Energy Politics
Bill threatens more oil extraction, roads in Guatemala’s protected forests
FLORES — One of Guatemala’s most under-threat protected areas may face future oil and gas development, as lawmakers consider whether to expand extractive activities in the region and the construction of additional pipelines. A bill in Guatemala’s congress would not only renew a contract for the current oil and gas pipeline that already operates in […]
Indonesia seals $20 billion deal with G7 to speed up clean energy transition
JAKARTA — Indonesia has struck a historic deal with the G7 group of industrialized countries on a $20 billion financing package to help it speed up its transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) will see the G7 plus Denmark and Norway deliver the funding to Indonesia over the […]
‘They paid for it with misery’: Q&A with Chile dam critic Jose Marihuan Ancanao
SANTA BÁRBARA, Chile — The Bío Bío River is the second-longest in Chile, forming in the Andes near the Argentine border and running 380 kilometers (240 miles) northwest before emptying into the Pacific. The river passes through rural, sometimes uninhabited, mountains and foothills, making it seem ideal for hydroelectric development. But other areas are home […]
Is natural gas the solution to Africa’s energy needs? New research says no.
Should African countries use natural gas to power their economies until they can build more climate-friendly renewable electrical grids? The question has been at the heart of an acrid debate this year, pitting would-be fossil fuel powerhouses like Senegal and Mozambique against climate activists on the continent, who say a new round of resource extraction […]
EU votes to keep woody biomass as renewable energy, ignores climate risk
While forest advocates had high hopes, the EU parliament voted this week not to declassify woody biomass as a renewable energy source, paving the way for more EU, U.S., and Canadian forests to be turned into wood pellets and burned.
Planned coal plants fizzle as Japan ends financing in Indonesia, Bangladesh
JAKARTA — Major coal-fired power plant projects in Indonesia and Bangladesh have effectively been cancelled after the Japanese government, their main funder, recently announced it would stop providing loans to build such plants in the two countries. For Indonesia in particular, the move also means the loss of the top three foreign funders of coal […]
Indonesian bill turns coal-derived fuels clean by ignoring true scale of emissions
JAKARTA — Indonesia looks set to continue its heavy reliance on coal in its energy mix under a legislative sleight of hand: it will define fuels derived from coal as “new energy” and ignore any carbon emissions associated with them as “minimal.” The proposal has drawn heavy criticism from energy experts, who say it contradicts […]
EVs from Everest? Chinese lithium find in Himalayas raises concerns over water
The recent discovery near Mount Everest of “super large” deposits of lithium, the key element in the batteries powering electric vehicles, has raised concerns over the fate of water resources in the region. While the deposit could provide much-needed supplies of the metal to fuel the fast-growing market for EVs and battery storage applications, mining […]
As blackouts loom, Indonesia’s energy crisis highlights its addiction to coal
JAKARTA — An abrupt ban on coal exports by the Indonesian government for the whole month of January, on fears of a domestic supply shortage, should be a wake-up call to hasten the country’s transition away from the fossil fuel, experts say. In announcing the ban on Jan. 1, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral […]
COP26 cop-out? Indonesia’s clean energy pledge keeps coal front and center
JAKARTA — Indonesia has signed another seemingly landmark pledge at the COP26 climate summit underway in Glasgow, this time to phase out its use of coal, the dominant source in its energy mix, by the 2040s. But as with the first pledge it made at COP26 — to end deforestation by 2030, which it then […]