China as a Global Clean Energy Champion: Lifting the Veil
A year ago, I was asked by a publisher to write a book entitled “China as a Global Clean Energy Champion” as a follow up of my 2011 effort “The Governance of Energy in China. Transition to a Low … Continue Reading ››
The NOCs scale back
Five or ten years ago, we all knew where China’s national oil companies (NOCs) were going. The answer was ‘almost everywhere, and big’. What had started as putting a toe in the water in the early 1990s had … Continue Reading ››
Geopolitics of Nuclear Energy in the Middle East
On 28 November 2017, I participated in a workshop organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies on the geopolitics of nuclear energy in the Middle East, held in Istanbul. The event was … Continue Reading ››
Green Belt and Road workshop
On 20 November 2017, I participated in a Workshop on Belt and Road Green Development, hosted by the Center for Global Energy Policy of Columbia University, in cooperation with China’s Renmin University. The Guidance on Promoting … Continue Reading ››
Harvard Project on Climate Agreements workshop
I participated in a workshop organised by the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements held in Shanghai on 27 September 2017. The workshop examined how national governments in the region might cooperate to address the problem of climate change. Participants included social scientists (economists, … Continue Reading ››
China fights air pollution as winter approaches
Air pollution continues to be a major political issue in China. With the winter heating season starting, the government is pursuing a number of strategies to constrain the level of air pollution in northern … Continue Reading ››
A New Chinese Giant Energy Company: The Merger between Shenhua and Guodian
At the end of August 2017, China’s government ended months of speculation by approving the merger between two large state-owned energy companies: the Shenhua Group and the China Guodian Corporation. Shenhua is a major coal-mining company that … Continue Reading ››
Nuclear fusion – on the way or false hope?
The last two years have seen a number of projects reporting “significant” progress being made towards the goal of developing nuclear fusion energy. This form of energy replicates the processes that drive … Continue Reading ››
China’s massive investments in renewable energy
In early January 2017, China’s government announced a 2.5 trillion RMB (US$ 360 billion) investment programme in renewable energy as part of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). This marks a continuation of the twin strategies of boosting the share of non-fossil fuel in … Continue Reading ››
Coal consumption in China: where is it heading?
Coal continues to be the bugbear of China's energy sector. When China’s current leadership took office in late 2012, they laid out a number of key policy priorities directly relevant to the energy sector. These included the broad goals of requiring … Continue Reading ››
International energy and resources policy, with a focus on China
China as a Global Clean Energy Champion: Lifting the Veil
A year ago, I was asked by a publisher to write a book entitled “China as a Global Clean Energy Champion” as a follow up of my 2011 effort “The Governance of Energy in China. Transition to a Low … Continue Reading ››
Geopolitics of Nuclear Energy in the Middle East
On 28 November 2017, I participated in a workshop organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies on the geopolitics of nuclear energy in the Middle East, held in Istanbul. The event was … 
Green Belt and Road workshop
On 20 November 2017, I participated in a Workshop on Belt and Road Green Development, hosted by the Center for Global Energy Policy of Columbia University, in cooperation with China’s Renmin University. The Guidance on Promoting … 
Harvard Project on Climate Agreements workshop
I participated in a workshop organised by the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements held in Shanghai on 27 September 2017. The workshop examined how national governments in the region might cooperate to address the problem of climate change. Participants included social scientists (economists, … 
China fights air pollution as winter approaches
Air pollution continues to be a major political issue in China. With the winter heating season starting, the government is pursuing a number of strategies to constrain the level of air pollution in northern … 
A New Chinese Giant Energy Company: The Merger between Shenhua and Guodian
At the end of August 2017, China’s government ended months of speculation by approving the merger between two large state-owned energy companies: the Shenhua Group and the China Guodian Corporation. Shenhua is a major coal-mining company that … 
Nuclear fusion – on the way or false hope?
The last two years have seen a number of projects reporting “significant” progress being made towards the goal of developing nuclear fusion energy. This form of energy replicates the processes that drive … 
China’s massive investments in renewable energy
In early January 2017, China’s government announced a 2.5 trillion RMB (US$ 360 billion) investment programme in renewable energy as part of its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020). This marks a continuation of the twin strategies of boosting the share of non-fossil fuel in … 
Coal consumption in China: where is it heading?
Coal continues to be the bugbear of China's energy sector. When China’s current leadership took office in late 2012, they laid out a number of key policy priorities directly relevant to the energy sector. These included the broad goals of requiring …