Page 6 - Fossil Fuel

5 MMT green hydrogen can help cut Rs 1 trn worth fossil fuel imports: Singh

With the 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) installed capacity under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India can reduce imports of fossil fuel worth Rs 1 lakh crore by 2030, Union Minister R K Singh said on Tuesday. In January 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore with an aim to make India a global hub for manufacturing this clean source of energy. Green hydrogen has the potential to replace fossil fuels including natural gas, either as a source of energy or as a feedstock, thereby contributing to reduction in dependence on import of fossil fuels, the Minister for New and Renewable Energy informed the Rajya Sabha. The mission envisages substitution of grey hydrogen with green hydrogen in industries such as fertilizer production, petroleum refining, steel, shipping etc. reducing carbon footprint and dependence on imported fossil fuels, he said. "The quantum of such reduction in imports is estimated at Rs 1 lakh crore by

Whether to phase out or phase down fossil fuels is the question at COP28

After days of shaving off the edges of key warming issues, climate negotiators on Tuesday zeroed in on the tough job of dealing with the main cause of what's overheating the planet: fossil fuels. As scientists, activists and United Nations officials repeatedly detailed how the world needs to phase-out the use of coal, oil and natural gas, the United Arab Emirates-hosted conference opened energy transition day with a session headlined by top officials of two oil companies. Negotiators produced a new draft of what's expected to be the core document of the UN talks, something called the Global Stocktake, but it had so many possibilities in its 24-pages that it didn't give too much of a hint of what will be agreed upon when the session ends next week. Whatever is adopted has to be agreed on by consensus so it has to be near unanimous. The central issue of this COP, the global stocktake, is to reach a conclusion about the phasing out of fossil fuels, said climate scientist Bill Hare, CEO

'On track to have 50% installed power capacity via non-fossil fuel sources'

India is on its track to have 50 per cent of its installed power generation capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, Union Minister R K Singh informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. The country's installed power generation capacity from non-fossil source is 186.46 gigawatt (GW), which is 43.82 per cent of its total installed capacity, the minister for new and renewable energy said. "India is on track for achieving its target of having 50 per cent of its installed source generation capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030," Singh, who also holds the portfolio of Power Minister said. Of the total 186.46 GW capacity, 178.98 GW is renewable energy and 7.48 GW is nuclear power. In addition, 114.08 GW of capacity is under implementation and 55.13 GW of capacity is under tendering. The non-fossil electricity capacity increased from 32.54 per cent in March 2014, to 43.82 per cent in October 2023. Singh further said that the government has taken several measures to promote renewable ene

Draft text at COP28 shows negotiators considering fossil fuel 'phase out'

The first option in the draft text was listed as "an orderly and just phase out of fossil fuels". The second called for "accelerating efforts towards phasing out unabated fossil fuels

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels to rise 1.1% to hit peak in 2023

The planet is on track to exceed its carbon budget for 1.5C of warming around 2030, and the budget for 1.7C in 15 years, according to the group's Global Carbon Budget annual report

COP28: Top development banks vow to up climate game, quiet on fossil fuels

The group said it would look at activities including removing "distorting" subsidies and developing pipelines of green projects

UN secretary general, COP28 president clash over future of fossil fuels

The competing visions summed up the most divisive issue facing world leaders at this year's UN climate summit in the oil-producing United Arab Emirates

Pressure builds to cut fossil fuel use as oil exec takes over climate talks

Pressure to phase out fossil fuels mounted Thursday on the oil company chief who took over fragile international climate negotiations that opened in Dubai on Thursday in what some say are contradictory dual roles. United Nations and climate talks leaders might have relieved some of the pressure when negotiators unanimously approved much-fought over plans to launch and fund a program to compensate poorer nations hit by floods, storms, drought and other climate extremes. Several nations, led by host United Arab Emirates, immediately pledged more than $420 million for the fund, which took 30 years to approve. Leaders said they hope the quick win on a key financial issue would set a new tone for negotiations that had put the climate talks newly installed boss on the hot seat and not just because the planet keeps smashing heat records. Days before the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP28) began, meeting preparation notes were published that linked efforts by the United Arab Emirat

The fossil fuel dilemma

Pandemic recovery, energy security, and profitability are fuelling demand, with China and India spearheading coal production growth

Opec head Haitham Al Ghais accuses IEA of vilifying fossil fuel industry

"This presents an extremely narrow framing of challenges before us, and perhaps expediently plays down such issues as energy security, energy access and energy affordability," Al Ghais said

Fund to compensate developing nations, climate finance key issues at COP28

The 28th round of the annual UN climate talks to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is anticipated to involve intense negotiations on compensation from rich countries to developing ones for climate impacts, fossil fuel usage, methane emissions, and financial aid for reducing planet-warming emissions and adapting to climate change. The urgency to take robust action to combat the climate crisis is increasing every moment. September marked the hottest recorded month ever, with global average temperatures reaching 1.8 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial (1850-1900) levels. Across the globe, deadly heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms and floods are costing lives and livelihoods. Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions -- almost 90 per cent of which come from fossil fuels -- rose to record highs in 2021-2022. Here is an overview of the issues expected to dominate the negotiations at COP28, scheduled to be held at the Dubai Expo City from November 30 to December 12. LOSS AND

Statsguru: 6 charts show the clock is ticking on achieving climate goals

As the world races against the climate clock, COP28 has its task cut out

Fossil fuel lobbyists attended UN climate talks over 7,200 times: Report

Delegates with ties to the world's biggest polluting oil and gas firms have attended UN climate talks at least 7,200 times over the last 20 years, claims a coalition of civil society organisations. The analysis by the Kick Big Polluters Out (KBPO) coalition comes amid a controversy over the appointment of Sultan Al Jaber, the head of the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, as the president of the upcoming UN climate talks (COP28) in Dubai. Al Jaber has, however, argued that having the oil and gas industry at the table is essential. Citing data on the attendees, the coalition said it underscores how organisations from countries "that are most responsible for global emissions are dominating the climate talks, attempting to influence progress on climate action". "Since COP9 in 2003, employees of fossil fuel firms have attended negotiations a minimum of 945 times. Staff from the 'Big 5' oil giants ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have been granted a minimum of 26

Clean energy overtakes fossil fuels in global job market: IEA report

Clean energy sectors added 4.7 million jobs globally, while fossil fuel jobs recovered more slowly after layoffs in 2020

Global fossil fuel production plans threaten climate goals: Report

Countries are planning to produce around 110 per cent more fossil fuels in 2030 than would be consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to a new report. This comes despite 151 countries having pledged to achieve net-zero emissions and the latest forecasts that suggest global coal, oil and gas demand will peak this decade, even without new policies. The Production Gap Report 2023 tracks the discrepancy between governments' planned fossil fuel production and global production levels consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius or 2 degrees Celsius. The report says the near-term increase in coal production is led by India, followed by the Russian Federation, both planning significant increases in coal production through 2030. India aims for self-reliance and considers the coal industry of paramount importance for income and employment generation. Around one-fifth of India's coal demand is met through imports, which exposes the country to price ...

World on track to produce 110% more fossil fuels by 2030, says report

The report states that annual global coal production is projected to increase by 10 per cent between 2020 and 2030, with a near-term increase in production led by India, Indonesia, and Russia

Notable growth in coal sector due to rise in output of fossil fuel: Govt

The Centre on Thursday said the significant growth in the coal sector is due to a rise in production of the fossil fuel during September. The production of coal in September 2023 increased to 67.27 million tonne (MT), against 58.04 MT in the year-ago period. As per the index of eight core industries for September 2023 released by Ministry of Commerce & Industries, the index of coal sector showed a year-on-year growth of 16.1 per cent to 148.1 points. This is the highest growth in last 14 months except for August 2023, the coal ministry said in a statement. The latest data indicates that the combined index of eight core industries has shown a noteworthy increase of 8.1 per cent (provisional) in September 2023, compared to the same period in the previous year. The Centre has played a crucial role in driving this growth through various strategic initiatives like amendment of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 2021, allowing captive mines to sell coal or lignite

India can reduce fossil fuel dependence, cut import by $29 bn via biogas

Replacing natural gas consumption with biogas and biomethane incrementally to 20 per cent by 2030 can help India cut liquefied natural gas import bills by USD 29 billion between financial years 2025 and 2030, according to a new report. The report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), underscores the environmental advantages of expanding biogas projects, including waste management, reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enhanced renewable energy production. According to the report's author Purva Jain, an energy analyst at IEEFA, "Biogas has the potential to replace natural gas and other high-emission fossil fuels. By eliminating carbon dioxide (CO2) and impurities like hydrogen sulfide, its methane content can be upgraded to 90 per cent, making it calorifically equivalent to natural gas. This upgraded biogas, known as biomethane, is pipeline-ready and can be integrated into gas grids as a non-fossil gas, she said. "By adopting appropriate

Biden awards $7 bn for clean hydrogen hubs to replace fossil fuels in US

Clean-energy projects in seven states from Pennsylvania to California have been selected by the Biden administration for a USD 7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, a key component of President Joe Biden's agenda to slow climate change. His goal is to establish seven regional hydrogen hubs to help replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil with cleaner-burning hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity. Biden is expected to make the official announcement during an economic-themed visit to Philadelphia on Friday. The White House calls clean hydrogen essential to achieving the president's vision of a strong clean energy economy" and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the US by 2050. As a clean fuel, hydrogen complements the role played by other clean energy sources, like wind and solar, to help the US reduce emissions in energy-intensive sectors of the economy: steel and cement production, heavy-duty ...

Call for fossil fuel phase-out on global stocktake agenda: UN report

Calls to phase out unabated fossil fuels, reform subsidies on it and triple global renewable energy capacity may find their way into the outcome of the first-ever global stocktake, a periodic assessment of collective efforts to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. Initiated in Glasgow in 2021, the first-ever global stocktake will conclude at the annual climate talks (COP28) in Dubai in December. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently released a report summarising submissions made by countries and non-party stakeholders regarding the political response to the global stocktake. "They will inform negotiations but there's no guarantee any particular element will make it into the final text. With that said, fossil fuel phase-out is prominently featured in this long list of possible decision elements," Natalie Jones, a policy advisor at climate policy think tank International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), said. According to the UNFCCC ..