Although various factors were blamed for the extended power outage on the ERCOT electricity grid in February 2021, no single problem fully explains the calamity. All forms of generation experienced capacity deratings, but failure to identify and address risks along fuel supply chains was a major contributor. Moreover, most proposed remedies do not fundamentally address…
Tag: Natural gas
Electricity Markets in Transition and Crisis: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Security
Two electricity market crises following the lifting of post-Covid restrictions in 2021 and the natural gas supply interruptions in 2022, challenged the functioning of the EU electricity market and its design. This paper argues that the market design was already ripe for an overhaul as the efficient market paradigm has gradually become an instrument of…
The Environmental Footprint of Natural Gas Transportation: LNG vs. Pipeline
Emissions to air from the production and transportation of natural gas is an important aspect of the decision making regarding the new infrastructure development in the offshore natural gas sector. In this study, we estimate the emissions of CO2, NOx, nmVOC and CH4 from extraction, processing and transportation of a unit of dry natural gas…
Macroeconomic Impacts of LNG Exports from the United States
In contrast to what has been a common belief still ten years ago, the prevailing wisdom now is that U.S. natural gas demand can be met entirely with natural gas produced domestically and at relatively low prices (around $5/MMBtu). Moreover, there might even be the opportunity for the U.S. to become a net exporter of…
The Influence of Shale Gas on U.S. Energy and Environmental Policy
The emergence of U.S. shale gas resources to economic viability affects the nation’s energy outlook and the expected role of natural gas in climate policy. Even in the face of the current shale gas boom, however, questions are raised about both the economics of this industry and the wisdom of basing future environmental policy on…
Baltic Gas Supply Security: Divided We Stand?
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, depending entirely on Russia for their gas supply, want to invest in gas supply security. The European Commission encourages them to do so by conditioning subsidies to the building of joint regional infrastructure. In the face of serious political and legal hurdles to Baltic gas security co-operation, Brussels’ approach might be…