Cop: Brazil eyes methane reduction regulation by 2025

Spanish Market: Emissions
04/12/23

Brazil has committed to launch regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by the end of 2025.

The announcement was made today at the UN Cop 28 climate summit's Global Methane Pledge Ministerial, where Brazilian energy and mines minister, Alexandre Silveira, said the government submit guidelines for regulating methane emissions in the oil and gas industry by the end of 2024.

Once the new measures are approved by the national energy policy council (CNPE), hydrocarbons regulator ANP will complete the regulation by the end of 2025.

"Even though methane emissions from the energy sector in Brazil are very low, we are taking a decisive step today," he said. We are facing yet another important initiative to reduce and mitigate methane emissions by the oil industry," Silveira added.

Brazil is part of the Global Methane Pledge that targets a reduction of at least 30pc of global methane emissions by 2030.

Its state-controlled oil company, Petrobras, is part of the Oil and Gas Methane partnership 2.0, the UN Environmental Programme's oil and gas reporting programme for methane.

By Jacqueline Echevarria

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10/03/25

Brazil ignores fossil fuel phase-out in Cop 30 letter

Sao Paulo, 10 March (Argus) — Climate activists praised Brazil's stance of making UN Cop 30 a "turning point" for real climate change commitments but criticized the presidency's letter for turning a blind eye to fossil fuels' leading role in global warming. The summit's president Andre Correa do Lago unveiled on Monday a letter addressing the event's goals and outlooks, which includes boosting climate financing to $1.3 trillion/yr from the target stipulated at Cop 29 of $300bn/yr. "Lago calls on foreign countries — especially the US — to leave individuality and irresponsibility behind in exchange for cooperation and our planet's future," scientist Karin Bruning — a graduate of the University of Heidelberg and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — said. "However, the letter has no use if Brazil does not pull its own weight." Bruning recalled Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's [public feud](http://direct.argusmedia.com/newsandanalysis/article/2657369 with the country's environmentalist watchdog Ibama regarding the exploration in Brazil's equatorial margin region. "A country with so much renewable energy available cannot look at past solutions such as exploring and pushing for fossil fuels," Bruning said. She also highlighted the importance of respecting technical and scientific decisions on matters such as oil exploration. Environmental concerns have always been at the center of the equatorial margin debate, as it stands near a freshwater barrier reef. State-controlled Petrobras has long been trying to explore the area's Foz do Amazonas basin — which holds an estimated 10bn bl of crude, according to energy research bureau Epe — but has struggled to receive the environment licenses to do so. Ibama last denied the company a request to drill in the area in May 2023. Brazilian climate think tank Observatorio do Clima called the letter "inspiring," but added that it "excludes the elephant in the room." It recognized the letter as a "relief for giving the Paris Agreement negotiations to professionals who understand the gravity of the moment" but bashed it for keeping fossil fuels' gradual stoppage out of Cop 30's priorities list. Still, Correa do Lago's letter was celebrated for recognizing "the scale of the challenge and the urgency of response," according to climate change think-tank E3G's associate director Kaysie Brown. Holding on to past pledges Previous Cop agreements and global stocktakes (GST) — a five-yearly checkpoint agreed upon in the 2015 Paris Agreement — were ignored and pushed back against in Baku's final text. Correa do Lago's letter focused on rolling back decisions regarding developing countries and increasing financing for them, which has long been one of the Brazilian government's priorities. This includes the climate financing target of $1.3 trillion. "We do have pending issues to solve at Cop 30, notably the UAE dialogue on implementing the GST outcomes and the just transition work programme," Correa do Lago said in his letter. "The GST is an invaluable legacy that unites us. We must all continue to subscribe to it as the ultimate benchmark for climate implementation." By Maria Frazatto Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Ireland risks €8bn-26bn costs for missed climate goals

06/03/25

Ireland risks €8bn-26bn costs for missed climate goals

London, 6 March (Argus) — Ireland could be subject to fines of €7.5bn-26.4bn ($8.1bn-28.6bn) if it fails to implement climate measures to meet its 2030 targets under EU regulations, a joint report by the country's Fiscal Advisory Council and Climate Change Advisory Council found. Missing Ireland's commitments could lead to costs of €5.4bn-16.2bn under the EU's effort sharing regulation (ESR), €1.6bn-5.8bn under the land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) regulation, and €0.5bn-4.4bn under the renewable energy directive (RED), the report found. Fully implementing the government's climate action plan by 2030 could reduce these costs, but they would still stand at €3.4bn-11.9bn, the report said — €2.7bn-7.6bn under the ESR, €0.5bn-1.7bn under the LULUCF regulation, and €0.2bn-2.6bn under RED. Ireland is on track to exceed its targeted 2030 emissions levels in the sectors covered by the ESR — domestic transport, buildings, small industry, waste and agriculture — by 57pc with existing measures, or by 28pc if additional planned measures are implemented, the report said. Ireland has the fifth-largest gap towards its ESR targets of any EU member state after Germany, France, Italy and Romania, according to the report. Overstepping the target would require Ireland to purchase emissions allowances from member states that have gone beyond their mandated cuts. The report projects the country's emissions under the LULUCF regulation to stand at more than double the targeted level in 2030 based on existing measures, or 7pc above with additional measures. And its renewable energy share under RED is expected to be 12 percentage points below mandated levels with existing measures, or marginally below without. Investing less than half of the maximum potential cost of non-compliance with the regulations in emissions-saving measures could lead to significant progress towards meeting the targets, the report found. Some €4bn could reduce the cost of 700,000 new electric vehicles — representing a third of households — to €15,000 per car and increase charging infrastructure, €7bn could upgrade the country's energy grid, and €1bn could support land improvements such as forestry and peatland restoration. "By not taking actions like these, Ireland faces a colossal missed opportunity to both reduce emissions in line with its commitments and deliver significant improvements in Irish society," the report said. By Victoria Hatherick Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US clean energy growth hits new high in 2024: Report

05/03/25

US clean energy growth hits new high in 2024: Report

Houston, 5 March (Argus) — The US added a record amount of clean energy capacity last year, driven by gains in utility-scale solar and energy storage, according to an industry report. Developers added about 48,700MW of zero-emissions generation to the US grid last year, an increase of 33pc from the previous record additions set in 2023, according to a quarterly report from the American Clean Power Association (ACP), a trade group. Clean energy — which, for ACP's purposes, includes utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage — accounted for 93pc of all new capacity in the US during 2024, surpassing the 75pc average over the previous five years. A record amount of new utility-scale solar, 33,000MW, fueled the 2024 growth. Energy storage grew by nearly 11,300MW, also a record. At the same time, onshore wind grew by just over 3,900MW, the lowest total since 2013. While the industry expected slower growth last year as a consequence of lengthy interconnection queues and delayed guidance on federal tax credits , the final tally was even lower than anticipated after multiple projects delayed commissioning until 2025, ACP said. The total US clean energy fleet now sits at almost 313,400MW. While onshore wind remains the largest source of zero-emissions generation at about 154,600MW, solar is closing the gap with almost 129,700MW. Energy storage and offshore wind trail at 28,900MW and 174MW, respectively. The US added about 18,900MW of clean energy capacity during the fourth quarter, the second highest increase for any three-month period behind only October-December 2023. About 14,000MW came from photovoltaic projects, the most ever for a three-month period. Texas' clean energy fleet remained the largest in the US at almost 79,300MW, followed by California at about 41,300MW. Iowa, Oklahoma and Florida rounded out the top five, with roughly 13,900MW, 12,900MW and 11,500MW, respectively. By Patrick Zemanek Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

UK govt consults on ‘clean energy future’ for North Sea

05/03/25

UK govt consults on ‘clean energy future’ for North Sea

London, 5 March (Argus) — The UK government has launched a consultation on the North Sea's "clean energy future", seeking to balance "continued demand for oil and gas" with the natural decline of the North Sea basin, the country's energy security and climate science. The government has proposed an end to new onshore oil and gas licences in England — as onshore licensing is a devolved matter — and once again confirmed its manifesto pledge for no new oil or gas licences for North Sea exploration. It also confirmed a previous commitment to end the so-called windfall tax on oil and gas producers in 2030. Further oil and gas licences "would not meaningfully increase UK production levels, nor would they change the UK's status as a net importer of oil and gas", the government said. It flagged the North Sea basin's maturity, which means that an absence of new licences makes only "a marginal overall difference to future North Sea production". The "vast majority of future production is expected to come from producing fields or fields already being developed on existing licences", the government said. It noted that while offshore licensing rounds have resulted in up to 100 permits each time, under 10pc of recently issued licences "have progressed to active production". But its halt on new exploration licences would not preclude any licence extensions being granted, the government said. It aims to provide "certainty to industry about the lifespan of oil and gas projects by committing to maintain existing fields for their lifetime". The decision does not affect the issuing of new gas or carbon storage licences, it added. Focus on 1.5°C The consultation also doubles down on the government's previous commitments to "clean power" by 2030 — which would entail a small role for gas-fired power generation, of under 5pc — and its determination to be a leader in climate action. "The science is clear that the world needs to take urgent action and that current plans for global production of oil and gas are not compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C," the government said. The Paris climate agreement seeks to limit global warming to "well below" 2°C above pre-industrial levels and preferably to 1.5°C. The government has requested views on its plans to ensure a "prosperous and sustainable transition for oil and gas" and to make the UK a "clean energy superpower", focused on technologies such as offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS). This will boost the UK's economy and energy security, the government said. "Clean energy" is key for energy security, as a reliance on fossil fuels leaves the UK at "the mercy of global energy markets", it added. "CCUS will be a critical component of the UK's energy transition," the government said. It also noted the geological advantage the UK holds for CO2 storage. There is "significant potential for CO2 import", likely from Europe, it said. The government has also sought extensive feedback on the transition for the country's oil and gas workforce. An "offshore renewables workforce" could stand at between 70,000 and 138,000 in 2030, it said, while oil and gas jobs are set to decrease, alongside the North Sea's fossil fuel production. Today's consultation will close on 30 April. And the government will publish its final guidance on an updated environmental framework for oil and gas "in good time", it said. By Georgia Gratton Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Germany launches second industry decarbonisation call

04/03/25

Germany launches second industry decarbonisation call

Berlin, 4 March (Argus) — Germany's economy ministry has launched a second call for funding decarbonisation projects aimed at mid-sized industry companies, the tender manager announced today. The main tender part, managed by Cottbus-based Competence Centre for Climate Protection in Energy-Intensive Industries KEI, addresses decarbonisation measures planned by mid-sized companies, either through the electrification of processes or the use of hydrogen. Support is capped at €200mn per project. Interested companies are expected to submit a "meaningful" outline of their project by 15 May, KEI said. The formal application phase will begin once their proposal has been accepted. Financing will be provided under the EU's Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF), which aims to accelerate green technology funding for a climate-neutral economy. To conform with EU state aid law, grants under the TCTF must be approved by 31 December. The other part of the tender is managed by the Julich research institute and addresses carbon capture and storage or use projects, restricted to hard-to-abate emissions. Support is capped at €30mn per project, or €35mn for industrial research. A total of €3.3bn has been set aside until 2030 for the support, to be financed by Germany's climate and transformation fund KTF, itself financed through the EU emissions trading system and Germany's domestic carbon price. Both tender parts are aimed at industrial companies based in Germany, and which plan or operate plants with industrial processes that are to save at least 40pc of their carbon emissions in production through investments or research projects. The programme is focused on, but not limited to, companies in energy-intensive basic industries such as steel, chemicals, glass, ceramics, paper, cement and lime. The first tender round was held in August . The outgoing government has planned annual calls for funding until 2030. Germany's economy ministry has also held tenders for carbon contracts for difference aimed at larger industry groups. By Chloe Jardine Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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