Carbon Pulse

Italian utility Enel reported a more advanced hedging position in Q1, continuing its accelerated rate from the previous quarter as EUA prices rose.

EU carbon prices hit a fresh seven-year high on Thursday, posting a third day of strong gains in the past four amid a supply-starved week and as the wider European energy complex marched higher.

The delay of China’s national emissions trading programme has forced a number of carbon specialist firms to refocus their business, sparking a price war in the emissions verification industry.

China’s CDM Fund has approved a 65 million yuan ($10 mln) loan to a Shanghai-based natural gas project in a bid to ramp up supply of natural gas seen as crucial to help bring down coal consumption and cut CO2 emissions.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

A dry winter is expected to hamper low-carbon hydroelectric power generation in California this summer, according the state’s independent system operator, pointing to a potential tightening of the state’s cap-and-trade market.

California regulator ARB handed out over 6.4 million California Carbon Offsets (CCOs) this week in the third largest issuance in the programme's history, with one new forestry project receiving the vast majority of the credits.

European carbon prices rose above €14 on Wednesday, coming within sight of their recent seven-year high as the flow of short-term supply paused and President Trump’s decision to pull the US out of an international nuclear pact with Iran lifted the wider energy complex.

The US-based Paulson Institute has launched a green finance centre in China to help the world’s biggest-polluting nation drive private funding to cut pollution levels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Technology conglomerate Softbank and utility Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) are among the participants in a new blockchain initiative in Japan that will allow rural consumers to trade renewable energy in a bid to cut emissions.

New Zealand carbon allowances saw their second consecutive day of losses on Wednesday as buyers took a breather after pushing prices up to near-record highs.

Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator on Wednesday released new methods for generating carbon credits from savanna burning projects in a move to ensure developers can also earn for sequestering carbon.

The ECF’s Climate Policy Team currently accepts applications for an enthusiastic and highly driven individual to join its Brussels team as “EU Climate Policy Intern” and gain professional experience in political communications on EU climate policy and politics.

A daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world.

Biofuels groups have secured the year-round sale of 15% ethanol blends (E15) under the US Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and avoided a price cap on Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs), lawmakers said on Tuesday, but several key questions about the programme remain unanswered.

The Connecticut Senate approved legislation late Monday that would double and amend the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), with the House soon set to weigh in on the text as the 2018 session draws to a close.

EU carbon prices were steady on Tuesday to hold on to the previous session’s holiday-fuelled gains, as weekly auction supply tightens to one of its lowest levels in 2018.

British Columbia has introduced legislation to scrap its near-term GHG reduction target and replace it with two interim goals en route to the province’s mid-century objective.

The European Commission cleared 44 big-emitting industries to receive free carbon allowances for 2021-30, reducing drastically the number of eligible sectors but retaining big polluters such as steel, cement, and chemicals.

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