EU agrees to spend billions to make grid crisis-proof
STRASBOURG, FRANCE - Europe's energy networks will receive a 4-billion-euro (US$5.3 billion) upgrade to make them more robust and flexible in future energy crises following a vote in the European Union assembly.
The project was launched after this winter's gas crisis left thousands of homes without heat, following a price row between Moscow and transit country Ukraine.
The plan to subsidize new power projects, gas pipelines and power cables aims to enable the 27 EU countries help each other during energy crises and to generate fresh employment for constructors and engineers in the face of recession.
The European Parliament had earlier voted to divert any unused funds from the project into energy efficiency program.
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How the dirtiest power station in western Europe switched to renewable energy
LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.
The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.
The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.
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