Gas storage levels in Germany continue declining.
They are now down to just 72.9% of full, significantly below the average for recent years. Gas prices rise accordingly by 4.3% this morning. Source: Bloomberg, HolgerZ
One of Morgan Stanley 2025 Theme is the Future of energy:
"In 2025, our focus shifts from hashtag#decarbonization to the wide range of factors driving the supply, demand, and delivery of hashtag#energy across geographies. The common thread is the potential for rapid evolution. Four key dynamics: (1) an increasing focus on energy security; (2) the massive growth in energy demand driven by trillions of dollars of hashtag#AI hashtag#infrastructure spend, to be met by both fossil fuel-powered plants and hashtag#renewables; (3) innovative hashtag#energy hashtag#technologies such as carbon capture, energy storage, nuclear power, and power grid optimization; and (4) increased electrification across many industries. Relatedly, we continue to believe that carbon emissions will likely exceed the targets in various nations’ climate pledges. Hence, we expect focus to shift toward climate adaptation and resilience technologies/business models". Source: Morgan Stanley, zerohedge
In Germany, Gas storage levels have fallen to 83.3% due to colder weather, marking the lowest level for the end of December since Russia's war against Ukraine began.
By comparison, storage levels were 91% full in 2023 and 88% in 2022. Source: HolgerZ, Bloomberg
France Adds First Nuclear Reactor in 25 Years to the Grid
France connected the Flamanville 3 nuclear reactor to its grid on Saturday morning, state-run operator EDF announced. This marks the first addition to the country's nuclear power network in 25 years. The reactor, which began operating in September before being connected to the grid, is coming online 12 years later than originally planned and at a cost of approximately 13 billion euros—four times the initial budget. EDF is planning to construct six additional reactors to meet a 2022 pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron as part of France's energy transition plans. However, questions remain regarding the funding and timeline for these new projects. source : reuters
GERMAN ENERGY PRICES ARE EXPLODING
This is not going to help... German power prices SPIKED to the levels seen during the 2022 energy CRISIS. Day-ahead prices for 5pm-6pm skyrocketed to the highest in 20 YEARS. This comes as wind generation plummeted as there has been almost no wind in recent days. Source: Global Markets Investor, Bloomberg
Meta Platforms $META is seeking as much as 4 gigawatts of new nuclear energy to run data centers and support the 🇺🇸 electric grid, starting in the early 2030s
Bloomberg, Evan @StockMKTNewz
Countries promised to move away from coal, oil and natural gas at last year’s climate summit. New research shows they’re burning more than ever before.
One year after world leaders made a splashy promise to shift away from fossil fuels, countries are burning more oil, natural gas and coal than ever before, researchers said this week. Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are on track to reach a record 37.4 billion metric tons in 2024, a 0.8 percent increase over 2023 levels, according to new data from the Global Carbon Project. It’s a trend that puts countries farther from their goal of stopping global warming. The increase was not uniform across the globe. Emissions will most likely decline this year in the United States and Europe, and fossil fuel use in China slowed. Yet that was offset by a surge in carbon dioxide from India and the rest of the world. Source: NYT
As highlighted by Andrea Lisi, CFA on X, market participants and policymakers have not fully understood the heavy toll artificial intelligence will take on our Electrical grid.
As shown on the chart below, a single Google search query typically uses about 0.3 watt-hours (Wh) of electricity. On the other hand, each ChatGPT query is estimated to consume around 2.9 watt-hours of electricity, which means 9.66 times more energy than a Google query! To run AI at scale, both the private and public sectors will have to invest a significant amount of money to strengthen the electricity grid.
