Patricia Vanderveer’s Post

I would like read full report on this subject

ANALYSIS: On the Horizon - Vol. 6: A Collection of Papers from the Next Generation

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This short technical article is extremely interesting.

Check out our most recent Stories of Service entry!

We unpack the questions that remain about the Coalition’s plan – and the contradictions in their messaging

The naming of the parts ... https://lnkd.in/exfmWR2z

European Commission approves national State Aid for construction of nuclear power plant in Czechia... "The Court of Justice has clarified that, in line with Article 194(2) TFEU, Member States may determine the conditions for exploiting their energy resources, their choice between different energy sources and the general structure of their energy supply, which does not preclude that choice from being nuclear energy." "Under EU State Aid rules, the Commission analyses the compatibility of the measure under Article 107(3)(c) TFEU, which enables Member States to support the development of certain economic activities. The support should remain necessary and proportionate and not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest..." "The beneficiary of the measure is Elektrárna Dukovany II (‘EDU II'), a fully owned subsidiary of the ČEZ Group, the only nuclear power plant operator in Czechia. Czechia plans to grant direct price support in the form of a power purchasing contract with a State-owned Special Purpose Vehicle (‘SPV'). The contract will ensure stable revenues for the nuclear power plant for a period of 40 years. The beneficiary will also benefit from a subsidised State loan to cover a majority of the construction costs and a protection mechanism against unforeseen events or policy changes that may make the realisation of the project impossible..." [All of these elements could be evaluated using transfer pricing techniques against arm's length benchmarks.] Interestingly the approved State Aid package also includes i) an OTC long term fixed-floating electricity price swap derivative (styled as a Contract for Difference or CfD) with c.40 years of annual payments and ii) some form of excess payment claw-back mechanism (e.g. a dynamic cap applied in arrears) and iii) a commitment for at least 70% of open market sales and the rest sold through transparent auctions. (N.B. Of course the history of derivatives disputes shows that such long term swaps can be highly prone to derivatives mis-selling and mis-pricing, and the history of competition disputes shows that high value auctions can be inherently vulnerable to manipulation and bid-rigging, so due care will need to be taken by all parties going forwards.)

The following document may be of interest to my network. Defence Operational Energy Strategy (DOES) empowers senior responsible owners in Defence to act on the various energy activities across Defence. Pj LURCHER is aligned to DOES by informing on the future operating environment by understanding: Battle winning capabilities Increasing power available Enhancing stealth Reduced logistical burden Continued work with industry academia and NATO partners will further enhance our understanding giving Defence a ‘first mover advantage’. This activity will also give second order advantages such as decarbonisation, U.K. prosperity and global leadership opportunities. It has been identified that the current centralised “oil well to Jerry can” is a fragile energy process . Having a more robust ‘mesh’ approach of extraction, generation, storage, creation and distribution of energy might be desirable. This could come in various forms with the back bone from the single fuel policy. With that said novel solutions distribution for bio fuels, hydrogen, electrons and nuclear could look radically different to what we understand today. We need to avoid a tribal mindset and entertain all these ideas. Energy is one area for Defence not to be a ‘fast follower’ but to become the catalyst for change. #energy #ev #electricallypropelled #Defence #BritishArmy #NATO #ETG https://lnkd.in/ewrYhgpn

A speech worth reading! Oppenheimer knew that we cannot dissociate technology from the world it was born in. The scientific discovery, from the impact it may have on humanity. How technology is made, from how it should be used.  And this is maybe where our role as policymakers kicks in. Scientists developed nuclear energy. But politics decided on its use. A weapon, or a source of energy.  After the war, around 1955, politics created the International Atomic Energy Agency, to promote the safe, secure and peaceful use of nuclear technologies. Which then created the conditions for the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. When it comes to digital, this is our 1955. And the policy choices we make today will shape how technology develops and how it is used, for decades to come. “This isn't a new weapon, it is a new world”. Indeed, just like nuclear decades ago, technology has the power to unfold a completely new world. But it is up to this world to decide what to make of technology. A weapon to diminish our humanity, and turn us against each other. Or, how I tend to see as a realist, a formidable source of human progress. https://lnkd.in/eV_n6pWz