Monthly Highlights from the Russian Arctic, October 2024
In this news digest, we monitor events that impact the environment in the Russian Arctic. Our focus lies in identifying the factors that contribute to pollution and climate change.
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Russian coal: a new challenge
Publish date: March 15, 2010
Written by: Veronica Webster
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Russian coal: a new challenge
A roundtable discussion organised by the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF) was held in Brussels last week. The roundtable discussed Russian coal production in the context of Dmitry Medvedev’s, President of the Russian Federation, announcement in November 2009 that Russia was looking to expand its coal-fired energy production by 26% in time for 2030 to meet rising domestic energy demands. A recent paper commissioned by the GMF finds that such demands could be met more cost-effectively through increased energy efficiency measures.
The attendees included representatives of EU think tanks, Russian academia and the European Commission.
Speakers clarified that although Russia is currently on track to meeting the self-imposed greenhouse gas reduction target of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2020 – due to the drop in energy and, thus, gas demand in Europe over the past few years – such an expansion in CO2 emissions poses an added threat to the environment. The energy sector’s plan to install 7000megawatts (MW) of electrical production capacity from coal by 2012 will increase coal consumption by 170 million tons per annum by 2020.
At the roundtable Dr Kevin Rosner, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security in Washington D.C., presented his recently published paper entitled “Russian Coal: Europe’s new energy challenge” (published by GMF in Climate & Energy Paper Series 2010). His paper finds that Russia could more cost-effectively meet its increased power demands through large-scale efficiency uprades in power generation and consumption, rather than investing in coal. His paper encourages EU and US institutions to assist Russia in implementing such measures as part of their climate change and energy security policymaking.
Access Dr Kevin Rosner’s paper here.
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Bellona Nuclear Digest. October 2024
A survey of events in the field of nuclear and radiation safety relating to Russia and Ukraine.
Putin leaves Kazakhstan without deal to build nuclear plant
A visit last week by Vladimir Putin and a Kremlin entourage to Astana, Kazakhstan sought in part to put Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear corporation, on good footing with local officials.
Moscow snips last ties to cooperative nuclear cleanup agreement with West
Russia is formally withdrawing from a landmark environmental agreement that channeled billions in international funding to secure the Soviet nuclear legacy, leaving undone some of the most radioactively dangerous projects and burning one more bridge of potential cooperation with the West.