Due to the abnormal heat, on the one hand, a drought began, the water level in the rivers decreased and the generation at hydroelectric power plants fell (in January-July 2022 — by 20% compared to the same period in 2021). On the other hand, due to the increase in the temperature of the rivers, it became more difficult to cool the reactors of nuclear power plants, therefore, the generation at nuclear power plants had to be reduced (by 12% compared to last year)
The result: a 4% year-over-year increase in gas-fired generation (namely, gas is the second largest source of energy in the EU now), despite all the problems with prices and supplies. Coal-fired output increased by 11%
<<< August 22, 2022 Feed >>>
State-owned company Statnett said it will not charge electricity grid rent from this September until the end of 2023. It will also extend for the same period the zero fee for delivering electricity to consumer homes, a measure the company introduced back in April.
The reason was the operator’s record high income from electricity distribution in Norway and neighboring countries. In the eight months of 2022, they amounted to 11.5 billion crowns (1.2 billion euros), compared with 5.3 billion crowns (538 million euros) for the whole of 2021.
Statnett calculates that the new tariff cuts will help Norwegian consumers save NOK 11 billion (€1.1 billion). However, individuals and companies will still pay local suppliers for the electricity itself.
Earlier it became known that Norway faced an internal energy crisis due to drought: in the south of the country, reservoirs at hydroelectric power stations were depleted.
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The number of visitors in shopping centers in Moscow in early August is 9-39% less than in the last three years.
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The third plane with an American politician arrived in Taiwan in a month. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb is on an official visit to Taiwan. He wrote about this on Twitter.
On August 2, Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan. After getting off the plane, she said that the main goal of the American delegation was to support Taiwan’s «bright and dynamic» democracy. On August 3, the politician left the country.
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An eight-day strike was staged by workers at Felixstowe, the UK’s largest container port. They demand higher wages amid peak inflation, which has reached 10% on an annualized basis. Meanwhile, the port’s shareholders made a profit of around £100m (€118m) in 2020, the union said.
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The US Navy ship USS Arlington and the USS Gunston Hall landing ship with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived in Riga on Saturday as part of a scheduled visit, the press and culture department of the US Embassy in Latvia said.
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New Zealand will ease immigration laws to bring in 12,000 new employees over the next year, Reuters reported, citing immigration minister Michael Wood in a statement. There is a shortage of labor in local enterprises after the pandemic, and in all qualifications and industries.
The easing in question includes relaxing pay rules for skilled migrants in sectors such as care for the elderly, construction and infrastructure, meat processing, seafood and adventure tourism. Other measures are provided for foreigners who came on a Working holiday visa (work during the holidays) — they will extend their visas for 6 months in order to keep them in the country.
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Experts from the European Space Agency have analyzed new data from the Gaia Optical Space Telescope. Thanks to them, scientists were able to determine how the Sun will develop in the future.
According to calculations, our star is already 4.57 billion years old, and in general it is still stable. However, eventually the star will die — the process will begin when the core runs out of hydrogen. The merger process will begin, which will turn the Sun into a red giant star and lower the surface temperature by dozens of times.
In this state, it will last another thousand billion years, until it turns into a dim white dwarf. But it is unlikely that a reasonable form of life on Earth will catch this — the brightness of the Sun increases by about 10% every billion years, which entails an increase in temperature. Such changes will make our planet uninhabitable long before the end of the solar system.
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In July, Swiss watch exports rose again by 8.3% compared to the same month in 2021 and reached the volume of 2.2 billion Swiss francs ($2.3 billion), reaching a near-record level and the highest value in the last eight years. as demand for luxury watches from Rolex, Omega and Vacheron Constantin is booming.
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In July, Russia bought $6.7 billion worth of goods from China, more than a third more than the previous month and 20% more than last year. In contrast, imports from Russia, which rose sharply in March-May, rose only marginally last month after falling in June, according to data from the China Customs Administration.
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Serbia will be able to buy electricity from Azerbaijan on favorable terms, the office of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said following a Sunday telephone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
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Colossal Biosciences has teamed up with the University of Melbourne on an ambitious project to bring back a long-extinct species. The «firstborn» of the research team will be the Tasmanian tiger, which disappeared almost a century ago.
The project is funded by large crypto investors and actor Chris Hemsworth. If successful, the first individual will be released into the wild in 10 years.
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The UAE will return its ambassador to Iran after a six-year hiatus amid improved relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran. The Ambassador will begin his duties in the coming days.
UAE lowered diplomatic relations with Iran after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in 2016
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The Chinese authorities decided to spray the clouds with chemicals to cause artificial rains — because of the drought in the country, rice crops, which make up 75% of the annual crop, are dying. Plants will also be treated with humectants to limit water evaporation.
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South Korea’s regular joint military exercise with the United States, Ulchi Freedom Shield, kicked off on Monday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported.
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The People’s Bank of China lowered its base interest rate on loans (LPR) for a period of one year to 3.65% per annum from 3.7%.
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Germany has reached the minimum target level of filling underground gas storage facilities of 80% and plans to continue active gas injection in anticipation of next winter.
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In the territorial waters of Lithuania, from August 22 to 26, the Baltic Bikini 2022 international air force exercise will be held with the participation of military personnel from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and the Czech Republic, the Lithuanian army said.
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British telecom operator Vodafone Group PLC has agreed to sell the Hungarian division of Vodafone Magyarorszag Tavkozlesi Zrt (also called Vodafone Hungary) for 715 billion forints ($1.78 billion) to two local buyers.
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French retailer Carrefour SA has frozen the prices of 100 everyday items in its stores in France as part of measures to help consumers during a time of high inflation.
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Sichuan provincial authorities have extended until August 25 the rationing of electricity supply to some enterprises due to severe drought, AP reported.
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The Russian government approved the amount of payment for exceeding the quota of greenhouse gas emissions as part of the Sakhalin experiment, such a decree was signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The regulation will come into force on March 1, 2023 and will be valid until the end of 2028.
«To establish a fee rate for exceeding the greenhouse gas emission quota for legal entities or individual entrepreneurs engaged in economic or other activities that result in greenhouse gas emissions in the Sakhalin Region, (…) in the equivalent of 1 ton of carbon dioxide in the amount of 1 thousand rubles,» the document says.
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China imported $35 billion worth of energy from Russia between March and July, compared to $20 billion in the same period last year. These are Bloomberg’s calculations, based on statistics from China’s customs department.
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Since the end of February, Poland has provided assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 17 billion zlotys (more than 3.5 billion euros), Michal Dvorczyk, head of the country’s prime minister’s office, said on Polish radio on Monday.
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The Hyundai Trans Kazakhstan plant (part of KMK Astana Motors) will suspend production of Hyundai Accent and Hyundai Creta models due to the cessation of supplies of components from Russia, the press service of KMK Astana Motors reported.
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Crocs in Russia will come under the control of Claire LLC, a new structure of the former head of the Russian division of the American company. The manufacturer in early March suspended sales and deliveries to the country
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The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC, a company with the participation of Russia and Kazakhstan) has suspended the operation of two oil berths due to the discovery of cracks in the attachment points of underwater sleeves, the company’s website said.
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Two bulk carriers with grain have left Ukrainian ports, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced on Twitter.
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According to the results of the second quarter of 2022, the number of pharmacies in Russia decreased by 275 points, to 72 thousand. This happened for the first time in almost two years.
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The BBC has revoked the license for its content for Russia. In this regard, it is no longer possible to watch the series Ripper Street, Miss Marple, War and Peace, Pride and Prejudice on Kinopoisk. At the same time, Doctor Who, The Empty Crown, The Tudors, Merlin, Killing Eve are still available.
Kinopoisk said that the information about the loss of all BBC series is «incorrect», and popular British series are still available. Information about the revocation of the license by the corporation in the online cinema was left without comment.
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The online edition of TJ announced its closure. As the editors explained in their social networks, the reason for this decision was the reduction in funding after blocking the resource by Roskomnadzor. The publication intends to work until September 10.
“It happened on February 24, and then the lockdown. A few months later, funds for the development and support of TJ ran out. Gradual reductions, including employees, did not help, ”the message says.
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At the bottom of the shallow Danube in the eastern part of Serbia, the wreckage of ships from the Second World War appeared. Many of the ships still carry tons of ammunition and explosives, posing a danger to local residents and shipping in the area.
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Norwegian power grid operator Statnett will not charge electricity grid rent from this September until the end of 2023. It will also extend for the same period the zero fee for the delivery of electricity to consumer homes.
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River dams in the Netherlands are in danger of collapse due to drought. From the heat, peat protective structures dry out and crack. As a result, the dam may not withstand the pressure of water in the event of a flood of rivers.
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