Shell’s profits up as BP’s drop

Oil giant Shell announced its earnings were up today, a day after their rivals BP published its own quarterly profits were down. Royal Dutch Shell’s first quarter earnings for 2011 were $6.9 billion (£4.1bn) compared with $4.9 billion a year ago. Shell puts its success down to new projects in the Netherlands and Qatar, new […]

Bugs for brunch

Swapping pork and beef for crickets and locusts could reduce livestock green house gas emissions by up to 95 percent. A new study by FoodServiceWarehouse.com suggests that CO2 emissions from insects are a fraction of those from more traditional meats. On average beef cattle produces 2,850 grams of CO2 per kilo of mass and pigs […]

Energy use set to ‘spike’ during Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding will cause an energy ‘spike’ according to predictions from the National Grid. As millions of households across the UK settle down for the Royal Wedding, a steady drop-off from normal bank holiday energy levels is predicted to start around 10am. Electricity usage is expected to hit a low when Kate Middleton arrives […]

Customers to get 30-day warning for energy price rises

Energy providers will have to give their customers 30 days’ warning of price rises under new Ofgem rules that begin today. Contract changes for gas and electricity which leave consumers significantly worse off are included in this new rule. Andrew Wright, Ofgem’s Senior Partner for Markets, said: “Ofgem is determined to ensure that supply companies […]

New energy projects up nearly a third

The number of new energy projects has increased by almost a third. The latest EIC Monitor report shows the number of new projects announced this quarter is up 29% over the previous quarter. The findings suggest that the oil & gas sectors are recovering from recent setbacks with projected potential investment picking up. Renewables are […]

Huhne unclear over future

The future of Energy Secretary Chris Huhne is unclear after he refused to rule out resigning over AV tensions. The Lib Dem minister was asked the question during an interview with the BBC about the upcoming referendum on AV, in which he criticised some of his Coalition colleagues for their claims in the ‘No to […]

£4.5bn worth of subsea contracts awarded

100 major subsea contracts worth £4.5billion have been awarded globally during the first four months of 2011. The figure was revealed by a new service that gathers market information together in a database by Subsea UK. The database also shows that there are more than 300 major ongoing or upcoming subsea projects globally. Alistair Birnie […]

Finding finance for wind energy

Niels Jongste of Green Giraffe Capital discusses finance for wind energy

Power markets calm for bank holidays

The string of bank holidays this April is the reason for a quiet spell in the UK power market, according to npower’s latest Market Report. Prices have already been trading down with in the past couple of weeks according to Magali Hodgson, npower Optimisation Desk Manager. On top of this, the shorter working weeks have […]

UK’s low carbon investment at risk, claims CBI

Uncertainty over government policy is threatening investment in the UK’s low-carbon infrastructure, claims the CBI. A new report from the lobbyists reveals that senior business leaders are sceptical that the UK can attract investment at the scale and pace required. Katja Hall, Chief Policy Director for the CBI said: “We know the UK needs a […]