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Energy news week in review: Protests in Minnesota over an oil pipeline, Polish miners fear losing their jobs, and more

Protests over oil pipelines from Canada continue in the U.S., with major demonstrations supported by celebrities taking place in Minnesota to prevent further work on upgrading the decades-old Enbridge Pipeline. Meanwhile, workers in Poland are protesting the government’s push to phase out coal mines, a move that they say will put thousands out of work. At the same time, Russia and Saudi Arabia suggest that moves to stop investment in oil and gas are unrealistic and that both types of energy need to continue for the foreseeable future. 

Enbridge Pipeline Workers Evacuated as Protesters Demonstrate 

Enbridge Energy evacuated more than 40 of its workers as protests against the Line 3 pipeline’s upgrade project ramped up in Minnesota and protesters chained themselves to company equipment.  

The project, which involves replacing aging pipeline infrastructure across more than 330 miles of pristine forests and rivers, has attracted more than 1,000 protesters, including high-profile celebrities who have come out in support of Native Americans opposed to the construction. Numerous protesters were arrested.  

Various Native American groups say the pipeline violates a treaty the U.S. government made with them and poses a threat to wild food crops, hunting, and fishing. They also fear it will worsen climate change. They, therefore, want President Biden to shut down the pipeline.   

But Enbridge says there is no danger and the upgrade will make the pipeline stronger because it uses stronger steel. At the same time, the upgrade will restore the pipeline to full capacity, the company says.  

The pipeline has been in existence for decades, and millions of North Americans depend on it for their energy needs, company officials say.   

The pipeline runs over 1,000 miles from Alberta, Canada, to Wisconsin in the U.S.  

Minnesota is one of several states considering stiffer penalties against protesters who trespass on pipeline projects. 

Polish Coal Miners Protest Moves Against Coal 

Poland’s undertaking to close all coal mines by 2049 and a recent ruling by an EU court to shut down a brown coal mine immediately in response to a complaint from the neighboring Czech Republic sparked a noisy protest by coal miners and power sector workers.  

Polish miners and power energy sector workers said the government’s decision to move toward renewable energy would leave their country dependent on France and Germany for power and would pose a threat to the country’s energy sovereignty. They say such policies would also leave tens of thousands out of work.  

In 1990, Poland had nearly half a million coal miners and 70 coal mines. There are now fewer than 80,000 miners working in 20 mines. Energy experts say the shutdown of all mines will happen far sooner than 2049 because the country’s coal mines have become increasingly expensive and unviable to operate. 

End to Oil “Unrealistic” for Russia, Saudi Arabia 

Russia Oil Industrial Plant Photosource

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister referred to a recent International Energy Agency report as a sequel to the movie “La La Land.” The report states that investments in oil and gas must stop immediately if the world is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.  

Both Russia and Saudi Arabia say the IEA report is unrealistic. The report calculated the reduction in global carbon emissions needed to ensure the earth’s temperature does not become more than 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than it was before the industrial era began.  

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman insist that their countries will continue to invest in both renewables and fossil fuels because both will be necessary in the years ahead.  

Novak also said that cutting off investments in oil and gas would prove economically unsustainable because it would lead to a major hike in the cost of fuels. Qatar likewise said slashing investments would prove untenable and that it is going ahead with a $29 billion investment in liquefied natural gas. 

Australian Firms Receive $50 Million for Carbon Capture Projects 

Six companies received $50 million in funding from the Australian government to develop and deploy carbon capture projects.  

The projects use varying methods to capture and store carbon. Santos, one of the companies that received funds, will store 1.7 million tons of carbon annually from its LNG operations in the Cooper Basin. Another company, Energy Developments, will capture carbon from biomethane produced by landfill sites and use it for cement carbonation curing. A third company, Corporate Carbon Advisory, will geologically sequester carbon emissions caught from direct air capture into an existing injection well.   

The six projects are expected to generate more than 400 jobs and more than $400 million in investment. The Australian government’s funding of these projects is in harmony with the position taken by the International Energy Agency and the IPCC that these technologies will play a vital role in reducing emissions.  

However, some expressed disappointment that funds were spent on carbon capture technology because to date the technology has not proven successful at scale. They have pointed to the $1.3 billion already spent on the technology without any real benefits being derived and suggest that this latest funding might have been better spent on investments in other types of clean technology. 

Bechtel, Drax Looking for Opportunities to Export Technology 

Bechtel Drax Technologysource

U.K. power company Drax will be using its experience converting power stations from coal to biomass in a new partnership with engineering and project management company Bechtel. 

 The two companies are looking for opportunities to develop and deploy Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) power plants in Europe and North America, using the latest advancements in technology and engineering design.  

BECCS is a negative emissions technology that generates power while capturing and permanently storing any carbon emissions it generates. It is considered the most mature negative emissions technology available and has strong backing from the IPCC and the International Energy Agency. 

Gates and EU Provide $1 Billion for Low-Carbon Technology 

Bill Gates’ energy investment program, Energy Breakthrough, will provide money from private capital and philanthropic sources to finance low-carbon projects with the EU.  

Together, Breakthrough Energy and the EU are expected to provide $1 billion in funds to encourage greater investment in green hydrogen, sustainable fuels, and carbon capture and storage technologies. These types of technologies are considered an important alternative to renewable energy for use in aviation and the heavy industry sector but are too expensive to develop on a commercial scale without support.  

The EU will fund its portion of the $1 billion from the bloc’s budget and from the EU Innovation Fund.  

Industry analysts say that Gates’ involvement will boost investor confidence in these technologies since he is known for investing only in projects that guarantee a return on investment within four years.  

Europe wants to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and expects this goal to be achieved partly through decarbonization of its energy sources. 

Colonial Pipeline’s Ransom Recovery a Rare Occurrence 

The Department of Justice announced that it had recovered $2.3 million of the ransom paid by Colonial Pipeline to hackers following a devastating ransomware attack in early May. Experts hailed the recovery as unusual because of the complex digital encryption tools typically used by hackers.  

The department said it was able to obtain the key to the hackers’ cryptocurrency wallet, which allowed it to retrieve the funds. However, department officials did not say how it was able to obtain the complex digital key or whether they received outside assistance in doing so.  

Colonial Pipeline had paid $4.4 million in cryptocurrency to regain control of its computer system after the ransomware attack crippled its operations.   

Colonial Pipeline said it paid the ransom because it did not know the extent of the damage done, but it made sure to notify the FBI as soon as possible and followed the FBI’s directions. It was this early cooperation that likely enabled the recovery of the funds.  

Hackers are increasingly asking for payment in cryptocurrency when carrying out ransomware attacks, and the U.S. government is concerned about the way digital currency is enabling these attacks. 

Trinidad and Tobago Encourages Gas Production 

Trinidad and Tobago is encouraging further development of its gas deposits by issuing licenses for deep-water, shallow-water, and onshore exploration. The government says that it believes gas has a future, even while oil may be losing its attractiveness.   

The country, therefore, hopes to restore its natural gas production to pre-COVID-19 levels by next year and is in discussions with major players who operate in the country, including BP, BHP, and Shell. 

Opinion writer: Jewel Fraser

The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed by the various authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, or viewpoints of Interactive Energy Group, LLC (IEG) or its parent companies or affiliates and may have been created by a third party contracted by IEG.  Any content provided by the bloggers or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any individual, organization, company, group, or anyone or anything.

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