Environment-Renewables
No sign of a slowdown
The fundamental outlook for coal looks price supportive for some years to come, but with other fuel prices sky high, coal looks set to retain its market share of electricity generation this decade. Stella Farrington reports
Evolution expands US west coast emissions brokerage ops
Energy broker Evolution Markets has expanded its environmental market operations for the western US with the hire of Laura Meadors, an expert in environmental market design and analysis. She is based in the San Francisco office, which opened in February…
Baiting the hook
End-users such as utilities and industrial companies are not showing the same keenness as hedge funds for trading weather derivatives, despite the efforts of banks, dealers and brokers to lure them in. By Joe Marsh
Pricing the weather
Pricing weather derivatives is different from valuing other derivatives contracts – actuarial methods play a greater role. Steve Jewson looks at the varied approaches available
Strength in numbers
Weather derivatives seem to have a bright future: the market is enjoying record liquidity levels as new players, trading ever more diverse products, flood into the market. Oliver Holtaway reports
ECX and Powernext team up on carbon trading
French electricity exchange Powernext and the Amsterdam-based European Climate Exchange (ECX) have agreed to jointly offer carbon futures and spot contracts. The partnership is complimentary, because ECX lists a futures contract and Powernext offers a CO…
New carbon brokerage targets non-power-sector SMEs
Three senior players in the European emissions trading market have launched Carbon Capital Markets, a broker-dealer service that targets small to medium-sized companies (SMEs) outside the power sector.
Powernext to launch spot carbon contract in late June
French electricity exchange Powernext will launch its delayed CO 2 emissions spot market on June 24, barring any technical or administrative difficulties among market members.
Spectron brokers first 'clean' spark spread
Energy broker Spectron has facilitated the UK’s first carbon-neutral, or 'clean', spark spread trade.
DrKW launches retail carbon product
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein has paved the way for private investors to gain exposure to the carbon emissions market with a new securitised product.
ABN Amro expands commodity-trading team, opens Singapore office
Dutch bank ABN Amro has made several commodity trading and marketing hires in London and New York, and opened an office in Singapore.
Barclays Capital in first Leba carbon index trade
Barclays Capital has completed the first financial carbon trade using the new Leba Carbon Index for "a significant volume" of EU emissions allowances.
Point Carbon buys Natsource Scandinavia’s analysis unit
Carbon emissions consultancy Point Carbon has bought Natsource-Tullett Scandinavia, Europe’s largest power and gas analysis firm, but will disband Natsource’s Oslo brokerage operations. The move adds power and natural gas market analysis to Point Carbon…
All bases covered
In 1997, Norwegian energy firm Statoil implemented an enterprise-wide risk management system with the help of Goldman Sachs. Eight years on, few energy companies can rival its approach. Joe Marsh discovers why
IPE-ECX carbon futures contract faces fierce competition
London’s International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) and the Amsterdam-based European Climate Exchange (ECX) are set to offer CO 2 futures contracts under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Turbulent times
The new Renewable Sources Act obliges German utility companies to buy all the wind power generated in the country on any one day. And it is adding a new volatility to the German power market. By Stella Farrington
Greenpeace protest at IPE fuels debate on emissions trading
Greenpeace’s invasion of London’s International Petroleum Exchange (IPE) on Wednesday was intended to draw attention to the environmental impact of ‘big oil’ on the day the Kyoto Protocol came into force. However, by attacking an exchange that is about…
Risk Management Inc signs four utility clients
Risk Management Inc (RMI), a Chicago-based energy consultancy and brokerage, has signed up four new utility customers for its energy risk management and hedging services. The City of Glendale Water & Power and Pasadena Water & Power, both in California,…
Dutch-Norwegian power transmission link may spur electricity trading
A newly agreed Norway-Netherlands electricity transmission link will lead to power trading between the two countries, said Swiss power and automation technology group ABB. The link will also increase the reliability of electricity supply, said the…
London to be world carbon market centre
The UK’s early move into carbon emissions trading means London is now well placed to become a world centre for the emerging carbon market, UK Environment Minister Elliot Morley said Wednesday.
Saudi to up oil output to 12.5 million b/d
Saudi Arabia’s total oil production capacity is now at 11 million barrels a day (b/d) and plans are in place to increase it to 12.5 million b/d, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Mr Ali Al-Naimi, said Monday.
Static emissions price “does not reflect fundamentals”
The European emissions trading market, with its static price over the last four to five weeks, “is not a good market,” and does not reflect fundamentals, said Chris Rowland, managing director of utilities research at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein.
EEX to launch spot carbon contract
German-based electronic exchange European Energy Exchange (EEX) is to launch a spot contract to trade EU carbon emissions allowances in January 2005.
European emissions trading on track
The EU emissions trading scheme is on track to start in January 2005, with the European Commission having approved 16 out of 25 of the EU member National Allocation Plans that lie at the heart of the scheme, said Peter Vis, acting head of the Industrial…