Blending low-carbon hydrogen in natural gas pipelines is an extremely wasteful use of an expensive and energy-intensive energy vector that is best deployed elsewhere. We know this. But the European Commission has put H2 blending at the heart of the new EU framework to decarbonise gas markets. Natural gas pipeline operators must be popping corks at this …

Expensive gas has put fossil-based hydrogen out of the money. At today's inflated prices, green hydrogen is *in theory* already cheaper to produce in Europe than both blue and grey H2. Using models developed by Australian math modelling outfit Keynumbers…

Welcome to the new weekly format for Energy Flux. This week’s issue catches up on a slew of headlines from my time away, including the UK’s long-awaited Hydrogen Strategy. It also dives deep into the mechanics of Woodside’s convoluted oil merger with BHP…

Will the numbers ever add up on the international trade of ‘green’ hydrogen and ammonia? An international consortium hopes to prove the doubters wrong by developing a truly gargantuan wind and solar-powered hydrogen/ammonia fuel production mega-hub in Western Australia that would be the largest power generation project ever built…

OPERATIONAL NOTE: Energy Flux is in holiday mode (reduced frequency over the summer). This newsletter comes to you as I head of on another (rain delayed) family camping trip. The next issue will be put together upon my return (w/c 23rd August). NEW FEATURE: Readers can now rate each issue of Energy Flux — click on the links in the footnote to vote…

The EU is planning an unprecedented rollout of renewable power generation capacity this decade, which could exacerbate supply-demand grid imbalances. Mass deployment of electrolysers would flatten the peaks, so prioritising domestic production of ‘green’ hydrogen over imports would make strategic sense for Brussels — and that is exactly what the Commiss…

Good morning and thanks as ever for supporting Energy Flux. I’m humbled that you’re lending me your eyeballs! In today’s issue: ‘Red’ hydrogen: Has Russia sparked a battle for H2 market share in Europe? Nowhere to hide: Satellites take gas flaring battle into space…

Greetings! In today’s issue (the last of the week): Polarised hydrogen debate gets stuck in ‘hope versus hype’ rut Transmission lines – energy transition stories you might’ve missed Energised minds – critical thinking on crucial energy issues It’s all about hydrogen in today’s issue – the fuel of the future, or fanciful foll…

How times change. Secure, baseload generation has been the main selling point of nuclear power for decades: the promise of a reliable source of electricity, generating constantly around the clock, 24/7, has mesmerised UK energy policymakers since the first civil nuclear power station came online in the 1960s…

The European Commission has done more than probably any international body to advance the issue of climate neutrality on the world stage. Its European Green Deal has set in motion an ambitious policy package intended to set the 27-member bloc on a path towards ‘net zero’ climate emissions by 2050…

European policies on climate emissions and clean energy are reshaping the balance of power between the EU and one of its main external energy suppliers: Russia. Europe’s headlong rush to replace natural gas with clean hydrogen has prompted a strategic rethink at Gazprom, Russia’s state gas company that holds the monopoly over Russian pipeline gas exports…