Tausi Insider

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson speaks to reporters at the EU headquarters, in Brussels, on Nov. 24. KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images The European Union’s energy chief on Wednesday defended the bloc’s proposal to cap gas prices and said countries will negotiate possible changes to the proposal, after a backlash from EU member states. After months of infighting among EU countries who disagree on whether to cap energy costs, the European Commission last week proposed a price cap that would kick in if the front-month Title Transfer Facility gas price exceeded 275 euros per megawatt-hour for two weeks and was 58 euros higher than a liquefied natural gas reference price for 10 days. The EU proposal came under fire from countries in favour of a gas price cap to reduce citizens’ high energy bills – with Poland’s energy minister calling the proposal “a joke” and analysts suggesting it was designed with such strict criteria that it would never be used. “This was not our aim, ...

European Union countries are preparing for extraordinary negotiations on Saturday aimed at finalising a deal on a gas price cap that has divided the 27-country bloc. EU states have debated for months whether capping gas prices would help or harm their attempts to contain an energy crunch triggered by Russia slashing gas deliveries to Europe, which has pushed up fuel costs and stoked inflation. The European Commission proposed a price cap last month, and EU countries are aiming to agree on the cap at a Dec 13 meeting of their energy ministers in Brussels. But with days to go, countries still appear deeply divided, with some EU officials sceptical that a deal can be reached next week. Around 15 states including Italy, Poland and Belgium have said they want an EU-wide gas price cap, while a smaller camp including Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark are opposed. After initially calling for a cap, France has this week signalled it is concerned by the potential fallout in financial market...

Officials speak ahead of an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers at the European Council building, in Brussels, on Dec. 13. Virginia Mayo/The Associated Press European Union energy ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday failed to strike a final deal on a bloc-wide cap on natural gas prices, after months of infighting over whether the measure can ease Europe’s energy crisis. Responding to repeated requests from some countries, the European Commission proposed a price cap last month as the latest EU response to the economic upheaval caused by Russia cutting natural gas deliveries to Europe this year, leading to energy price spikes. But with countries deeply divided over the details of the proposed cap, Tuesday’s meeting did not yield a final decision – leaving EU energy ministers to try again for an agreement at another meeting on Dec. 19. “We have made progress, but we are not done yet. Not all questions could be answered today,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said af...

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault takes part in a news conference in Ottawa, on Sept. 15. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press The federal government is blocking development of Glencore’s Sukunka open-pit metallurgical coal mine project located near Tumbler Ridge, B.C. Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says the scientific evidence gathered in assessing the proposal showed that its negative impacts were significant and could not be mitigated. The project assessment by British Columbia raised concerns about southern mountain caribou and its critical habitat, grizzly bear mortality and the discharge of mercury and selenium. Glencore had proposed the construction and operation of an open-pit mine that would have produced three million tonnes of hard coking coal per year for export to overseas markets. The mine life of the project was expected to be more than 20 years. The government says the decision does not prevent Glencore, or others, from submitting new project proposals and does...

Officials speak ahead of an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers at the European Council building, in Brussels, on Dec. 13. Virginia Mayo/The Associated Press European Union energy ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday failed to strike a final deal on a bloc-wide cap on natural gas prices, after months of infighting over whether the measure can ease Europe’s energy crisis. Responding to repeated requests from some countries, the European Commission proposed a price cap last month as the latest EU response to the economic upheaval caused by Russia cutting natural gas deliveries to Europe this year, leading to energy price spikes. But with countries deeply divided over the details of the proposed cap, Tuesday’s meeting did not yield a final decision – leaving EU energy ministers to try again for an agreement at another meeting on Dec. 19. “We have made progress, but we are not done yet. Not all questions could be answered today,” German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said af...