In some quarters, a narrative has emerged that blames Europe’s energy troubles on the over-enthusiastic promotion of “net zero” carbon and the rush to renewables. This criticism is politically motivated and false. Yet the opposite idea, demonising oil and gas production, is also folly.
The form of energy supply has become a totem: fossil fuel advocates and climate deniers want to see coal mines and drilling rigs. Green politicians abhor these and argue for solar panels and wind turbines. Politicians, campaigners and opinion columnists are unable to formulate a policy that is coherent, considers energy demand as even more important than supply, and takes care of both the short and the long term.
Britain’s new yet antiquated energy minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has promised to extract “every last cubic inch of gas from the North Sea”. In 2013, he attacked the preference for wind and nuclear power as “much more expensive than coal or gas”. Recent offshore wind projects have been awarded for less than £40 ($46.27) per megawatt-hour, while British wholesale electricity, reflecting the cost of generation from gas, now costs 10 times as much.
What would Europe’s situation be if it had not embraced renewable energy? After 2011, solar and wind investment was foolishly allowed to flatline once the post-financial crisis stimuli expired and austerity took over. Nevertheless, as costs fell, renewable energy capacity still grew strongly.
On the eve of the financial crisis in 2008, non-hydropower renewables — mostly biomass, solar and wind — made up 8 per cent of electricity in the EU, including the UK. By 2014, it stood at 18 per cent, and by last year, it reached 29 per cent.
Nuclear generation, unfortunately, dropped in this period, mainly due to the phasing out of German plants and the closure of ageing facilities in the UK and elsewhere. But the rise in renewable output was almost four times the drop in nuclear.
With gas now costing the equivalent of $300 per barrel of oil, Europe would be desperate indeed without its renewables. Primarily, Russian gas would have filled the gap, meeting even more of the continent’s consumption than the one-third of last year — and tightening the Kremlin’s stranglehold.
Environmental groups get it wrong the other way round. I warned in 2012 that Europe’s failure to diversify its gas supplies and to develop domestic resources would leave it “freezing in the dark”.
While the US raced ahead, France banned hydraulic fracturing for shale production in 2011, Bulgaria in 2012, Germany — which had used the technique safely and without public outcry for decades — in 2016. In 2020, French utility Engie pulled out of a deal to import American liquefied natural gas because of its government’s concerns over the environmental footprint. Now Paris, Rome and Berlin look to Texas as a saviour.
If Europe was going to wind down its own gas production while not importing LNG, then surely it would focus on reducing gas demand to avoid over-dependence on Russia? Solar and wind provide electricity, but only 30 per cent of European gas consumption is for power. Another 30 per cent goes to industry and 40 per cent to homes and businesses, mostly for heating.
But the boosters of renewables had no credible proposals to meet the fuel and feedstock needs of steel plants and chemical works. Better insulation and electric heat pumps are the answer for warm homes, but their deployment has been far too slow.
Green campaigners still have not learnt the lesson that gas is needed in the medium-term. Carbon Tracker, a think tank, has sought to discourage investment in hydrocarbon output by popularising the notion of a “carbon bubble”. This month, it attacked the plans of new UK Prime Minister Liz Truss for more North Sea drilling as “expanding reliance on fossil fuels for the UK’s energy demands”.
But how much oil and gas is produced domestically is a completely different question from how much has to be consumed. The organisation points to the International Energy Agency’s report that no new oil and gas fields would be needed to meet “net-zero” carbon goals — apparently oblivious that Russia’s giant supply has just been removed from the equation.
They argue that new production would not bring down prices for European consumers. However, the marginal supply curve is very steep right now — in other words, since existing production is at maximum capacity, acquiring an extra molecule of gas or electron means bidding it away from someone else who is desperate for it and willing to pay highly. In this situation, even modest amounts of extra supply can bring down prices significantly. The wild gyrations of European gas and electricity prices on minor news items illustrate this.
In any case, there is a big difference between writing cheques for oil and gas to Vladimir Putin, or to Western oil companies, owned by European pension funds, and paying more than half their profits as tax to European governments — who can then use those revenues to build renewables, boost energy efficiency, or shield vulnerable energy consumers from unaffordable bills.
Green advocates point to long timelines for new oilfields and nuclear power stations. Former British deputy prime minister Nick Clegg opposed building new nuclear reactors in 2010, as they would only come on stream “by 2021 or 2022”.
Mr Clegg has long since decamped to the US, but Britons left behind in an impending cold and expensive winter would be delighted today to have this nuclear electricity that short term thinking denied them. How different from former US president John F Kennedy, who told the story of a gardener who objected to planting a tree that would not reach maturity for 100 years. He was told: “In that case, there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon.”
Robin M Mills is chief executive of Qamar Energy and author of 'The Myth of the Oil Crisis'
In The Heights
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Anthony Ramos, Lin-Manual Miranda
Rating: ****
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
About Tenderd
Started: May 2018
Founder: Arjun Mohan
Based: Dubai
Size: 23 employees
Funding: Raised $5.8m in a seed fund round in December 2018. Backers include Y Combinator, Beco Capital, Venturesouq, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Paul Buchheit, Justin Mateen, Matt Mickiewicz, SOMA, Dynamo and Global Founders Capital
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
Specs
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7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
6.30pm AF Alwajel
7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – UAE won by 36 runs
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
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Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
The specs: 2018 Maserati Levante S
Price, base / as tested: Dh409,000 / Dh467,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 430hp @ 5,750rpm
Torque: 580Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.9L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others
Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.
As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.
Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.
“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”
Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.
“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”
Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
