March 24 NEC Energy News
¶ “Russia Destroys Chernobyl Lab, Gaining ‘Highly Active Samples'” • The State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management said the Russian military destroyed a laboratory near the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was working to improve the management of nuclear waste and contained “highly active samples.” [The Hill]
¶ “A Dereliction Of Fuel Duty: Europe’s €9 Billion Gift To Putin And The Rich” • Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed fuel prices to recent highs. To appease drivers at the pump, 14 of the 27 EU member states have reacted by cutting fuel taxes. While simple, this approach is expensive and helps fund Russia’s war on the Ukraine. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Jamie Dimon To Joe Biden: We Need A ‘Marshall Plan’ For US And European Energy Security” • JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon urged President Joe Biden in an off-the-record meeting this week to develop a “Marshall Plan” to fortify the energy security of the US and Europe, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. [CNN]
¶ “Shell Is Offering Tesla & Other EV Subscriptions In Germany” • Shell oil company is offering Tesla and other EV subscriptions in Germany. Oil and gas companies need to evolve if they want to survive the eventual EV revolution, and Shell may be leading the way. This isn’t to say that Shell is 100% a good company, but it is making progress. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Electric Chevy Equinox: 300-Mile Range, $30,000, Coming In 2023” • Chevy introduced a new teaser video of the Equinox EV this week. It doesn’t offer many new details, other than the fact that is a battery-electric SUV that offers up to 300 miles of range and rapid charging (we presume) at a base price of “around $30,000.” Sweet! [CleanTechnica]
¶ “USPS Inspector General Study Favors Electric Vehicles” • The Office of Inspector General for the USPS has issued an extensive report on the purchase of new postal vehicles. It states nearly 99% of all postal delivery routes in the US could be served reliably by battery EVs that would cost less to buy, fuel, and maintain than conventional vehicles. [CleanTechnica]
¶ “Wind, Solar Could Replace Coal Power In Texas” • Texas can be a model on how to replace coal with wind and solar for its energy needs while meeting environmental goals, according to research by Rice University engineers. Their report is based on modeling to determine the least-cost combinations of proposed wind and solar projects. [Renewable Energy Magazine]