasonably priced natural gas; we are capable of producing far more than can find a home via pipe. If ever there was a poster child for “in-basin demand”, this is it. The infrastructure is there, the gas is there, the construction talent is there, the fiber optic linkages are there…it’s quite a list of assets.

Those of us watching the energy industry from the inside have known since the topic went viral that inland western Canada possesses everything necessary to successfully host massive AI data center developments. The challenge has been the vast, thick wet blanket of regulatory strangulation and business animosity that has grown like a weed across the country.

If it takes a bombastic guy like Kevin O’Leary to punch through that mess and start the first wave of what could be a very large infusion of capital into Canada, then so be it and I welcome his project and even him with open arms. Furthermore, I’m sure nothing drives him forward like being told he will not accomplish something.

And to be very clear on the point: Mr. O’Leary is an entrepreneurial guy that gets things done. That is exactly what we need more of in Canada. Or rather, we have lots of those types, but they’ve been demoralized for a decade by the current political and regulatory environment that actively dislikes the hydrocarbon sector. Maybe exactly what we need is someone larger than life to kickstart things. We do know that the demand for AI data centers seems insatiable, and once the trail is blazed for new, co-located projects, perhaps many more will rapidly follow.

Mr. O’Leary, wishing you all the best and I will gladly print and eat this column at your convenience (I get to choose font) should you bring Wonder Valley to life. If you do, it could be the cornerstone for a whole new industry up here, and the benefits to Canada will be glorious.It’s all happening as expected, more or less – an energy transition isn’t quite so simple.  Find out what readers knew years ago in The End of Fossil Fuel Insanity – the energy story for those that don’t live it, and want to find out. And laugh. Available at Amazon.ca, Indigo.ca, or Amazon.com. 

Terry Etam –

Source: The BOE Report

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The problem is in services, which account for 67% of PPI. But goods prices are re-accelerating too. The whole inflation scenario has changed.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

The prior months’ data of the Producer Price Index were revised substantially higher today, powered by whoppers of upward revisions in the PPI for services, something that has been happening month after month, and on top of that came the price increases in November.

The PPI tracks inflation in goods and services that companies buy and whose cost increases they ultimately try to pass on to their customers. And the entire year 2024 through November has been a big acceleration.

The revisions, and the additional price increases in November, caused the overall PPI for final demand to rise by 3.0% year-over-year, unrounded (+2.98%) the fastest increase since February 2023, and a substantial acceleration from October, which a month ago was reported as an increase of 2.4% year-over-year, and up from the original September increase of 1.8%. So the data went in two months from 1.8% to 3.0%: that’s a big fast acceleration.

The freak drop in July in the chart above was caused in the services index, that forms the majority of the overall PPI. More in a moment.

On a month-to-month basis – likely to be revised even higher next month – the PPI for final demand rose by 0.38% on top of the upwardly revised price levels in the prior month, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics today

The plunge in energy prices from mid-2022 until recently had pushed the overall PPI down into its pre-pandemic range, and papered over the inflationary forces in services. But that is now over. On a month-to-month basis, energy prices rose in November, and food prices jumped, and other goods prices rose, and services prices rose.

“Core” PPI, which excludes food and energy, accelerated to 3.4% year-over-year, the fastest pace since February 2023, up from the originally reported 3.1% in October and up from the originally reported 2.8% in September. On a month-to-month basis, Core PPI added 0.22% in November to the upwardly revised October price level.

The Services PPI for final demand accounts for 67% of the overall PPI. It’s the biggie, and it’s where inflation is. And it’s where the whopper upward revisions are.

The PPI services accelerated to 3.9% year-over-year in November, the fastest pace since February 2023,, and there were whoppers of upward revisions for October to 3.8%, from the 3.5% reported a month ago, and for September to 3.6%, from the 3.1% reported two months ago. So from 3.1% to 3.9% in the data in two months. That’s quite a trip. We’re now eagerly awaiting the upward revisions for November.

The freak drop in July occurred because the month-to-month reading of July 2023 of +9.9% annualized fell out of the 12-month period, and was replaced by the -2.8% reading of July 2024.

The Services PPI month-to-month increased by 2.9% annualized (+0.24% not annualized) in November, on top of the upwardly revised October level.

And those were the whopper revisions, month-to-month annualized:

• October revised to +3.9% today, from the +3.2% reported a month ago
• September revised to +4.9% today, from the 2.0% reported originally two months ago
• August revised to +5.8% today in serial revisions from the originally reported 2.6% three months ago.

Double-decker luxo-whopper upward-revisions going back months! In other words, PPI inflation in services is not only getting worse, but has been much worse than previously reported.

“Finished core goods” PPI has been relatively tame and with only small revisions, compared to the inflationary mess going on in services. Some prices have been falling, others rising.

Year-over-year, the index rose by 2.5% in November, an acceleration from 2.4% in October, and the fastest increase since December 2023, and up from the low of 2.2% in May. The index has been all year in the upper portion of the pre-pandemic range.

On a month-to-month basis, the index rose by 3.1% annualized in November, and this year has been in the range from +1.5% to +3.7%.

But in terms of overall inflation, the problem is that the finished core goods PPI stopped decelerating this year, and instead started to softly accelerate again. It was a big contributor to the deceleration of the PPI last year, and that is now over.

The PPI for “finished core goods” includes finished goods that companies buy but excludes food and energy products.

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The following commentary was written by Carrie Zalewski, former Chair of the Illinois Commerce Commission and currently vice president of markets and transmission at the American Clean Power Association; and Brent Bailey, former Mississippi Public Service Commissioner and current vice president of operations at Efficient Power & Light LLC. See our commentary guidelines for more information.

Building the power grid of the future requires deploying every available tool in the present.

When it comes to electricity generation, energy wonks often reference an “all-the-above” strategy, which includes all available power sources — fossil fuels, renewable energy, and storage technologies. But generation is just one part of the reliability and affordability equation.

The Midwestern transmission grid must also evolve and adopt an “all-the-above” mentality to withstand increasingly frequent extreme weather events and support rapidly growing power demand while ensuring reliable and low-cost electricity for consumers. This is no small task. As such, policymakers and grid operators must carefully consider all near-term and long-term solutions.

New high-voltage transmission lines are essential to ensure the grid of the future is prepared for surging load growth. But new transmission line development and construction can take many years. To address immediate needs, there are other solutions that can improve capacity in the near term. Enter: advanced grid technologies.

Significant technological advancements are available now that can come online in one to three years compared to the decade or so it takes to build new transmission lines. Such advancements include: grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) — hardware and/or software that can increase the capacity and efficiency of existing transmission lines most hours of the year — as well as high-performance conductors (HPCs) — which offer greater capacity and efficiency benefits compared to traditional conductors.

While these advanced grid technologies cannot provide enough capacity to meet long-term system needs, they are relatively inexpensive and drive enormous cost savings until we can bring regional backbone lines into service. Deploying GETs and HPCs in the near term to help meet projected demand growth while simultaneously planning and constructing new regional and interregional transmission lines is key to ensuring the delivery of reliable, low-cost power across the Midwest.

MISO, the central U.S. grid operator, is considering a second portfolio of transmission projects aimed at creating a regional backbone of long-distance lines that will enable power to flow across the Upper and Central Midwest. These transmission lines will build upon investments made in the first tranche of projects, approved by the grid operator in 2022, which began to lay the groundwork for an evolution of the system.

The second batch of potential projects aims to “reliably and efficiently enable MISO member goals and load growth,” delivering benefits that significantly outweigh costs. Across much of the current system, MISO found that at least 10% of facilities are overloaded and annual curtailments exceed 15%, meaning available generators are forced offline because there is not enough grid capacity to carry their power.

MISO will also soon consider transmission projects for the Southern region of MISO as well as measures to increase the flow of electricity between the MISO regions.  A regional problem requires regional solutions, including well-vetted, long-distance transmission lines.

Additionally, there is a significant need for greater interregional transmission capacity between MISO and its neighbors. The U.S. Department of Energy identified especially high congestion between the Midwest and Plains states. This means there are bottlenecks in the system that hinder the ability to deliver electricity between these areas. As a result, more interregional transmission ties from MISO to the Plains would offer considerable consumer benefits in the form of increased reliability and decreased costs when affordable clean energy can be accessed and transmitted back to MISO members.

Building the grid of the future will require every technology at our disposal. It’s critical that grid operators and state regulators consider and implement all transmission technology tools when planning and building a system that will enhance national security, facilitate regional economic development, and withstand new and growing reliability threats for generations to come.

Source: Energynews.us

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California has long led the way on electric vehicles, but another Western state is challenging the Golden State’s top spot.

Between July and September, nearly 25 percent of the vehicles registered in Colorado were electric or plug-in hybrids. In California, that figure was just over 24 percent. It’s not enough to crown Colorado the new undisputed leader in EVs, but it’s a notable milestone — no other state has ever surpassed California in terms of EV registrations, according to James Di Filippo, principal policy analyst at Atlas Public Policy.

It’s the culmination of a ​“pretty dramatic” trend line for Colorado’s EV adoption since the start of 2023, Di Filippo said. Coloradans bought just over 41,000 EVs last year, up from roughly 23,000 in 2022.

Governor Jared Polis, a Democrat, announced the accomplishment last week, touting it as a sign of the state’s commitment to reaching its climate goals and improving air quality. ​“This new data shows that demand for EVs continues to increase and especially with competitive state and federal rebates, drastically cutting the cost of an EV and saving people money,” Polis said in a press release.

Colorado has some of the most generous incentives for EV sales in the country, Di Filippo said. Its policies and incentives have helped make the cars more affordable, while the state’s investments in charging infrastructure have made owning an electric car more practical.

All Coloradans can receive a $5,000 state tax credit for purchasing or leasing a new EV or plug-in hybrid priced up to $80,000. That credit is available through the end of this year, then will decrease to $3,500 starting in 2025. EVs valued under $35,000 are eligible for an additional tax credit of $2,500 — for a total potential state credit of $7,500.

Through the Vehicle Exchange Colorado program, income-qualified residents can trade in old or highly polluting gas cars in exchange for a $6,000 rebate to put toward a new EV or plug-in hybrid purchase or lease, or $4,000 for a used one.

The state tax credits and the vehicle-exchange rebates can be combined with federal tax credits, which currently offer up to $7,500 for a new EV lease or purchase or $4,000 for a used EV.

The state has also worked over the past few years to install more public chargers. There are currently over 5,500 public charging ports across Colorado. This year, the state plans to install another 576 ports using $5 million in funding from the Colorado Energy Office.

In 2020, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected that 580,000 zero-emission vehicles would be sold in the U.S. in 2023. But actual sales last year were almost two and a half times greater at 1.43 million. This year, Cox Automotive expects sales to climb even higher, despite gloomy forecasts issued by some analysts earlier in 2024.

According to estimates from Kelley Blue Book, EV sales made up 8.9 percent of all vehicle sales in the country in the third quarter of this year — the highest share ever recorded, and an increase from 7.8 percent in the same time period last year.

The Biden administration set a goal for EVs to make up half of all new vehicle sales by 2030. As of this February, sales were on track to meet that goal, though the picture is more uncertain heading into the second Trump administration. The president-elect reportedly plans to eliminate federal EV tax credits and roll back Environmental Protection Agency tailpipe emissions rules — against the wishes of the nation’s largest automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis.

Transportation is the single largest category of carbon emissions in the country, at 28 percent, driven mainly by trucks, SUVs, and other road vehicles.

Colorado has an even more aggressive EV goal than the federal government, aiming for 82 percent of all car sales to be electric by 2032. Looking ahead, EV registrations and sales in the state likely won’t continue to outpace California, Di Filippo said, since ​“the trend line for California is still steeper overall.”

“This isn’t necessarily a story of Colorado just beating California out right,” he said. ​“This is really a story of EV success.”

Source: Energynews.us

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Crude oil and natural gas production in Argentina are both nearing record highs, driven by increasing output from the Vaca Muerta shale formation, which is offsetting declining output from conventional oil and natural gas fields. From January 2021 through September 2024, crude oil production in Argentina increased by 50%, and natural gas production rose by 27%, lifting output of both fuels near the records set in the early 2000s, according to data from the country’s energy ministry, the Secretaría de Energía de la República Argentina (SESCO).

We estimate that the Vaca Muerta shale formation, located mainly in Argentina’s Neuquén province, has 308 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable shale gas resources and 16 billion barrels of technically recoverable shale oil and condensate resources. Argentina ranks among the world’s top five holders of shale crude oil and natural gas resources.

Crude oil production in the Vaca Muerta formation began to surge in 2021 due to:

• Increased drilling activity
• Technological advances in hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling
• Favorable oil prices
• Infrastructure improvements with the commissioning of new oil pipelines
• Implementation of supportive policy measures

In September 2024, production averaged 738,000 barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in Argentina, 15% more than in September 2023 and the most in any month since 2003. In September, oil produced in the Vaca Muerta formation accounted for 58% of the country’s total output, according to SESCO.

An average of 5.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of natural gas was produced in Argentina over the first nine months of 2024, 5.2% more than the same period in 2023. In August, natural gas production averaged 5.4 Bcf/d, the most of any month in 21 years. The Vaca Muerta formation accounts for more than 70% of Argentina’s natural gas production, reaching 74% (3.8 Bcf/d) in September 2024.

Crude oil and natural gas exports
Rising production of crude oil and natural gas from the Vaca Muerta formation has increased export opportunities for both fuels. Argentina’s crude oil exports increased by an average of 33% per year from 30,000 b/d in 2017 to 128,000 b/d in 2023. Shale crude oil accounted for about 70% of crude oil exported in 2023. Argentina’s primary destinations for crude oil exports in 2023 were the United States, Brazil, and Chile. The recent completion of the Vaca Muerta Norte Oil Pipeline helped facilitate exports to Chile.

Growing domestic natural gas production and the development of several new pipeline projects have decreased Argentina’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports and led to planning to increase exports. Argentina relied on LNG imports to help manage peak heating and electricity demand during the winter (June–August) in the southern hemisphere, especially given the country’s limited natural gas storage capacity. During the first nine months of 2024, Argentina imported 0.2 Bcf/d of LNG, 43% less than over the same period in 2023.

Argentina’s natural gas imports via pipeline fell by 47% in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the same period in 2023. The decline was largely because pipeline imports from Bolivia, which made up around half of Argentina’s natural gas imports in 2023, ended in September 2024. Meanwhile, Argentina is investing in infrastructure to expand the distribution of natural gas from the Vaca Muerta formation to northern Argentina, including reversing pipelines designed for imports from Bolivia in order to export natural gas to Brazil.

Natural gas exports to neighboring Chile and Uruguay via pipeline have notably increased, while Argentina’s LNG imports have declined due to new infrastructure projects such as the Perito Francisco Pascasio Moreno gas pipeline, formerly known as the Presidente Néstor Kirchner gas pipeline, which started operations in 2023, transporting natural gas from the Vaca Muerta formation north to the Santa Fe and Buenos Aires provinces. Exports to Chile increased 14% in the first nine months of 2024 compared with the same period last year to about 0.25 Bcf/d.

Natural gas and LNG infrastructure development
Several key infrastructure projects are supporting the growth in natural gas production from the Vaca Muerta region, including the Perito Francisco Pascasio Moreno gas pipeline with a capacity of 0.7 Bcf/d, where a planned second phase would expand its capacity to 1.2 Bcf/d by 2028. The Gasoducto Norte pipeline is currently undergoing a flow reversal project to transport natural gas from southern to northern Argentina. The first phase of operations began this November, with the pipeline expected to reach its full capacity of 0.7 Bcf/d. We expect this project to be completed in the first quarter of 2025 and facilitate natural gas exports to northern Chile and Brazil to meet growing demand in these markets.

Argentina’s government has implemented new policies to boost energy production and exports, including the Plan Gas.Ar. In addition, the Plan Gas IV Program expanded export authorizations and four-year export contracts for natural gas—the country’s first multiyear contracts in two decades. Last July, Argentina’s Congress also passed a Promotional Regime for Large Investment (RIGI), aiming to provide certainty and legal stability to investors by offering tax, customs, and currency exchange incentives, which could support new spending on infrastructure.

Several companies are planning floating LNG (FLNG) infrastructure in the coming years. Golar LNG has a 20-year agreement with Pan American Energy (PAE) to deploy an FLNG vessel in Argentina by 2027, targeting a production capacity of 2.45 million metric tons per year (MMmt/y). Tecpetrol SA is designing a modular onshore plant with an initial capacity of 4 MMmt/y. YPF SA, Argentina’s state-controlled energy company, plans to bring an existing FLNG facility online by 2027, aiming for 1 MMmt/y to 2 MMmt/y of additional export capacity. It is also seeking new investors for an LNG export project in Rio Negro, despite uncertainties regarding Petronas’s involvement and significant infrastructure costs.

You can find additional information about Argentina’s energy sector in our recently updated Country Analysis Brief.

Principal contributors: Eulalia Munoz-Cortijo, Matias Arnal
Data visualization: Jonathan Russo

Source: Eia.gov

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ENB Pub Note: President Trump needs to put an updated Executive Order 13929 that he had implemented, and Biden terminated that Executive Order. That order “prohibits the acquisition or installation of “any bulk-power electric equipment designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied, by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction of such foreign adversaries.” In addition to China and Russia, the order identified North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela as “foreign adversaries.” – Since then, the Chinese Spy balloons connected to the US internet connections and my have connected to the 32 main connections. This has also been discussed in my podcast with Michael Yon. 

The incoming president will reportedly issue at least 25 executive orders immediately upon entering the White House

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The new collaboration is aimed at boosting technological partnerships between the group’s member states

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Enfinium, an energy from waste operator, has said its Yorkshire site has saved 2.25 million tonnes of CO2.

Its Ferrybridge 1 energy from waste facility has reached a milestone in diverting 6 million tonnes of unrecyclable waste from landfill. It’s been operational since 2015 and together with sister Ferrybridge 2 facility, makes up the largest energy from waste facility in the UK.

Enfinium says Ferrybridge 1 has played a significant role in managing the region’s unrecyclable waste, providing a more sustainable alternative to landfill, transforming waste into homegrown energy and supporting the region’s decarbonisation goals.

Energy from waste facilities produce around half the emissions per tonne of waste compared to the emissions emitted per tonne of waste in landfill

Since 1990, the uptake of energy from waste has helped bring the emissions from the waste sector down by 74%.

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EU forests absorb around 10 per cent of the total EU emissions, playing an important role both in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Their innate ability to regenerate and adapt makes forests a great ally in facing the damaging effects of climate change.

In November, the European Council approved a regulation establishing the EU’s first certification framework for carbon removals, carbon farming, and carbon storage in products, advancing the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

Meanwhile, global deforestation surged in 2023 to 6.37 million hectares. Tropical regions are critically affected, accounting for 96 per cent of deforestation.

Critics argue that the European Union’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) alone will not be enough to curb tropical deforestation. The delay in implementation should give the EU enough time to reflect upon and learn from its challenges.

The EU agreed to postpone the law’s application by 12 months but declared it would not water down its original terms. The delay will allow third countries, operators and traders to be fully prepared.

This special report looks at the complexity of managing European and global forest assets, their role in achieving Net Zero, and their significant economic benefits.

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‘Snow White’ star Rachel Zegler has apologized for her reaction to the election of Donald Trump, saying she let her “emotions get the best” of her when she wished that the president-elect’s supporters “never know peace.”

“F**k Donald Trump,” Zegler wrote on her Instagram story last week, after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to become president-elect of the US.

“I find myself speechless in the midst of this,” she continued. “May Trump supporters and Trump voters and Trump himself never know peace. Another four years of hatred, leaning us towards a world I do not want to live in. Leaning us towards a world that will be hard to raise my daughter in.”

Zegler, who won a Golden Globe for playing María in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of ‘West Side Story’, does not have a daughter.

Conservative pundits were livid at her comments. “Hello, Disney! You’re gonna have to redo your film again, because this woman is a pig,” former Fox News host Megyn Kelly opined on her radio show. “I’m sorry, Disney, she has to go right now.”

Zegler apologized on Thursday. “I let my emotions get the best of me,” she wrote in another Instagram story. “Hatred and anger have caused us to move further and further away from peace and understanding, and I am sorry I contributed to the negative discourse,” she continued, concluding: “I firmly believe that everyone has the right to their opinion, even when it differs from my own. I am committed to contributing positively towards a better tomorrow.”

Kelly’s reference to redoing the film was likely intentional. ‘Snow White’ was reshot several times, with Zegler demanding that the story be overhauled to include a more feminist message, in which the titular princess is “not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love,” and Disney scrapping the iconic seven dwarves for fear of offending the vertically challenged.

“People are making these jokes about ours being the PC Snow White, where it’s like, yeah, it is, because it needed that,” Zegler told Vanity Fair in 2022.

The film is due for release in spring, but its road to completion has been fraught with controversy. ‘Game of Thrones’ star Peter Dinklage called for the dwarves to be cut, but also expressed bewilderment that Disney would “cast a Latina actress as Snow White.”

Animator David Hand, whose father worked on the 1938 version of ‘Snow White’, complained that “my dad and Walt [Disney] would also very much disagree with” the modern retelling of the story.

“They change the stories, they change the thought processes of the characters, they just aren’t the original stories anymore. They’re making up new woke things and I’m just not into any of that,” he told The Telegraph last year. “I find it quite frankly a bit insulting that they may have done with some of these classic films.”

Source: Rt.com

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