Indonesia is bracing for protests this week after the government raised fuel prices by more than 30% to curb soaring subsidies, as higher costs hit households and small businesses across the archipelago.
Nigeria is benefiting from higher oil prices, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said, but its deficit will widen this year.
The gap between what Nigeria pays to import fuel and what it is sold at is unsustainable and must change, Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) head Mele Kyari has said.
Plans have been unveiled for a windfarm in Cornwall which could become the first in the UK to operate without government susbsidy.
Nigeria will reduce gasoline costs and scrap a fuel subsidy under a pricing mechanism to come into effect from January, Petroleum Minister of State Emmanuel Kachikwu said.
Take a look back at some of the biggest stories affecting the renewables industry across the globe.
Aberdeen MP Callum McCaig has called on the UK Government to rethink its plans to end a renewables subsidy scheme a year early after it suffered a defeat in the Lords. Labour put forward an amendment to the Energy bill, deleting the policy to close the Renewables Obligation to onshore windfarms from next April, which was carried by 242 votes to 190. Energy minister Lord Bourne warned peers to “move carefully”, but his opposite number Baroness Worthington said early closure would save no more than 30p per household each year.
Campaigners have hailed the early closure of a subsidy scheme for onshore wind projects – while renewables experts last night warned it will deter investment. Jenny Hogan, director of policy at Scottish Renewables, warned firms were at risk of “shutting up shop altogether” and that 5,400 jobs had been put at risk by the withdrawal of the Renewables Obligation (RO) scheme. Ending the subsidy – funded by levies to household bills – a year earlier than expected could cost up to £3billion of investment, she added. Ms Hogan also called for the Westminster Scottish Affairs Committee to consider holding an inquiry on the move, which she said would have a disproportionate impact on Scotland.
Government plans to slash subsidies for solar panels on homes could cost more than 20,000 jobs, green campaigners have claimed. Ministers have announced proposals to cut the amount paid for domestic solar arrays from 12.47p per kilowatt hour to 1.63p for new systems from January 2016 - a fall of 87%. The plans could mean almost a million renewable installations will be prevented from going ahead over the next five years, according to the Government’s impact assessment of the move.
An emergency summit convened in the wake of Westminster’s decision to scrap a subsidy scheme for onshore wind farms was attended by more than 200 people, the Scottish Government said. Energy Minister Fergus Ewing organised the talks after the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) announced it would end payments under the Renewables Obligation a year early. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and others in the Scottish Government have already spoken out against the decision, which industry leaders Scottish Renewables fears could put up to £3 billion of investment in Scotland at risk.
The UK Government’s decision to end subsidy payments for onshore wind farms a year early could face a challenge in the courts. Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing warned that scrapping the “renewables obligation” scheme could result in legal action being taken by the green energy sector.