Texas power issues. Wind farms getting iced up (Part II)... 38

[1503-44]

The EU started thinking about ways around the $ payment transfer system to supply Iran with humanitarian goods when Trump pulled out of the agreement. That's cooled off now. I think there was not a great lot of money involved, so it got put on the back burner. If it eventually happens, it will be a chicken in the $$$ armor.

Yes Dik, I have always thought it was € for oil that did Saadam in. It certainly was not his WMDs or involvement with the World Trade Center. What's left? Venezuela was going the same route and look what happened there. Coincidence? Right. Russia and China are not using $ on West-East Pipeline transactions as far as I know, so that was another IUD.

This pipeline is over $10B and several important EU gas grid companies have their future supply plans and big chips in the game. I dont think its going to blow over. Merkel just signaled it will become an issue. We can all thank Ted Cruz. The US will play into this stupidity long before they learn that it will do more damage to EU relations, actually benefitting Russian political goals far more than hindering them. But all of that is well known. The US leadership is not stupid and they know exactly what they want, so the collision course is set. The gas sales plum tree just looks too sweet. US gas exports are increasing quickly and US domestic gas prices are rising (or not falling with the warmer weather) in response. The US consumer is already starting to pay the price.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

If its not completed there is a legal minefield over who pays for it and several company's who are deemed to big to go bust and national security entity's will be basically bankrupted over night.

 

[1503-44]

And they'll still be getting Russian gas any way you look at it.

I suggested in one of the petroleum forum websites that Ted Cruz could arrange a US Gov buy out of NS2 from the Russians and then they could just close it down.
But then I would imagine some opportunistic friend of Ted would simply wrestle it from gov hands and start transporting RusGas through it anyway.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

They would be more than happy with that.

They don't care where the money comes from as long as it goes into their pockets.

They already know that the gas will be a third of the price of what they can sell theirs for. As long as they can make the same profit by other means they will be happy enough.

 

[cranky108]

Something is just wrong here. If the goal is to be carbon free, then why would you be building a gas pipeline? And if Russia wanted to turn it off, what choice would the EU have but to do what Russia wants?

If I were in the EU I might want to play it both ways. Buy some Russia gas, and buy some US gas, or look for something different.

 

[RedSnake]

I think it's like to choose between three evils, nuclear power, coal or gas.
And gas won.
Russia has used that strategi before, trying to threaten to turn the gas of, mostly against earlier east states.
I think EU and Germany thinks they have more muscles to withstand things like that, but we will see.
It works both ways.

BR A

“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[1503-44]

You mean if they turn off the NS2 gas, it would be just like today?

Through 50 years including the worst part of the Cold War, the USSR kept all gas and oil pipelines open. Never one shut valve. Never. That shut down story is American Ted Cruz' hocus pocus, A complete urban myth. Russia turned off Ukraine's gas, because Ukraine did not pay their bills. If anyone has evidence of any other time that happened, please let me see it.

I will let the secret out of the bag. Russia has nuclear weapons. Why would they need to play politics with gas? They don't play politics with gas. Where is that evidence? Russia is the hood's petrol station. They sell gas and oil. Cheap. You let them do that and nobody gets hurt.

Greenhouse gas? Yes, but burning it and removing the CO2 solves that problem. That's the EU solution. EU must legally reduce CO2. If the EU does not buy it, Russia will sell it to China, or worse, be forced to flare it off. What is the best option there? China burns it and lets the CO2 escape? That's your solution? Buy US gas at 2 to 3 times Russia's price. Depend on North Atlantic shipping routes for your gas supply?

OMG, what if the USA wanted to play politics with their gas? They could tell the EU to stop going on holidays to Cuba, or make Sweden become a member of NATO. Then the EU might have to buy RusGas. EU could play politics on their own by simply deciding from whom to buy gas. Isn't free market competition a wonderful thing?

If they do cut off the gas, fine, call Ted. EU has LNG gas import plants connected to the pipeline grid ready and waiting for anybody's gas.

Guaranteeing a secure and reliable energy supply in future is all about maximising supply options today. All of them.

 

[RedSnake]

Maybe I wasn't ironic enough.
I don't think it will bee a problemen buying gas from Russia.

BR A


“Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.“
Albert Einstein

 

[1503-44]

Its only a problem for Ted. You do not have to buy gas from either party. But at least you can, if you want to. Meanwhile, maximize your options. There is Russian vodka and Swedish vodka. I want a choice.

 

[davefitz]

The nordstream 2 pipeline is just one more playing piece in the grand game of chess. Its completion and use will allow the EU to shut down essentially all coal plants and reduce the net CO2 emissions due to the lower CO2 emissions of gas fired combined cycle plants compared to the coal fired rankine cycle. There also is the looming power deficit related to the shutdown of the german and some french nukes. Using russian gas is cheaper than using US /Qatar LNG, but it shifts the profits to russia as opposed to helping finance US shale gas. There are also proposals to run add'l gas pipelines from the mideast to the EU thru the intermediary countries that are coincidentially the victims of turmoil, almost certainly deliberately fostered to exert influence to run those add'l pipelines. The noise you hear in the media is just fodder to confuse the masses; the families of the politicians that are involved in these grand energy decisions are laughing all the way to the crypto banks.


"...when logic, and proportion, have fallen, sloppy dead..." Grace Slick

 

[cranky108]

Media noise? They have to sell something.

 

[1503-44]

Not media noise. Media coverage of that is likely to be more silent than the inside of the underground gravity wave detector. I think Biden and Merkel will talk more about this over dinner at the upcoming NATO meeting than anything else. Neither of them will be smiling until the cameras get turned on.

 

[JohnRBaker]

The final costs of the February Texas power crisis are being tallied:

11 deaths, 1,400+ ED visits for carbon monoxide poisoning reported during Texas' winter power outage

https://www.beckershospitalreview.c...eported-during-texas-winter-power-outage.html

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[waross]

The hubris of "We have winter in Texas too" and then they really got winter.

Bill
--------------------
Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!

 

[dik]

John: seems like they have difficulty in counting down there?

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/wea...o-151-including-23-in-dallas-fort-worth-area/

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[JohnRBaker]

The item I posted was specifically about carbon monoxide deaths, while your item covered a broader range of causes. But I'm sure that like everything, there's a certain leeway given for determining whether something was directly related to the weather or simply coincidental. After all, over a certain period of time, there's probably going to be people who, during the colder winter months, will die of carbon monoxide poisoning or even hypothermia whether the power gird failed or not.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-'Product Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

 

[FacEngrPE]

I am wondering if the human cost or the financial cost will be enough to push the issue of winterizing has value.

A number of costs like this can be added to the human cost, Samsung Suffered $270 Million Loss Due To Power Outage In Texas.
NXP, Infineon plants hit by power outage in Texas storm
There was already a shortage, The Texas storms made it significantly worse.
Chip shortage forces Ford to build trucks without computers
The global chip shortage is going from bad to worse. Here's why you should care

For the oil refineries with excess capacity, shutting down depletes excess inventory, so you could argue the profit is just time shifted. The entire semiconductor fab sector is running at capacity , so the outage represents actual lost revenue. This also impacts the companies that ordered the chips not produced.

 

[dik]

There are only so many ways you can put lipstick on a pig...

Rather than think climate change and the corona virus as science, think of it as the wrath of God. Feel any better?

-Dik

 

[1503-44]

The widely recognised equation, Time=Money, holds that there is no such thing as time shifted revenue, certainly not in a time continuous process. Profits delayed are accompanied by a corresponding loss of principal x interest.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

What's you locals thoughts about the tax credit proposal to keep the nukes running?