Environment news

• Shell workers evacuated from Nigerian oil field after threat as VP meets oil majors

  09-05-2016 23:58
  By Tife Owolabi and Felix Onuah YENAGOA/ABUJA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Shell workers at Nigeria's Bonga oil field in the southern Niger Delta are being evacuated following a militant threat, a labour union official said on Monday as the vice president met oil majors to discuss a surge in violence. Last week, militants attacked a Chevron facility in the impoverished Delta where tensions have been building up since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corrupt
  
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• Officials in Canada's Fort McMurray get first glimpse of fire's impact

  09-05-2016 23:39
  By Rod Nickel FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials on Monday got their first glimpse of the oil sands boomtown of Fort McMurray since a wildfire erupted and saw a "heartbreaking" number of destroyed homes but a largely intact downtown business area. Large portions destroyed," Ward Councillor Tyran Ault said on Twitter, adding that the neighbourhood of Beacon Hill was in "heartbreaking" condition. Burnt trees and smouldering visible across the Clearwater (River) though." Reporter
  
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• BP plans more U.S. crude cargoes for PDVSA even with closed arbitrage

  09-05-2016 23:39
  HOUSTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - BP has booked at least two new tankers to transport U.S. crude in May to a terminal operated by Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA in the Caribbean after sending five cargoes in April, according to traders and Thomson Reuters data on Monday. The shipments will carry West Texas Intermediate crude, though initially the British oil company had scheduled to deliver 2.7 million barrels of Nigerian crude to Curacao to fill a Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) tender to im
  
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• Producers, refiners see prolonged shutdown from Canadian wildfire

  09-05-2016 22:56
  Cooler and possible wetter weather looked to help firefighters battling the massive blaze as Canadian officials planned to take their first look at oil boom town Fort McMurray. The town has been ravaged by the nation's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, with about half of the nation's oil sands capacity remained shut as energy firms kept facilities closed as a precaution. Statoil and Husky Energy Inc were among 11 production companies and three pipeline operators that have curbed activi
  
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• VIDEO: Rare images of Mercury passing Sun

  09-05-2016 22:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nasa images capture Mercury transit the Sun, one of the few times it will do so this century.
  
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• Oil slides; focus turns from Canada fire to U.S. stockpiles

  09-05-2016 21:54
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices tumbled on Monday on expectations that U.S. crude inventories would again build to record highs, taking the market's focus off swooning Canadian oil output due to raging wildfires. Brent settled almost 4 percent lower, with U.S. crude down almost 3 percent.
  
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• California drought: governor makes certain water-wasting bans permanent

  09-05-2016 21:35
  
  As the drought persists Governor Jerry Brown has made some water conservation measures permanent, such as a ban on overwatering lawnsGovernor Jerry Brown has ordered California to adopt permanent water conservation measures in response to a devastating five-year drought, including long-term bans on wasteful practices and mandatory reporting rules. While the drought has become less severe in recent months – leading some communities and water agencies to abandon strict restrictions – B
  
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• Mercury completes journey across Sun

  09-05-2016 20:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Solar System's smallest planet has made one of its irregular passes between the Earth and Sun.
  
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• Total plans to sell speciality chemicals subsidiary Atotech - Le Figaro

  09-05-2016 20:42
  French oil and gas producer Total plans to sell its speciality chemicals and equipment division Atotech, its chief executive told Le Figaro newspaper after the company announced on Monday it would buy battery maker Saft. "Atotech no longer falls within Total's strategic vision," the paper quoted Patrick Pouyanne as saying. Total said in February it was planning assets sale of about $4 billion (3 billion pounds) this year, mostly non-core assets.
  
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• People may be breathing in microplastics, health expert warns

  09-05-2016 20:35
  
  Environmental health professor says microparticles of plastic, known to damage marine life, could be entering the airPeople could be breathing in microparticles of plastic, according to a leading environmental health expert, with as yet unknown consequences on health.Microplastics are known to be damaging to life in the oceans, with marine creatures mistaking them for food, and to be consumed by people eating seafood. But Frank Kelly, a professor of environmental health at King’s College L
  
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• Stable non-OPEC output decline key to oil price recovery - Goldman

  09-05-2016 20:29
  (Reuters) - The key to a sustainable recovery in oil prices will be stable declines in non-OPEC production, top commodities bank Goldman Sachs said on Monday. In its base case scenario, Goldman said it expects a sustained deficit in the third quarter of the year, until which oil prices are seen trading around current levels. Crude oil futures were trading around $44 a barrel on Monday after the market shrugged off a cut of 1 million barrels per day in Canadian oil production due to a wildfire.
  
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• Canada vows years-long effort to rebuild fire-struck town

  09-05-2016 20:28
  By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials will take their first look on Monday at the oil sands boomtown devastated by a wildfire that has been raging for more than a week, and the prime minister vowed a years-long commitment to rebuild the town. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the national government was working with local officials and businesses to get a better handle on the damage in Fort McMurray, whose 88,000 residents evacuated following the sta
  
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• Oil down 3 percent as market reappraises Canada wildfire impact

  09-05-2016 20:12
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 3 percent on Monday after traders took in their stride the impact of wildfires on Canada's oil output and after another inventory build at the U.S. delivery hub for crude futures. Almost all of Canada's crude from oilsands is exported to the United States. Oil prices have rebounded by some two-thirds since hitting 12-year lows of around $27 (19 pounds) or lower in the first quarter, supported by falling U.S. production, unexpected
  
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• Huge Canadian Wildfire Spotted from Space (Photos)

  09-05-2016 20:07
  
  Newly released satellite images capture the massive scale of the wildfire rampaging through Canada's Alberta province. The Fort McMurray wildfire has consumed a huge swathe of Alberta forest, and the resulting smoke has drifted all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, the new photos show. The images were taken by NASA's Terra satellite and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP) spacecraft, which is operated by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. De
  
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• Could Defra paint a circular economy picture for the coatings industry?

  09-05-2016 19:59
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The UK Government has been urged to procure paint for building renovations from recycled waste streams to accelerate a circular economy in the coatings industry, which is attempting to address "challenging issues" of paint disposal.
  
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• VIDEO: How daughter's DNA led to murderer

  09-05-2016 19:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A man who sexually assaulted and stabbed a girl 32 years ago has been given a life sentence for her murder.
  
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• Carbon dioxide emissions from US energy sector fall 12% since 2005

  09-05-2016 19:40
  
  The shift comes amid a decline in the use of coal and increase in the use of natural gas to generate electricity, energy officials sayCarbon dioxide emissions from the US’s energy sector fell in 2015 and now stand at 12% below 2005 levels, a drop mainly driven by the continuing collapse of the coal industry.Americans’ energy consumption resulted in the release of 5.2bn tons of CO2 last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), down from 5.4bn tons in 2014. Th
  
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• Rover mission in 'last chance saloon'

  09-05-2016 18:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Europe's rover mission to Mars is "drinking in the last chance saloon", warns the European Space Agency's director general, who says the project cannot have an open-ended schedule or budget.
  
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• Why we love the chough, and its soap opera life | Patrick Barkham

  09-05-2016 17:50
  
  The chough had once vanished from England, but since 2002 there has been a growing colony of these fascinating birds in CornwallThe dawn chorus is deafening in my neck of the woods at the moment. The blackbirds are like loquacious honey-voiced DJs and the thrush is gloriously strident, but I’ve never heard two birds converse quite like a pair of choughs. Perhaps this is because these charismatic coastal-dwelling crows, with curved blood-red beaks, pair for life – although I’ve
  
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• Youthful 'second skin' to hide wrinkles

  09-05-2016 17:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Scientists say they have developed an invisible elastic film that can be applied to the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and eye bags.
  
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• Philippines' Duterte calls for summit to solve South China Sea spat

  09-05-2016 17:11
  By Neil Jerome Morales DAVAO, Philippines (Reuters) - The presumptive winner of the Philippine election on Monday said that if he became president he would settle rows over the South China Sea with multilateral talks that would include allies the United States, Japan and Australia as well as claimant nations. Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City, said China should respect the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone granted to coastal states under international law and should
  
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• UK government accused of pursuing 'gimmicks' to tackle air pollution

  09-05-2016 17:10
  
  Green lawyers criticise government after it emerged experts were commissioned to explore whether high-tech paint could reduce NO2 levels Lawyers have accused the government of pursuing gimmicks to tackle illegal air pollution, after it emerged experts were asked to examine whether high-tech paint could fix the problem.After losing a legal battle over pollution in the supreme court last year, the environment department last year announced plans for five clean air zones which will not affect nine
  
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• Shell workers evacuated from Bonga field after militant threat - union

  09-05-2016 16:55
  Shell workers at Nigeria's Bonga oil field in the southern Niger Delta are being evacuated following a militant threat, a senior labour union official said on Monday. "We are aware of the development and the evacuation is being done in categories of workers and cadres," Cogent Ojobor, chairman of the Warri branch of the Nupeng oil labour union, said. Shell said earlier on Monday that oil output was continuing at its oil fields in Nigeria despite local media reports of a militant attack near its
  
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• In rare reversal, Brazil exports diesel to Europe

  09-05-2016 16:34
  By Ron Bousso LONDON (Reuters) - Brazil has joined a list of countries exporting diesel to Europe, reversing a traditional route and underscoring a weakening of the largest South American economy. At least three 37,000 tonne cargoes of diesel, on the tankers Torm Gunhild, High Performance and MT Alexandros, have sailed in recent weeks from Brazil to Europe, according to Reuters ship tracking data and traders. Torm Gunhild is heading to Venice and is chartered by Italian oil company Eni while MT
  
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• Alberta officials to tour town ravaged by Canadian wildfire

  09-05-2016 16:06
  By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials on Monday were hoping to take their first look at the town ravaged by the nation's most destructive wildfire in recent memory as firefighters hoped cooler, possibly rainy weather would help them battle the blaze. Alberta's premiere, Rachel Notley, was set to lead local officials and media on an inspection of oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray, whose 88,000 inhabitants barely had time to flee the blaze that broke out
  
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• Science-based targets initiative passes 150 companies milestone

  09-05-2016 14:54
  
  Ice cream brand Ben and Jerry's and Japanese car manufacturer Toyota are among a wave of 41 big businesses that have joined the Science-Based Targets initiative, which calls on corporations to cut their carbon footprints in line with a 2C global warming limit.
  
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• Maersk Oil to axe 40 jobs as low oil price continues to hurt

  09-05-2016 14:50
  Denmark's Maersk Oil will cut 40 jobs in Copenhagen, Aberdeen and Stavanger due to the low oil price, it said on Monday. Maersk Oil, a unit of conglomerate A.P. Moller-Maersk , said despite significant cost cuts in the past 18 months, the oil price in the first quarter of 2016 continued to put pressure on earnings and led to a small loss in the quarter. Maersk Oil has around 4,000 employees.
  
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• Middle East drought in historical perspective

  09-05-2016 14:20 via feedproxy.google.com
  A recent study released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) concludes that the current drought that began in 1998 in the eastern Mediterranean Levant  – which includes Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey – is the region’s worst dry spell since 1100 C.E.NASA scientists reconstructed our regional drought history by studying records of tree rings, from dead and live specimens, across several Mediterranean countries t
  
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• Solar has a bright future in the UK despite Tory efforts to cloud the picture

  09-05-2016 14:02
  
  The tough, innovative and resilient UK solar industry can outlast this government’s energy policiesKing Canute is alive and well in Britain.
  While solar energy has become a global success story over the past few years, with tumbling costs and exploding deployment, Britain, which was keen on the technology, has slammed on the brakes, casting a shadow over a sector which employed more than 30,000 people but is now shedding jobs by the thousand. Continue reading...
  
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• Energy Systems Catapult unveils five-year delivery plan for UK energy transformation

  09-05-2016 13:32
  
  A leading technology and innovation centre has today (9 May) unveiled its five-year delivery plan to help create a new systems approach to deliver an affordable and secure energy transformation in the UK during its official London launch.
  
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• Hotels should implement sustainability accreditation systems, survey reveals

  09-05-2016 12:08
  
  Boutique hotels and Bed & Breakfasts (B&B) would generate more customer interest if they were judged through a sustainable accreditation system similar to food and service quality ratings, a survey from energy supplier E.ON has revealed.
  
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• Fearsome Dinosaur-Age 'Hammerhead' Reptile Ate … Plants?

  09-05-2016 11:32
  
  Despite its rows and rows of chisel- and needle-like teeth, a newly described prehistoric marine reptile wasn't a fearsome predator but rather an herbivorous giant that acted like a lawnmower for the sea, a new study finds. It's also the earliest herbivorous marine reptile on record by about 8 million years, they said. "I haven't seen anything like it before," said study co-researcher Olivier Rieppel, the Rowe family curator of evolutionary biology at The Field Museum of Natural History in Chica
  
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• Oil jumps on Canada wildfire outages, markets eye Saudi reshuffle

  09-05-2016 11:15
  By Amanda Cooper LONDON (Reuters) - Oil rallied on Monday as Canada's most destructive wildfire in recent memory knocked out over a million barrels in daily production capacity, but caution among investors prevented a return to late April's 2016 price highs. The lost capacity is equivalent to well over a third of the country's typical daily production, and almost all of Canada's crude from oil sands is exported to the United States. U.S. crude futures rose 91 cents to $45.57 a barrel by 0910 GMT
  
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• Canada hopes cooler weather aids battle with Alberta wildfire

  09-05-2016 11:03
  By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel LAC LA BICHE, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian firefighters looked to cooler weather on Monday to help with their battle against the country's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, as officials sought to gauge the damage to oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray. "This is great firefighting weather, we can really get in here and get a handle on this fire, and really get a death grip on it," Alberta fire official Chad Morrison said on Sunday. The wildfire scorching throu
  
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• Satellite Eye on Earth: April 2016 – in pictures

  09-05-2016 10:44
  
  Iran’s salt desert, New Suez Canal and British astronaut Tim Peak’s snap of UK under an aurora were among the images captured by European Space Agency and Nasa satellites last monthDasht-e Kavir, the swirling landscape of Iran’s salt desert, is reminiscent of an abstract painting. With temperatures reaching 50C in the summer, this area sees little precipitation, but runoff from mountains creates seasonal lakes and marshes. Extreme heat causes the water to evaporate, leaving beh
  
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• Who is the 'Ivory Queen'?

  09-05-2016 10:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The woman accused of leading one of Africa's biggest smuggling rings
  
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• How a giant air freshener could save our polluted cities

  09-05-2016 09:30
  
  Air pollution kills 28,000 people every year in the UK. But the solution might lie in a hi-tech tower that sucks up harmful particlesHigh in the skies over London, the UK’s first air pollution monitoring squad have been using the latest sensors to chart the levels of ozone and nitrogen dioxide in our atmosphere. The team is highly trained, each equipped with a hi-tech backpack, and proficient in social media. Which all sounds relatively standard, apart from the fact that it is entirely mad
  
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• Housebuilder 'takes a stand' against green policy changes with new carbon positive goal

  09-05-2016 09:30
  
  EXCLUSIVE: The Berkeley Group is defying a lack of green policy support for the construction industry by pledging to lead a new sustainability movement, after unveiling a landmark plan to become Britain's first carbon-positive housebuilder.
  
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• Could Brexit be the best thing for Europe’s wildlife? | Jules Howard

  09-05-2016 09:30
  
  The EU has a reputation for legislating to protect nature, whereas the UK drags its heels. Without us, perhaps animals and their habitats might get a better dealNothing oozes status like a man with an endangered alligator lizard draped over his shoulder that he has bought illegally through a German reptile trade show. These are people not content with a pet bearded dragon or a pet corn snake. They want more. They want something no one else has, even if having it contributes to the extinction of
  
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• French oil firm Total to buy battery maker Saft

  09-05-2016 09:17
  French oil company Total plans to buy battery manufacturer Saft , extending its push into new energy technologies, the companies said in a joint statement. Following the signature of an agreement between the two companies, Total has filed a friendly tender offer on Saft shares with French market regulator AMF. Total will offer 36.5 euros per Saft share, ex-dividend of 0.85 euros per share, valuing Saft's equity at 950 million euros.
  
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• South Australia 'should seize chance to build nuclear dump'

  09-05-2016 07:16
  
  The state would reap billions of dollars in revenue by hosting a dump, says royal commissioner and former governor Kevin ScarceSouth Australia should seize the opportunity to store the world’s high-level nuclear waste, the state’s nuclear royal commission has recommended. Related: Nuclear waste is zombie waste: Australia must not become a dumping ground | Dave SweeneyContinue reading...
  
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• Red squirrel leprosy study launched on Brownsea Island

  09-05-2016 07:01
  
  Researchers to investigate how disease is passed between red squirrels, whose numbers have declined drastically
  Wildlife experts have launched a research project on an island off the south coast of England to better understand how British red squirrels are affected by a form of leprosy.The study on Brownsea Island will investigate how the disease is passed between red squirrels, whose numbers have declined drastically, and how conservationists can help control its spread. Continue reading...
  
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• Top palm oil producer sues green group over deforestation allegations

  09-05-2016 07:00
  
  Malaysian palm giant, IOI, lost business after it was suspended from the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil’s certification scheme over deforestation allegations in IndonesiaOne of the world’s largest palm oil producers is suing the green body that suspended its sustainability certification last month because of allegations it had deforested Indonesian rainforests.The Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a body set up by industry and NGOs to address environmental concerns abo
  
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• Malcolm Turnbull: Labor's climate targets will destroy Australia's bargaining power

  09-05-2016 06:44
  
  Bill Shorten fails to realise world has ‘moved on from ideology’, says PM – but Climate Institute contradicts himMalcolm Turnbull has warned Australia would lose vital “leverage” in international negotiations under Labor’s plan to dramatically increase Australia’s emissions reduction target. On the first official day of the election campaign the prime minister criticised the Labor leader, Bill Shorten, for failing to realise that the world had “mov
  
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• Puffins return to the Isle of May

  09-05-2016 06:30
  
  Isle of May, Firth of Forth All around there are the mouths of the burrows where, not far below the surface, puffins incubate eggsOn the Isle of May, off the coast of Fife, the seabirds have arrived, and they are feeling broody. From my vantage point on the south cliffs, I have an unfettered view of two shags bedded down comfortably by the water’s edge. Black plumage glistens green in the sunlight. As I watch, one stands to stretch and straighten out her wings, and I count three pale eggs:
  
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• As Canada blaze grows, fears about crude supplies deepen, prices rally

  09-05-2016 06:26
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil producers and refiners braced on Monday for further supply constraints from the wildfires that have shut one half of Canada's vast oil sands capacity and forced BP and other big oil firms to warn they would not be able to deliver on some contracts. "We are going to see this impacting flows, not necessarily right away but over the next few weeks," said Matt Smith, who tracks crude cargoes for New York-based Clipper Data.
  
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• Oil sands fared well through Canada fire, but restart a challenge

  09-05-2016 04:24
  By Jessica Resnick-Ault and Liz Hampton NEW YORK/CONKLIN, Alberta (Reuters) - The mass evacuation of residents from the wildfire-devastated Canadian oil town of Fort McMurray is likely to significantly delay the restart of production, even though energy facilities themselves have escaped major damage from the flames. Energy facilities were barely touched through the first week of Alberta's devastating wildfire, protected by fire breaks, other defences and provincial firefighting crews.
  
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• The energy transition could be profound – and there's a lot to lose for those who can't keep up

  09-05-2016 04:11
  
  The energy internet, the ‘smart’ grid, solar energy and battery storage are converging and the economic benefits are clearChange is coming to the energy landscape. A transition to a new energy economy is happening. In a country like Australia – awash with energy both under and above the ground – this transition could be rapid and profound. There is a lot to lose for those who can’t keep pace.Last month the government committed $1bn to the Clean Energy Innovation Fun
  
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• Canada getting handle on Alberta wildfire, no restart yet for oil operations

  09-05-2016 03:56
  By Liz Hampton and Rod Nickel GREGOIRE LAKE, Alberta (Reuters) - Canadian officials showed some optimism on Sunday they were beginning to get on top of the country's most destructive wildfire in recent memory, as favourable weather helped firefighters and winds took the flames southeast, away from oil sands boomtown Fort McMurray. There was still no time line, however, for getting Fort McMurray's 88,000 inhabitants back into what remains of their town, or when energy companies would be able to r
  
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• Oil up 2 percent as wildfires threaten Canada supply, Saudi moves eyed

  09-05-2016 01:53
  By Barani Krishnan NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices rose about 2 percent in early Asian trading on Monday as supply outages persisted over the weekend from Canada's wildfires that have shut half the country's vast oil sands capacity. Analysts were also digesting weekend news of Saudi Arabia's appointment of a new energy minister to take over from veteran oil minister Ali al-Naimi. The new appointee, Khalid al-Falih, is a believer in reform and low oil prices.
  
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