Due to the increase in fuel costs for manufacturing companies, it indirectly affects ordinary citizens. The recent surge in fossil fuel prices-crude oil, natural gas and coal are affecting the prices of various commodities, such as food and electricity. one country. About a year ago, crude oil prices turned negative, which is considered the lowest point in history. As the government imposed blockades around the world, demand suddenly dropped. One of the most polluted cities like Delhi witnessed a clear blue sky decades later. There are many sayings about the earth's sudden self-healing. The air quality index has improved all over the world. Now, in 2021, with the increase in vaccination rates and the gradual opening of the global economy, the world is witnessing another crisis. This time the crisis is related to fossil fuels that have been ridiculed, dirty, and heavily polluted. Every country is scrambling to obtain supplies of coal, crude oil, and natural gas (in any order) to run their industries, provide electricity, heat homes, etc. To purportedly cleaner energy-wind, solar, EV, etc. seems to be a mess.
Europe believes that the beacon of climate change initiatives is turning to coal to meet its electricity needs. Coal-fired thermal power plants are restarting to meet European energy needs, and European energy needs have been abandoned, and it is considered a sin to rely on coal to meet energy needs. The main reason is that the price of natural gas has risen exponentially. Compared with the price at the beginning of 2021, the price of natural gas is almost 4 times higher, and it is one of the main energy sources for home and office heating systems in major European countries. The carbon credit scam has been abandoned because it mainly hits first world countries. This is not surprising, because countries such as Norway that boast a high human development index, advocate climate change, fund climate change initiatives, etc. rely heavily on oil and gas exports to sell them to other countries and boast clean domestically. When rich countries do not care about climate change, the per capita income and emissions of third world countries such as India, Nigeria, Vietnam, and Brazil are much lower than those of developed countries. Why should we bear the brunt of climate change initiatives? The self-interests of developed countries are clearly now at play.
Although the cost of coal has also risen sharply, it is much cheaper than crude oil and natural gas under the current circumstances. Although the former president of the United States was wrong to deny climate change and opted out of the Paris climate change agreement, the current crisis and detours provided the impetus (albeit indirect) for the argument of the former president. Over-reliance on electric vehicles, solar, and wind energy, which are considered panacea against climate change, is being promoted, without even considering whether the manufacturing process involved or the disposal of such equipment is climate-friendly. The energy required to charge the vehicle battery inadvertently comes from coal or natural gas-based power plants. Therefore, the entire clean energy is transferred back to its original position.
At present, the only life-saving straw is the unexpected rebound of the global economy after the global blockade is relaxed. This surprises energy planners in various countries and proves that the current use of coal is reasonable. Such incidents ultimately legalized the use of coal and its various components in countries such as India, Indonesia, and China that mainly rely on coal to meet energy needs. India is rich in coal and its ingredients, even if compared with its global counterparts, their calorific value is low. As a result, approximately 25% of Indian power plants use coal from Australia, South Africa and Indonesia to meet their energy needs. The use of selective (non-)catalytic reactions (to reduce nitrogen oxides), supercritical boilers (to reduce fuel consumption), etc. are being used to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants. Furnaces in the glass, steel, and cement industries are the biggest carbon emitters and are a key industrial unit of a country. They are not designed to operate on a green energy system. The fundamental shift to green energy may lead to similar situations in these regions as they are currently in Europe.
Nuclear energy is a net zero-emission energy source and must be included in order to achieve climate change goals. Net safety parameters can be increased to prevent subsidence of nuclear-based power plants. However, an ongoing unplanned green energy transition is seriously damaging the environment rather than helping it. A wise combination of fossil fuels and green energy may be suitable to meet the needs of citizens in developed and emerging economies. This unplanned change may cause damage that the average population may not even be able to cope with. Sri Lanka’s total ban on chemical fertilizers and the mandatory use of organic agriculture have caused food shortages in the country and is a severe reminder of what the energy sector might face in the future if such drastic measures are taken. According to the 2016 Paris Agreement, countries such as India have done their best to reduce the emission intensity of their GDP by 33-35% by 2030. Even with a nominal percentage of emissions, developing countries will not bear the brunt of the use of expensive green energy to reduce carbon emissions. Otherwise, as masks and working at home become the new normal in the COVID-19 era, if unplanned energy transfer is carried out globally, power outages, factory closures, unemployment, etc. may become the new normal in the future. If climate change gets the attention it deserves, the main responsibility of developed countries is to shelve the virtue signal of fossil fuels and find scientific and evidence-based methods to transition to green energy.
The Importance of the South China Sea: An Energy Perspective
Maximize the use of nickel as a renewable energy source and strengthen diplomacy
Geopolitics lover, studying for a master's degree in diplomacy, law and business at Jindal International Affairs College. A student of electronics and communication engineering technology at Jaypee Information Technology College in Noida.
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After soaring electricity prices in the region and the scarcity of fossil fuels, Europe's energy transition is under scrutiny. It has become obvious that renewable energy is not sufficient to effectively deal with these problems. Is it necessary to increase the commitment to renewable energy and accelerate the transformation? Does Europe have to reconsider the emission rights market (according to the Bank of Spain, this is responsible for the 70% increase in electricity prices in Spain)? Does Europe need to take a step back and store fossil fuels to avoid future energy crises?
Spain, like other European neighbors, has been a victim of the current electricity price crisis, and the authorities are still working to resolve it. To understand in depth, we must first understand the state of Spain's energy industry. This article aims to analyze in detail the latest developments in the energy sector in Spain, the current status of the industry and its prospects. To this end, it studies fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear energy, and ends with a public discussion, aiming to solve some of the main issues that will define the future of Spain’s energy transition.
To this end, this article is based on the official documents of the Spanish government: the "Energy Manual 2018" of the Ministry of Ecological Transformation and Demographic Challenges, the "National Comprehensive Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030", and Spanish Law No. 7/2021. On May 20th, on climate change and energy transition. It also uses sources such as the Red Eléctrica de España website, several Spanish news articles, and the IEA Spain’s 2021 Energy Policy Review.
As of 2018, fossil fuels accounted for a major share of Spain's final energy consumption. Oil (accounting for 51% of final energy consumption) is mainly imported from Nigeria, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. However, Spain is a net exporter of petroleum products and has 9 refineries. Natural gas (16.4%) is imported mainly from Argelia (51% of imports), followed by Nigeria, France and Qatar. About half of the supply goes to LPG. Finally, coal (1.8%) is mainly imported from Russia, Colombia and Australia.
The government expects that the contribution of fossil fuels to primary energy will be reduced by 34% by 2030 (compared to 2017 data). In terms of final consumption, oil participation is expected to decline by 28% between 2015 and 2030. Natural gas will maintain a stable share because it plays a key role in the combined cycle power generation that supports the development of renewable energy. Finally, in accordance with Council Decision 2010/787/EU and the closure of coal mining in Spain, coal will become weak.
Renewable energy accounts for 7.2% of Spain's total final energy consumption. This number has been increasing since the 1990s, but has remained basically stable since 2011. In terms of electricity production, the data of renewable energy in August 2021 accounted for 49 percent of total production. In addition, attention should be paid to the steady growth of thermal renewable energy (1.6% per year due to biomass) and transportation renewable energy (due to biofuels).
Today, the renewable energy sources with the largest installed capacity in Spain are hydropower and wind power. Wind power and solar photovoltaic are expected to grow rapidly, while the development of solar thermal power and pumped storage hydropower will slow down. Hydropower will remain stable.
The rapid development of renewable energy in Spain is supported by a strong legislative framework. This includes domestic laws and EU policies on renewable energy and climate change, as well as international agreements (the most important of which was the 2015 Paris Agreement, which was ratified by Spain in 2017).
Until recently, the main regulatory documents were based on the EU Directive 2009/28/EC's 2007 Spain 2020 Climate Change and Clean Energy Strategy and 2011-2020 Renewable Energy Plan. However, along with the Paris Agreement, Spain is developing a new legal framework consisting of five documents:
This legal basis is supported by a series of institutions: CENER (National Renewable Energy Center), IDEA (Diversity and Energy Conservation Research Institute), CIEMAT (Energy, Environment and Technology Research Center) and CECRE (Renewable Energy Control Center) vitality). In addition, the government has established an inter-ministerial committee on climate change and energy transition (for coordination among different ministries), and promised to establish a political coordination committee for climate change (for coordination with the Spanish region).
The 2011-2020 renewable energy plan has achieved the goal set for 2020, that is, at least 20.8% of final energy consumption and at least 39% of total electricity consumption come from renewable energy. Law No. 7/2021 of May 20, 2021 on climate change and energy transition sets new binding targets: renewable energy accounts for 42% of total final energy consumption by 2030, and renewable energy by 2030 74% of power generation.
The National Energy and Climate Comprehensive Plan for 2021-2030 sets out goals and prospects that are in line with the new law. In order to achieve this goal, it expects that by 2030 renewable energy power will include 50 GW of wind power, 39 GW of solar photovoltaic, 27 GW of combined gas cycle, 16 GW of hydropower, 9.5 GW of pumped storage hydropower and 7 GW of solar thermal power. The plan predicts that by 2030, energy generation prices will fall by 31%, carbon centers will not be competitive, and the government will invest 91.765 million euros in renewable energy (80% of which will be allocated to the private sector). It also predicts that energy dependence will drop from 73% in 2017 to 61% in 2030.
As for biomass, which accounts for only 4% of Spain's total renewable energy generation, Spain has only recently taken the necessary measures to promote this source. The Comprehensive National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 includes a doubling of installed energy potential between 2015 and 2030, and points out that development should be further regulated.
In 2020, the share of nuclear energy in Spain's total electricity generation is 22.20%, and it has remained fairly stable for many years. It accounts for nearly 30% of Spain's total clean energy production.
The main participants in the system are 4 ownership and production companies (Endesa, Iberdrola, EDP and Naturgy), the Ministry of Ecological Transformation and Demographic Challenges, the Nuclear Safety Commission, and ENUSA and Enresa (national companies responsible for fuel supply and radioactive waste management) . In terms of fuel supply, ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas is a state-owned company that produces nuclear fuel for Spanish nuclear power plants for export. Since Spain has no uranium mining, the country mainly imports enriched uranium from the United Kingdom (which resolved the Brexit issue in bilateral government contacts), and is guaranteed by the European Atomic Energy Treaty and the European Supply Agency. In terms of waste management, high-level radioactive waste storage has been planned but not yet implemented, and a low- and medium-level radioactive storage center has been built.
By 2035, Spain plans to close all its nuclear power plants in cooperation with the EU nuclear powers. Enresa and the nuclear energy company agreed on a calendar in 2019 to close four nuclear power plants by 2030 and close the remaining three by 2035. This means the consolidation of the reactor shutdown process: it establishes the necessary agreement and ends the ongoing differences between the parties. It also ensures that nuclear energy continues to contribute to the 2030 clean energy production goal.
Consistent with this, the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition of May 20, 2021/2021 stipulates that the government will not grant or extend any exploration and mining permits for radioactive minerals, and will not allow new nuclear power plants. Built. With the closure of existing nuclear power plants and the ban on new nuclear power plants, Spain’s nuclear energy is being replaced by renewable energy in the future.
This article describes the direction of Spain's energy policy. It pointed out many characteristics: the decline in energy from coal production and coal mining, the preservation of natural gas as a supporting resource for the complications of renewable energy, the abandonment of nuclear energy, and the promise of renewable energy. Although these goals are supported by the planning framework and milestones, factors that were not initially considered are affecting their progress.
Until 2020, Spain has successfully closed coal mines and coal-fired thermal power plants. By 2018, it gave up coal mining, and by the end of 2020, it closed most of its factories. However, by 2021, due to the Philomena storm and the current energy shortage, Spain will have to increase the power generation of the remaining coal-fired power plants. It is expected that October will be the month with the highest coal consumption this year. In addition, Spain has been buying Moroccan electricity derived from coal.
Due to recent developments in Algeria, the country's main gas source, the use of natural gas in combined cycle power plants is under review. Algeria has traditionally exported natural gas to Spain through the Medgaz pipeline (directly to Spain) and GME (via Morocco). In recent weeks, Algiers and Rabat have closed their diplomatic relations and hinted three days later that they will not renew the GME pipeline agreement that will expire on October 31.
Merely using the Medgaz pipeline (which has been extended recently) is not enough to meet Spain's natural gas demand. Even so, after bilateral contacts, Algeria guaranteed the supply of natural gas to Spain and may continue to do so through LNG tankers, which will raise prices.
The Spanish nuclear industry is one of Spain's most important sources of clean electricity. However, the infrastructure is too old, and its factories have been expanded too much. Therefore, the government plans to close all nuclear power plants by 2035. Therefore, we can expect the importance of nuclear waste management to increase, as well as the relocation of industrial workers. However, following this summer’s electricity price index-level rice, the Spanish government clashed with the power company (which owns nuclear power plants). In response, these companies threatened to shut down all nuclear power plants by 2021. Such an incident will seriously damage Spain’s position on clean energy and accelerate the termination of Spain’s nuclear energy.
Compared with coal or nuclear energy, renewable energy is the focus of government support. The trend of the industry in this century is to develop steadily, and it is expected that this trend will continue. Although hydropower has historically dominated, wind and solar have seen the largest growth. Spain hopes to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and reduce electricity prices.
However, events in recent months have brought these plans into question. On the one hand, the stagnant development of solar photovoltaic energy has been criticized (in part because of the inadequacy of the public administration in handling the applied projects and the opposition of local communities in rural areas). Although this will not jeopardize Spain’s clean development goals, it does mean a certain degree of slowdown. On the other hand, the current electricity price and energy supply crisis highlights the limitations of these developments in Spain and strains the relationship between the government and energy companies, which may hinder future progress.
Spain’s energy outlook is clear: renewable energy. However, the speed with which Spain plans to achieve its goals may be affected by factors that were not initially foreseen. Demand for coal, doubts about the supply of natural gas, and conflicts between countries and energy companies that endanger the country’s nuclear energy continuity are examples of obstacles that need to be overcome. This is not to say that Spain will not achieve its goals, but that it is in a transitional phase. The success of this process depends on how it responds to the problems that arise. This is why the future of energy in Spain, although it is moving in a very specific direction, is still open.
Authors: Budi Prayogo Sunariyanto and Akhmad Hanan
For many years, territorial disputes in the South China Sea have been a hot issue in many countries until today. The South China Sea is mainly composed of ASEAN countries and parts of the Asia-Pacific region, and is currently facing unilateral claims from China. This dispute is not an intra-ASEAN conflict, but involves some ASEAN member states, Vietnam, Brunei Darussalam and the Philippines, opposing China (outside ASEAN) as an aggressive claimant in the South China Sea. Indonesia is also indirectly involved (as a non-claimant country) because fishermen from China often engage in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF) activities in the North Natuna Sea (Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone).
The South China Sea issue has triggered global condemnation that China may threaten the peace and security of the ASEAN region. In addition, these issues have prompted the United States and its allies to stabilize the security of the ASEAN region through the Trilateral Defense Agreement (AUKUS) reached by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States in September 2021 to maintain peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. According to the agreement, the United States and the United Kingdom will assist Australia in developing nuclear-powered submarines and deploy allied forces to the Asia-Pacific region. This action marked the entry of a new Cold War era in the Asia-Pacific region, especially the South China Sea.
So here comes the question: Is this really just a question of peace and security? We must look at the geopolitical issues in the South China Sea from another angle to find the answer. The South China Sea is an area rich in natural resources, especially energy resources. Both China and ASEAN countries know that the seabed of the South China Sea contains potential for oil and natural gas. The US Energy Information Administration quoted the Asian Maritime Transparency Maritime Initiative as saying that the South China Sea has approximately 190 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of proven and probable oil reserves. The energy reserves are amazing and have economic value to any country that has a territory in the South China Sea.
On the other hand, the total final consumption (TFC) of energy in the Asia-Pacific region in 2019 reached nearly 175 million terajoules (TJ), which is expected to increase with the population and economic growth of the Asia-Pacific region. The Asia-Pacific region has approximately 60% of the world's population. In view of this, many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are racing to find energy resources to meet their needs, as depicted in the South China Sea dispute, demanding sovereignty over energy.
China, which is also located in the Asia-Pacific region, has the same goal of obtaining energy resources in the South China Sea. The nine-dash line proposed by China in the South China Sea is of course to ensure that energy resources meet China's energy needs. In 2014, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) conducted a deep-water drilling rig in the Vietnamese waters and began subsea drilling operations for natural gas. The drilling activity is located in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, only 17 nautical miles from Triton Island in the South China Sea. Then in April 2021, it was reported that Chinese scientists on a marine scientific research ship "Manatee II" drilled deep in the South China Sea to retrieve the sediment core from the seafloor. The drilling activity is to explore submarine gas hydrate resources. China is undoubtedly looking for evidence of energy resources in the South China Sea.
At the same time, the United States and its allies have not directly targeted the energy resources of the South China Sea. The United States and its allies intend to block China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region. More than 30% of the global maritime crude oil trade passes through the South China Sea, including crude oil trade from Europe, the Middle East to the United States. In other words, the United States and its allies are interested in ensuring the passage of the South China Sea and ensuring the energy supply of the United States and its allies.
The Middle East considers the South China Sea to be the main trade channel. In 2016, Saudi Arabia's crude oil transportation mainly passed through the South China Sea. In addition, about 90% of crude oil imported by Japan and South Korea from suppliers in the Middle East is transported through the Strait of Malacca and then the South China Sea. Therefore, the security of the South China Sea is vital to the energy supply in the Asia-Pacific region.
The conflict in the South China Sea must be resolved immediately by the Asia-Pacific countries through diplomatic mechanisms. No one can unilaterally control the South China Sea with the defense forces of various countries. In addition, it has made territorial claims that violate sovereign rights and international law. Maintaining peace and security is the responsibility of Asia-Pacific countries, because the South China Sea plays a vital role in the energy security of the Asia-Pacific region and the world.
Authors: Nani Septianie and Ramadhan Dwi Saputra*
With the development of the times and technology, the use of energy in the world will continue to develop with the increase of population. According to records, global energy demand has tripled since 1950, and its use is estimated to have reached 10 billion tons per year. Most energy comes from non-renewable materials such as coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear energy. In addition to being non-renewable, fossil energy is also not environmentally friendly, because the burning of fossil fuels will produce carbon dioxide gas, which leads to global warming. Based on previously used energy, the world still uses fossil energy, while traditional vehicles still use gasoline as fuel. Fossil energy itself is still classified as a non-environmentally friendly energy source because it generates carbon emissions that pollute the environment. As a result, the world is now flocking to make renewable energy through more environmentally friendly electric vehicles.
In electric vehicles, batteries play a very important role in the parts of electric vehicles. Currently, there are two types of batteries that are the most common and widely used in electric vehicles. The first is a lithium-ion battery, and the second is a nickel-based battery. But remember that for the type of lithium-ion battery itself, nickel is also the main raw material required. Lithium-ion batteries commonly used to store electricity in vehicles are lithium manganese oxide (LMO), lithium nickel manganese oxide (NMC), and lithium nickel cobalt oxide (LTO). The reason for using nickel as a raw material for electric vehicle batteries is that it is more environmentally friendly, and nickel is also considered more efficient. Because nickel is a metal with high energy density storage, and it is cheaper than using other types of minerals (such as cobalt). As the demand for electric vehicles continues to increase and their penetration rate continues to rise, the prospects for nickel production in the future will also be brighter. The demand for automated mining commodities will continue to grow to encourage companies and producing countries to rush to increase production.
According to a report from Investing News, on Monday (10/26/2020) there are 10 largest nickel producers in the world, of which the United States ranks 10th, with total production: 14,000 metric tons (MT, 9th Cuban country with total production: 5.1 10,000 tons, the ninth is Cuba, the eighth is Brazil, the total output: 67,000 tons, the seventh is China, the total output is 110,000 tons, the sixth is Canada, the total output: 180,000 tons, the fifth is Australia’s total output: 180,000 tons, the fourth is New Caledonia, the total output: 220,000 tons, the third is Russia, the total output is 270,000 tons, the second is the Philippines, the total output: 420,000 The first place is Indonesia, with the largest total output of 800,000 tons. Indonesia has been used as a benchmark trend to measure the severity of a country’s entry into the nickel industry. According to reports, nickel production in 2019 will exceed palm oil production. It is the second largest export commodity. It is relatively affordable from China, a leading country for electric car manufacturers, making the export process of this commodity very ideal. Indonesia also has 21 million tons of nickel reserves.
Nickel is an important part of the production of electric vehicles and can be used as a raw material for long-term sustainable battery manufacturing to create a clean environment. Among them, nickel, as the main raw material for electric vehicle manufacturing and operation, has contributed to the reduction of carbon emissions. The Union of Concerned Scientists explained that battery production contributes to global warming emissions and has dropped to 43%, and this decline depends on the chemicals used in the manufacture of battery raw materials. The manufacture of electric vehicle batteries is indirectly in line with the "Paris Agreement" and the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda (SDG) commitment at point 13 to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions in order to achieve a climate-neutral world. Therefore, each country needs to cooperate to maximize the realization of the diplomatic strategy between countries in order to realize the source of raw materials for the manufacture of electric vehicle batteries, especially nickel.
Countries need to maximize diplomatic activities in order to achieve an equal distribution of electric vehicle production
Therefore, the mass production of electric vehicles shows that in the future, every country will need the raw material supply for the production of batteries, that is, nickel, the main raw material for manufacturing batteries. Electricity. This phenomenon shows that the largest nickel producing country plays an important role in realizing the contribution of raw materials to electric vehicle battery manufacturing. However, since every country rich in nickel has a large output, this country cannot stand alone. On the contrary, it is also necessary to distribute nickel production to other countries by sharing raw materials, which can be done using diplomatic strategies.
Therefore, diplomatic activities between countries are very important to make up for all the shortcomings of countries. Every country can use its negotiation skills to realize its national interests and the needs of each country. However, countries with a large amount of energy resources, especially nickel, the main raw material for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries, should not continue to export excessively, but countries with these energy resources must continue to limit the amount of exports. Export. Since nickel is an energy resource, the wealth of this energy resource must be maintained to prevent the devaluation of nickel reserves. Therefore, countries are required to carry out diplomacy, including strengthening their bargaining power, creating an even distribution of nickel supply through negotiations, supplementing the lack of demand for assembling electric vehicles in various countries, and requiring countries to form a sustainable plan as a long-term strategy to ensure the future Electric vehicles can continue to be produced, especially nickel, which is the main raw material for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries.
*Ramadhan Dwi Saputra, chemical engineering research assistant at Islamic University in Indonesia.
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