Category: Energy

MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0142/2024

Source: European Parliament

Şerban‑Dimitrie Sturdza, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Aurelijus Veryga, Claudiu‑Richard Târziu, Assita Kanko
on behalf of the ECR Group

B10‑0142/2024

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

(2024/2890(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002,

– having regard to the UN Charter,

– having regard to Geneva Conventions of 1949,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966,

– having regard to the joint EU-US-Armenia high-level meeting of 5 April 2024 in support of Armenia’s resilience,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan,

– having regard to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part [1] (CEPA), which fully entered into force on 1 March 2021,

– having regard to Decision 99/614/EC, ECSC, Euratom of the Council and of the Commission of 31 May 1999 on the conclusion of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part [2] (EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement), which has been in force since 1999,

– having regard to the launch of the EU Mission in Armenia on 20 February 2023,

– having regard to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Armenia and Azerbaijan are parties,

– having regard to the statement of 24 August 2024 by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on behalf of the EU on recent post-election developments,

– having regard to the statement of preliminary findings and conclusions of the International Election Observation Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on the early parliamentary elections of 1 September 2024 in Azerbaijan,

– having regard to the statement by the European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesperson of 3 September 2024 on Azerbaijan’s early parliamentary elections,

– having regard to the statement by the EEAS spokesperson of 29 May 2024 on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan,

– having regard to the Memorandum of Understanding on a strategic partnership in the field of energy signed between the EU and Azerbaijan on 18 July 2022,

– having regard to the 2023 Eastern Partnership Index,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Azerbaijan has serious shortcomings in the area of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and assembly and media freedom, and engages in repression of political activists, journalists and civil society, all of which distances Azerbaijan from democratic norms and international human rights standards; whereas corruption and a lack of judicial independence further undermine the country’s governance, while government authorities continue to suppress dissent and persecute critics; whereas despite international agreements and calls for reform, including from the European Parliament, Azerbaijan has made limited to no progress on improving its human rights record;

B. whereas journalists, human rights defenders and activists have been imprisoned in the country, with approximately 30 prominent figures behind bars on politically motivated charges, and a surge in arbitrary arrests and detentions has been reported, their number having tripled as Azerbaijan silences opposition ahead of the upcoming 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, and there are allegations of torture and beatings; whereas notable civil society organisations have called for the EU and international leaders to pressure Azerbaijan to improve its human rights record during COP29, urging the release of political prisoners and an end to arbitrary prosecutions;

C. whereas according to the US Department of State’s Azerbaijan 2023 Human Rights Report, there were credible allegations that the Azerbaijani Government ‘used violence or threats of violence against individuals in other countries as politically motivated reprisal’; whereas according to this report, the Azerbaijani Government ‘limited freedom of expression and media independence’, and ‘there were reports that dissidents and journalists who lived outside the country suffered digital harassment and intimidation of family members who remained in Azerbaijan’;

D. whereas early parliamentary elections were held in Azerbaijan on 1 September 2024, and, according to the OSCE’s International Election Observation Mission, took place ‘in a restrictive political and legal environment that does not enable genuine pluralism and resulted in a contest devoid of competition’;

E. whereas September 2024 was the fourth anniversary of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, and marked one year since Azerbaijan forcibly regained control over Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of its internationally recognised territory; whereas all the state institutions of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic were dissolved as of 1 January 2024; whereas these events, preceded by Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, resulted in the mass exodus of almost the entire population of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh; whereas, as a result, Nagorno-Karabakh has been entirely ethnically cleansed of its Armenian population, who had been living there for centuries;

F. whereas over more than three decades, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has resulted in tens of thousands of casualties, immense destruction, including of cultural, religious and historical heritage, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people on both sides; whereas there are six interstate cases before the European Court of Human Rights between Armenia and Azerbaijan in relation to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, with both countries standing accused of having violated human rights conventions; whereas Azerbaijan has repeatedly been accused of ethnic cleansing, particularly in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, where it is said to have displaced over 100 000 ethnic Armenians;

G. whereas three decades of diplomacy and peacebuilding efforts by the OSCE, the EU and other international actors have failed to find a peaceful solution to the conflict and, therefore, to deter Azerbaijan from its use of military force;

H. whereas according to the US Department of State’s Azerbaijan 2023 Human Rights Report, the Azerbaijani Government ‘did not take credible steps to punish the majority of officials who were reported to have committed human rights abuses’; whereas the report also states that there was ‘no reported progress on government investigations of alleged abuses committed by Azerbaijani armed forces or individuals during the 2020 and 2022 hostilities’;

I. whereas it is necessary to ensure connectivity between Europe and Asia while avoiding crossing Russian territory; whereas the South Caucasus is in a strategic position for promoting Europe-Asia connectivity, which is particularly important for the EU’s energy capacities and for trade with Central Asia;

J. whereas Armenia has already managed to weaken its ties with Russia in relation to security, as it has frozen its participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, although it remains a member of the Eurasian Economic Union;

K. whereas the eighth meeting of the border commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan, held on 19 April 2024, concluded with a preliminary agreement on the delimitation of four border sections;

L. whereas the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to be at a standstill and it is unlikely that an agreement will be concluded and signed before COP29; whereas the peace deal should contribute to the long-term stability of bilateral relations and of the wider region as a whole; whereas this goal can only be achieved if the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan can guarantee peaceful coexistence and respect for minority rights;

M. whereas Azerbaijan is a major oil and natural gas producer, particularly through the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil field and the Shah Deniz gas field in the Caspian Sea, and the country primarily uses the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline to export hydrocarbons to Europe, bypassing Russia and offering the EU an alternative energy source, which is valuable in this geopolitical climate; whereas Azerbaijan’s economy is heavily reliant on oil and gas revenues, which make up more than 90 % of the country’s export revenues and account for a noteworthy portion of the government’s budget;

N. whereas gas contracts between Gazprom and SOCAR for the delivery of one billion cubic metres of gas from Russia to Azerbaijan between November 2022 and March 2023 have raised significant concerns about the re-export of Russian gas to the European market, particularly in light of the memorandum of understanding signed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen; whereas the EU aims to reduce European dependence on Russian gas, but this agreement could be seen as undermining that goal, as Russian gas would still be flowing into Azerbaijan, thus potentially freeing up Azerbaijani gas for increased re-export to the EU; whereas there are significant challenges facing European efforts to replace Russian gas shipped via Ukraine with Azerbaijani gas by the end of 2024, and although Ukraine, the EU and Azerbaijan support the injection of Azerbaijani gas into Russian pipelines, Azerbaijan might lack sufficient gas supplies to make up the shortfall; whereas, in this regard, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline could provide an alternative route to ensure adequate supply, but new infrastructure is required to enhance gas transmission capacity in the interconnections with the EU, particularly through Bulgaria and Romania on one side and the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline on the other, in order to ensure a more efficient and secure flow of gas into the European market;

1. Expresses its concern about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan; urges Azerbaijan to fulfil its obligations under its own constitution and under international agreements to protect fundamental freedoms and respect the human dignity of its citizens, and to cease the use of criminal prosecution as a tool to suppress government critics and members of civil society;

2. Calls on Azerbaijan to drop all charges against Gubad Ibadoghlu, Ilhamiz Guliyev and all other people imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights, to release them and to ensure free and unhindered space for independent journalism and freedom of expression; calls on Azerbaijan to allow Dr Ibadoghlu to travel abroad, unhindered and to the country of his choice, to reunite with his family and to receive the medical care he urgently needs;

3. Calls on the Commission, UN mechanisms and other international actors to step up their efforts to promote human rights and democratic governance in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29;

4. Underlines that COP29 could be an opportunity for Azerbaijan to reaffirm its genuine commitment to its obligations under international law, instead of using it to gloss over its human rights record while continuing repressive practices;

5. Calls on the Commission to work closely with the UN to urgently establish a comprehensive plan for investigating and clarifying the fate of the Armenian military personnel, including women, and the eight unarmed Armenian prisoners of war who were killed or reported missing in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and to conduct impartial inquiries on the ground, facilitate information exchanges, secure unhindered access to detention facilities for international observers through the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, such observers having previously been denied access, and launch a centralised database for tracing and resolving missing persons cases, while also providing the necessary support and resources to the families affected;

6. Demands that Azerbaijan release the 23 Armenian hostages who are still being held in Baku, including the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh;

7. Reiterates its condemnation of the Azerbaijani military incursions into the internationally recognised territory of Armenia in recent years; expresses its sympathy with the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who had to flee their ancestral lands, and calls on the authorities in Baku to guarantee the safe return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and to uphold their rights to cultivate their culture and traditions; welcomes all efforts by the Government of Armenia to provide shelter and aid to the displaced Armenians;

8. Expresses deep concern for the preservation of cultural, religious and historical heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; urges Azerbaijan to refrain from further destroying, neglecting or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage in the region; demands the protection of the Armenian cultural, historical and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh in line with UNESCO standards and Azerbaijan’s international commitments; insists that Azerbaijan allow a UNESCO mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and grant it the necessary access to heritage;

9. Strongly condemns Russia’s increasing hybrid attempts to destabilise the political situation inside Armenia and in the region; is concerned that the EU Mission in Armenia is regularly targeted by Russian disinformation attempts and campaigns;

10. Reiterates the EU’s commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in the Caucasus region; underlines its unequivocal support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of Armenia and Azerbaijan; expresses support for the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the goal of achieving lasting peace; encourages both countries to continue to make progress on finalising an agreement and signing a peace deal as soon as possible;

11. Believes that genuine dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia is the only sustainable way forward and calls for the EU and its Member States to support such efforts, which must include the mutual recognition of territorial integrity, guarantees for the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population and the release of the remaining prisoners, including the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, and an end to the sham trials against them;

12. Stresses that EU involvement in the region should be practical and result-oriented, unlike the role played by Russia, which for decades has fuelled the conflict and used it for its own political gain; welcomes the fact that Armenia has frozen its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization; underlines that Azerbaijan’s connectivity issues with its exclave of Nakhchivan should be resolved with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Armenia, the Director-General of UNESCO, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the UN and the Council of Europe.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: No home left behind: a postcode approach to electrification

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gill Armstrong, Researcher in architecture and urban planning, Climateworks Centre

EndeavourEnergy

In Australia and overseas, it’s clear that homes without gas – running on clean energy – are healthier, have cheaper power bills, and produce lower greenhouse emissions.

The emissions part is crucial. Collectively, homes are responsible for 10% of Australia’s greenhouse emissions. But how do we get Australia’s 11 million homes to ditch gas and switch to electricity for cooking, hot water and home heating?

The current approach is slow and piecemeal. State and local governments offer incentives to individual households, but few adopt them. For those that do, little coordinated support and guidance is available. The households must deal with suppliers and tradies on their own, which can be a frustrating and lonely process.

A pilot project to electrify 500 homes in a single postcode south of Sydney could show a better way. After a two-year campaign by residents, “Electrify 2515” has won A$5.4 million in federal funding, along with industry support. Challenges remain, but this pilot promises to demonstrate how household electrification can be accelerated and coordinated at scale.

As independent climate transitions specialists within Monash University, Climateworks Centre has no direct involvement in this project. But our ongoing Renovation Pathways Program focuses on ways to decarbonise Australia’s existing houses and bring about a national renovation wave. So we are watching with keen interest.

Testing extra incentives

The 2515 postcode sits between Wollongong and Sydney in New South Wales. It covers the suburbs of Austinmer, Clifton, Coledale, Scarborough, Thirroul and Wombarra.

The pilot encourages households to retire three types of gas appliance: water heaters, space heaters and cookers. Financial subsidies of up to $1,000 off electric hot water systems, reverse-cycle air conditioners and induction cooktops, and up to $1,500 off home batteries, are available. Higher subsidies are available to low-income households.

Successful applicants receive the subsidies as a discount on the purchase price of these new electrical appliances, rather than a rebate. Money for this is coming from the federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA).

Such incentives prompt households within a single community to make the switch together, retiring their electric appliances before their gas appliances fail or break, speeding up the transition.

A fully subsidised smart energy device, valued at around $1,500, is also installed in every home to track and optimise energy use. Subsidies are also available for upgrades to switchboards where required to meet modern safety standards.

Rooftop solar and electric vehicle chargers can also be purchased through the pilot, but will not be subsidised.

How it works.
Electrify 2515

The 2515 difference

2515 is not the first community to rally behind clean energy. Grassroots initiatives are scattered around the country, such as in Yackandandah in northeast Victoria, Parkes in central west NSW, and Broken Hill in far west NSW.

Home energy pilot projects are also already underway through the Cooperative Research Centre Race2030, which partners with industry and research institutions. But these initiatives, along with those at a state and local government level, tend to recruit individual households across a wider geographic area.

In contrast, Electrify 2515 offers holistic support for households within a community. It is not driven by a single government program, or by a gas supply problem – which was the case for the people of Esperance in Western Australia.

By electrifying 500 homes in a single community, Electrify 2515 will provide a tangible measure of what’s required to drive rapid household electrification. The main challenge isn’t technological – it’s social. The technology is here. Getting the social drivers and settings right, at scale, is the key.

The holistic approach will demonstrate what consumers need to make the shift from gas to electricity. This includes what conversations are needed and which incentives enable all households to act in a coordinated way.

Local 2515 residents explain why everyone should join them in applying for the Electrify 2515 Community Pilot.

The bright side of a community approach

The whole-of-community focus brings technical and financial advantages.

After completing an application form and receiving an offer, households receive guidance and support from the installation partner Brighte, a commercial company that provides consumer loans for clean energy appliances such as solar panels and batteries. The service streamlines the decision-making process, which is often the biggest barrier stopping households from progressing with electrification.

Being able to work with a larger number of homes at once is likely to streamline and scale up installation with dedicated teams of installers and tradespeople.

It also helps build households’ trust in literature about payback times and financial benefits through friendly neighbourhood conversations and, importantly, through access to local real-world evidence, not just theory.

Thermal efficiency is also key

The electrification pilot is a solid starting point, especially for a community in a relatively mild coastal climate such as postcode 2515.

For homes in more extreme climates, or for inefficient older homes – which a lot of Australia’s homes sadly are – the fundamental thermal efficiency of the building must be improved alongside electrification of appliances.

The thermal efficiency of homes can be improved by insulating ceilings, walls and floors, double-glazing windows and sealing gaps. These measures make a home more comfortable for occupants. They can also reduce peak demand on the energy network and save on household energy bills.

Electrify 2515 currently focuses on appliance upgrades but adding thermal efficiency upgrades could take it to the next level. Without these upgrades, there is a risk of households in harsher climates using more electricity in a heatwave if homes are draughty and inefficient.

There are various ways to upgrade a home’s capacity to stay cool in summer and warm in winter.
Climateworks Centre, 2023, Climate-ready homes: Building the case for a renovation wave in Australia.

When paired with electrification, thermal upgrades could save Australian households around $2,200 annually on their energy bills (based on 2023 gas and electricity prices), according to Climateworks Centre analysis.

Projects like Electrify 2515 should include both home thermal efficiency improvements and electrification efforts, particularly for communities in harsher climates in order to maximise benefits to households.

Electrification challenges

Electrify 2515 caters for low-income households, by offering higher subsidies to households in the lowest 25% income percentile to ensure these groups comprise 25% of community buy-in.

Renters are encouraged to put their hand up too. But it may still be challenging to encourage their landlords to invest in upgrades.

Further challenges include decarbonising homes that cannot generate electricity from rooftop solar panels due to being shaded by taller buildings or trees. This can sometimes be an issue for homes in colder winter climates with higher annual energy demands, such as Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT.

Building momentum for widescale rollout

The technology for all-electric homes exists. Now we must identify the key social drivers and settings required to spur Australia’s electrification wave.

Electrify 2515 is a promising approach. It’s a way to build momentum, showcase technology at scale, and prompt meaningful discussions around the benefits and challenges of getting off gas.

This program, and others like it, can provide a tangible real-world foundation to bring about bills savings, emissions reductions and healthier homes across Australia. And it will help ensure no one is left behind.

Climateworks Centre is a part of Monash University. It receives funding from a range of external sources including philanthropy, governments and businesses.

– ref. No home left behind: a postcode approach to electrification – https://theconversation.com/no-home-left-behind-a-postcode-approach-to-electrification-241471

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Eos Energy Enterprises Announces Date for Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

EDISON, N.J., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: EOSE) (“Eos” or the “Company”), a leading provider of safe, scalable, efficient, and sustainable zinc-based long duration energy storage systems, today announced it will release its third quarter 2024 financial results after the U.S. market closes on November 5, 2024. A conference call to discuss its results will take place the following morning on November 6 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time.

Registration Information

A live webcast of the earnings call will be available on the “Investor Relations” page of the Company’s website at https://investors.eose.com or may be accessed using this link (registration link). To avoid delays, we encourage participants to join the conference call fifteen minutes ahead of the scheduled start time.

The conference call replay will be available via webcast through Eos’ investor relations website for twelve months following the live presentation. The webcast replay will be available from 11:30 a.m. ET on November 6, 2024, and can be accessed by visiting https://investors.eose.com/events-and-presentations.

About Eos Energy Enterprises

Eos Energy Enterprises, Inc. is accelerating the shift to clean energy with positively ingenious solutions that transform how the world stores power. Our breakthrough Znyth™ aqueous zinc battery was designed to overcome the limitations of conventional lithium-ion technology. It is safe, scalable, efficient, sustainable, manufactured in the U.S., and the core of our innovative systems that today provides utility, industrial, and commercial customers with a proven, reliable energy storage alternative for 3 to 12-hour applications. Eos was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Eos (NASDAQ: EOSE), visit eose.com.

Contacts
Investors:            ir@eose.com
Media:                 media@eose.com

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0141/2024

Source: European Parliament

Rasa Juknevičienė, François‑Xavier Bellamy, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, David McAllister, Sebastião Bugalho, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Daniel Caspary, Loucas Fourlas, Sandra Kalniete, Łukasz Kohut, Andrey Kovatchev, Andrius Kubilius, Miriam Lexmann, Vangelis Meimarakis, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Michał Szczerba
on behalf of the PPE Group

B10‑0141/2024

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

(2024/2890(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Azerbaijan and Armenia,

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002,

– having regard to the relevant documents and international agreements, including but not limited to the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act of 1 August 1975 and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 21 December 1991,

– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part, signed on 22 April 1996 [1],

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas 300 people remain in detention in Azerbaijan on politically motivated charges; whereas prominent human rights defender and climate advocate, Anar Mammadli, has been in pre-trial detention since 30 April 2024 on bogus charges of conspiracy to bring illegal foreign currency into the country and his health has deteriorated significantly while in custody; whereas economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 after 274 days in detention;

B. whereas Azerbaijan has also intensified its repression against the remaining independent media, such as Abzas Media and Toplum TV, through detentions and judicial harassment;

C. whereas the Azerbaijani laws regulating the registration, operation and funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are highly restrictive and arbitrarily implemented, thus effectively criminalising unregistered NGO activity;

D. whereas Freedom House’s 2024 index ranks Azerbaijan among the least free countries in the world, below Russia and Belarus;

E. whereas on 19 September 2023, after a nine-month illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and disregarding both the commitments it made in the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Azerbaijan launched an offensive on the remaining parts of Nagorno-Karabakh not already under its control;

F. whereas more than 100 000 Armenians had to flee the territory, including 30 000 children, resulting in Nagorno-Karabakh being almost entirely emptied of its Armenian population, who had been living there for centuries; whereas this amounts to ethnic cleansing;

G. whereas the Russian peacekeeping force did not act in accordance with its mandate, as laid down in the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, taking no action against Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, the establishment of the Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor or the offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023;

H. whereas the Azerbaijani leadership continues to make irredentist statements with reference to the sovereign territory of Armenia; whereas the Azerbaijani army continues to occupy no less than 170 km2 of the sovereign territory of Armenia;

1. Stresses its profound concern regarding the human rights situation in Azerbaijan;

2. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders, journalists, environmental, political and other activists prosecuted under fabricated and or politically motivated charges; recalls in this context the names of Tofig Yagublu, Akif Gurbanov, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, as well as human rights defenders and journalists including Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, Hafiz Babali and Elnara Gasimova, Aziz Orujov, Rufat Muradli, Avaz Zeynalli, Elnur Shukurov, Alasgar Mammadli and Farid Ismayilov; underlines that since April 2024, Azerbaijan has carried out further arrests of civil society activists on bogus charges, including Farid Mehralidze, Igbal Abilov, Bahurz Samadov, Emin Ibrahimov and Famil Khalilov;

3. Recalls the need to lift the travel ban in force against Gubad Ibadoghlu and drop all charges against him, and calls on Azerbaijan urgently to ensure an independent medical examination by a doctor of his own choosing, and allow him to receive treatment abroad;

4. Reminds the Azerbaijani authorities of their obligations to respect human dignity and fundamental freedoms in accordance with their international commitments and calls on them to repeal repressive legislation that drives independent NGOs and media to the margins of the law;

5. Calls for the EU to impose sanctions under its global human rights sanctions regime on Azerbaijani officials who have committed serious human rights violations; reiterates its position that the EU should be ready to impose sanctions on any individuals and entities that threaten the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Armenia;

6. Recalls that the 1996 EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which is the legal basis for bilateral relations, is based on respect for democracy and the principles of international law and human rights and that these have been systematically violated in Azerbaijan;

7. Reiterates the EU’s unequivocal support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Armenia; strongly supports the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of the principles of the mutual recognition of territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration;

8. Recalls its previous condemnation of the pre-planned and unjustified military attack by Azerbaijan of 19-20 September 2023 against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to the expulsion of the entirety of the ethnic Armenian community which had been living there for centuries, amounting to ethnic cleansing; recalls that this attack resulted in the complete dissolution of the structures of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of full Azerbaijani control over the region; demands the release of all remaining Armenian political prisoners and prisoners of war;

9. Reiterates its demand for the withdrawal of Azerbaijan’s troops from the entirety of the sovereign territory of Armenia; rejects and expresses its grave concern regarding the irredentist and inflammatory statements made by the Azerbaijani President and other Azerbaijani officials threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia; warns Azerbaijan against any potential military adventurism against Armenia proper; highlights that Azerbaijan’s connectivity issues with its exclave of Nakhchivan should be resolved with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia;

10. Calls on Azerbaijan to genuinely engage in a comprehensive and transparent dialogue with the Karabakh Armenians to ensure respect for their rights and guarantee their security, including their right to return to and live in their homes in dignity and safety, overseen by an international presence, to access their land and property rights, to maintain their distinct identity and to fully enjoy their civic, cultural, social and religious rights;

11. Calls for the establishment of an ad hoc committee within the European institutions to identify or develop international mechanisms to guarantee the collective, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh to their ancestral land; calls for the creation of a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the reports and resolutions adopted by Parliament on Nagorno-Karabakh;

12. Urges Azerbaijan to refrain from further destroying, neglecting or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage in the region, bearing in mind the destruction of cultural, religious and historical heritage that has occurred since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and calls on it to instead strive to preserve, protect and promote this rich diversity; demands the protection of the Armenian cultural, historical and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh in line with UNESCO standards and Azerbaijan’s international commitments;

13. Recognises the urgent need to strengthen the cooperation between the EU and Armenia in the field of security and defence; welcomes the fact that Armenia has frozen its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization; notes the added value of regular EU-Armenian Political and Security Dialogues, as an umbrella platform for all security related matters; welcomes the actions undertaken by several Member States to provide defensive military support to Armenia and urges other Member States to consider similar initiatives;

14. Expresses its support for the decision of Armenia to discontinue the presence of Russian Federal Security Service border guards at the international airport in Yerevan, and its understanding for the suspension of relations with Belarus;

15. Calls for the EU to end its dependency on gas exports from Azerbaijan; is seriously concerned about Azerbaijan’s import of Russian gas and the substantial Russian share in the production and transportation of Azerbaijani gas for the EU, which contradicts the EU’s objective of undermining Russia’s capacity to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine by cutting its revenues from oil and gas exports to the EU; urges the Commission to investigate suspicions that Azerbaijan actually exports Russian gas to the EU;

16. Calls for the suspension of all imports of oil and gas from Azerbaijan to the EU; recalls its demand, in the light of Azerbaijan’s 2023 invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, for the suspension of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy between the European Union and Azerbaijan;

17. Supports all initiatives and activities that could lead to the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement; believes that if a peace agreement is to be lasting, it requires genuine engagement from the parties, not the escalation of rhetoric and demands; welcomes the recent achievement in the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security of a preliminary agreement on the delimitation of several sectors of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border;

18. Welcomes the new momentum in bilateral relations between the EU and Armenia, which is strongly supported by the authorities in Yerevan; takes good note of Armenia’s European aspirations, as expressed by the Armenian foreign minister, among others; recalls its previous position that, pursuant to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, any European state may apply to become a member of the European Union provided that it adheres to the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms and human and minority rights, and upholds the rule of law; considers that, should Armenia be interested in applying for candidate status and continuing on its current path of sustained reforms consolidating its democracy, this could set the stage for a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations; calls on the Commission and the Council to actively support Armenia’s desire for increased cooperation with the EU, not only in the area of economic partnership but also in political dialogue, people-to-people contacts, sectoral integration and security cooperation; believes that the experience stemming from the Association Agreements / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova should serve as a good basis for closer EU-Armenia cooperation, in particular in relation to a gradual sectoral integration with the single market;

19. Welcomes the decision of 22 July 2024 to launch the visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia, which is the first step towards achieving a visa free regime for short stays in the EU; welcomes further the decision to adopt the first assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) in support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, worth EUR 10 million; calls for the EU to cease all technical and financial assistance to Azerbaijan that might contribute to strengthening its military or security capabilities; calls on the Member States to freeze exports of all military and security equipment to Azerbaijan;

20. Condemns the Baku Initiative Group’s repeated attempts to denigrate and destabilise EU Member States; condemns in particular its support for irredentist groups and disinformation operations targeting France, especially in the French departments and territories of New Caledonia, Martinique and Corsica; recalls that these methods were used against Germany in 2013; denounces the smear campaigns targeting Denmark; strongly opposes the allegations made by Ilham Aliyev himself at the Baku Initiative Group meeting in Baku in November 2023;

21. Condemns the arbitrary arrests of EU citizens based on spurious accusations of espionage and their disproportionate sentencing;

22. Regrets the smear campaign aimed at damaging France’s reputation by calling into question its capacity to host the 2024 Olympic Games, launched by actors suspected of being close to the Azerbaijani regime;

23. Strongly condemns the intimidation, death threats and assassination attempts against opponents of the Azerbaijani Government, including in EU countries, and against Azerbaijani citizens who have been granted political asylum by Member States, such as Mahammad Mirzali in France; calls on the Member States to cooperate, if necessary, in the investigation into the murder, in September 2024, of Vivadi Isgandarl, an Azerbaijani political opponent residing in France; stresses that for the Member States, preventing any act of retaliation on their territory is a matter of democracy, human rights, security and sovereignty; insists that Europol should closely monitor this matter;

24. Strongly condemns the public insults and direct threats made by Azerbaijani diplomatic or government representatives, or members of the Azerbaijani Parliament, targeting elected officials of EU Member States; demands, in this regard, that access for all Azerbaijani officials to EU institutional buildings be denied until further notice;

25. Welcomes the fact that the Republic of Armenia formally deposited the instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 2023 and that the statute entered into force for Armenia on 1 February 2024;

26. Deplores steps taken by Azerbaijan towards the secessionist entity in occupied Cyprus, which are against international law and the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984); calls on Azerbaijan to respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and to not invite the secessionist entity in occupied Cyprus to any meetings of the Organization of Turkic States;

27. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States and the President, Government and Parliament of Azerbaijan.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0133/2024

Source: European Parliament

Sergey Lagodinsky, Ville Niinistö, Maria Ohisalo, Catarina Vieira, Hannah Neumann, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Markéta Gregorová, Michael Bloss, Alice Kuhnke, Isabella Lövin, Pär Holmgren, Marie Toussaint
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

B10‑0133/2024

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

(2024/2890(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Azerbaijan and Armenia, and in particular its resolution of 25 April 2024 on Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev [1],

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,

– having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,

– having regard to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners,

– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part [2],

– having regard to the statement of 29 May 2024 by the Spokesperson of the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan,

– having regard to Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) resolution 2527 (2024) of 24 January 2024 entitled ‘Challenge, on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the parliamentary delegation of Azerbaijan’,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Azerbaijan’s track record on human rights has reached a historic low point owing to the fact that, since late 2022, the government has intensified its systematic repression of critics and dissident voices, with a new and ongoing wave of arrests of human rights defenders, political and civic activists, journalists and independent researchers on the basis of politically motivated baseless charges;

B. whereas the detained journalists and activists listed in its urgency resolution of 25 April 2024 remain in custody;

C. whereas these developments are taking place in the lead-up to the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29) in Baku, as part of a concerted effort by the Azerbaijani authorities to effectively silence the few remaining dissenting voices and stifle Azerbaijani civil society; whereas Azerbaijan was granted the status of COP29 host city by the UN Regional Group of Eastern European States, which includes 11 EU Member States;

D. whereas people are being detained for actions such as participating in public protests, giving media interviews, criticising the government on social media, exposing police brutality and alleging government corruption, which is in violation of the Azerbaijani Government’s obligations under international human rights law; whereas in addition to politically motivated persecution, the Azerbaijani authorities also use tools of intimidation and harassment to incite fear and effectively censor independent voices;

E. whereas there are credible reports of severe acts of ill treatment and even of torture inflicted upon detained persons by police officers in Azerbaijan; whereas Azerbaijan refuses to cooperate with the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;

F. whereas Anar Mammadli, who leads the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center and is a founding member of the Climate Justice Initiative, which seeks to advocate for civic freedoms and environmental justice in conjunction with COP29, was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities on 29 April 2024 on bogus smuggling charges; whereas Mr Mammadli’s health has deteriorated significantly while in custody;

G. whereas researcher and activist Bahruz Samadov was arrested on 21 August 2024 and charged with ‘high treason’ for his articles criticising Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh policy;

H. whereas women human rights defenders continue to face threats, coercion, violations of their right to privacy and smear campaigns that are gender-specific and target them as women;

I. whereas Azerbaijani laws regulating the registration, operation and funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are highly restrictive, and Azerbaijani authorities arbitrarily implement these laws; whereas this results in the effective criminalisation of unregistered NGO activity;

J. whereas civil society activists have been fleeing the country in growing numbers since November 2023; whereas the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression in Azerbaijan is also reflected in reports of transnational repression and reprisals against family members of detainees;

K. whereas the media sector is under the official control of the authorities, and any remaining independent media outlets, primarily AbzasMedia and Toplum TV, have been targeted through judicial harassment and the detention of its journalists;

L. whereas many international and domestic human rights activists and organisations have called on the international community to recognise and respond to the urgency and gravity of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan;

M. whereas PACE officially suspended the Azerbaijan delegation on 24 January 2024 owing to Azerbaijan’s failure to conduct free and fair elections and ensure the separation of powers, the weakness of its legislature vis-à-vis the executive, and the lack of independence of the judiciary and respect for human rights;

N. whereas a number of European Court of Human Rights decisions have found that Azerbaijan has violated human rights; whereas more than 320 court judgments against Azerbaijan have not yet been executed or have been only partially implemented, which is the highest number among all state parties to the European Convention on Human Rights;

O. whereas the EU has intensified its energy trade relations with Azerbaijan over the past two years with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy and more recently an MoU on wind energy cooperation; whereas Commissioner Kadri Simson earlier this year praised the dynamism of the EU’s energy cooperation with Azerbaijan;

P. whereas Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) stipulates that the Union’s action must be guided by democracy, the rule of law, the universality and indivisibility of human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for human dignity, the principles of equality and solidarity, and respect for the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law;

Q. whereas, separately, peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia are ongoing, with both sides stating that negotiations are edging towards a peace agreement; whereas several significant deadlocks seemingly remain, owing to issues including Azerbaijani demands in relation to Armenia’s constitution and a corridor to connect mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave via southern Armenia, disregarding Armenia’s sovereignty; whereas earlier this year a deal was signed on a joint border commission to demarcate and delimit their shared border;

1. Reiterates its profound concern regarding the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, in particular the government’s severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, assembly and association that have worsened over the past two years;

2. Is deeply concerned about the systematic repression of freedom of expression by the Azerbaijani authorities, targeting civil society, civic and political activists, journalists and human rights defenders, including acts of harassment, intimidation, arbitrary detention and severe ill treatment and torture by police officers, and politically motivated legal persecution; expresses deep concern about the environment of fear that this has created inside the country, leaving civil society effectively silenced;

3. Urges the Government of Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release Anar Mammadli, Bahruz Samadov, Igbal Abilov, Farid Mehralizade, Emin Ibrahimov and Famil Khalilov, as well as political prisoners named in previous urgency resolutions, including Ilhamiz Guliyev, Tofig Yagublu, Akif Gurbanov and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, and human rights defenders and journalists Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, Hafiz Babali, Elnara Gasimova, Aziz Orujov, Rufat Muradli, Avaz Zeynalli, Elnur Shukurov, Alasgar Mammadli and Farid Ismayilov; calls, further, for the vacation of any convictions against those released and the removal of restrictions on their freedom of movement;

4. Reminds Azerbaijan that the provision of healthcare for prisoners is the responsibility of the state; calls for adequate healthcare and medical treatment to be provided to all those detained in Azerbaijan on politically motivated charges;

5. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against renowned scholar, anti-corruption activist and shortlisted finalist of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, release him from house arrest, and allow him to travel abroad for urgent medical care without delay and attend the Sakharov Prize ceremony in Strasbourg in December;

6. Is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan’s violations of the freedom of association through undue restrictions and misuse of NGO legislation, resulting in the persecution of civil society and curtailing of its work; calls on the Azerbaijani Government to repeal the restrictive NGO and media legislation and ensure that civil society can operate without undue hindrance or fear of reprisals and persecution;

7. Encourages the Commission to review its approach to supporting human rights in Azerbaijan and recommends a reassessment of its funding mechanisms for Azerbaijani independent civil society and media, aligning them more closely with the strategies used to support these sectors in Belarus;

8. Condemns the continued repression of the right to freedom of assembly, for instance in the case of anti-pollution protests in the village of Soyudlu in 2023, which were quashed by security forces using violence and arrests;

9. Calls on the Azerbaijani Government to swiftly comply with long-standing recommendations of the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment on the subject of the widespread recourse to physical ill treatment (including, on occasion, torture) by the police in Azerbaijan;

10. Calls on the Azerbaijani Government to implement all decisions by the European Court of Human Rights, reminds it of its obligations to respect human dignity and fundamental freedoms and calls on it to repeal repressive legislation on the registration and funding of NGOs, to bring it in line with Venice Commission recommendations;

11. Deeply regrets statements by various Commission representatives, including President Ursula von der Leyen, calling Azerbaijan a ‘reliable partner’ in the field of energy; insists that, in the interest of its geopolitical security, integrity and pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals, the EU end its reliance on fossil-fuel-rich authoritarian countries once and for all;

12. Reiterates its denunciation of Azerbaijan’s systematic bribery of European politicians, including in the context of PACE;

13. Considers that the ongoing human rights violations in Azerbaijan are incompatible with the country’s role as COP29 host; urges the EU and the Member States to use COP29 as an occasion for the international community to remind Azerbaijan of its international obligations and to condemn and address in a meaningful way Azerbaijan’s human rights violations in interactions with the Azerbaijani authorities in Baku during COP29; calls on delegates attending COP29 on behalf of the EU and the Member States, in particular President Ursula von der Leyen, to make public and private calls for the immediate and unconditional release of arbitrarily detained journalists, activists and human rights defenders and to request meetings with political prisoners while in the country;

14. Stresses the fact that Azerbaijan will host COP29 on behalf of the UN Regional Group of Eastern European States, which includes EU Member States, and that they cannot allow the Azerbaijani Government to use the occasion to whitewash its image and human rights track record; demands that the organisers and the Member States make clear to the Azerbaijani authorities how important a thriving and independent civil society is to the conference’s success, and ensure that human rights, fundamental freedoms and the effective participation of civil society are guaranteed during the event;

15. Calls for the EU and the Member States to prioritise, in line with Article 21 TEU, addressing Azerbaijan’s appalling human rights situation in their relations with the country and introducing stronger human rights conditions in the EU’s relations with Azerbaijan; calls for the EU’s economic and political ties with and support for Azerbaijan, including any cooperation on energy, to be made conditional on the release of all political prisoners, reform of laws and regulations governing NGOs and their funding, and the improvement of the overall human rights situation in the country; insists, in this regard, that the EU and the Member States suspend all energy trade relations with Azerbaijan, including the MoU on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy, and make any reinstatement conditional on meeting the above requirements;

16. Calls on the Commission to investigate options for imposing targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime on those individuals responsible for the grave and consistent human rights violations in Azerbaijan;

17. Welcomes, separately, the ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on all pending issues with the aim of concluding a peace treaty, and calls on both parties to remain fully committed to a lasting and peaceful settlement of the long-standing dispute, through dialogue and negotiations; believes that an agreement between these two countries needs to be negotiated in good faith and be based on the recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-use of force; recalls that, meanwhile, all rights of the Armenian minority in Azerbaijan must be safeguarded and calls for all prisoners of war to be released in line with the 1949 Third Geneva Convention;

18. Urges the Commission and the Council to ensure the EU’s ability to credibly and effectively continue supporting the negotiations directed at a lasting peace for the benefit of all people in the region;

19. Calls on Türkiye to take more diplomatic responsibility in the region by actively contributing to the promotion of peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and by playing a constructive role in facilitating a lasting and peaceful resolution of the conflict;

20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the European External Action Service, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the President and Parliament of Azerbaijan and the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of Armenia.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Australia: Update on NSW Government response to power outage in Far West NSW
Source: New South Wales Premiere

Published: 19 October 2024

Released by: Minister for Energy and Climate Change

Power supplies have been restored to communities in the Far West region of NSW using a large-scale back-up generator, but households and businesses are being urged to reduce their usage this evening to minimise demand.
The Far West region is relying on the generator while Transgrid constructs temporary towers to replace those damaged by a serious storm. This could take a number of weeks.

The large-scale back-up generator is not adequate to meet consumer demand at all times of the day, in particular during the evening peak from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight time).

During this time, Essential Energy may need to rotate power between different areas for around two hours at a time. Essential Energy will prioritise Life Support Customers and priority loads such as Broken Hill Base Hospital.

The community in the impacted area can help by taking simple steps to minimise power use between 5:30pm and 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight Time):
- Turn off any non-essential appliances.
- Use lights only in occupied rooms.
- If you are using air conditioning, consider raising the set point temperature to about 26 degrees and close all blinds, windows and doors.
Outside these times, the community should continue to use electricity as they normally would.

The impacted area incudes Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Wilcannia, Menindee, White Cliffs and several other surrounding communities.

The NSW Government has activated an emergency response and is coordinating assistance across a number of emergency services and government agencies, and is working with Transgrid and Essential Energy.

A NSW Rural Fire Service b-double truck which set off from Sydney loaded with supplies has now arrived in the Far West. The supplies include generators, fuel pods, cool rooms, lighting towers and Starlinks (satellite connections).

The NSW Government encourages community members to follow the guidance of emergency service crews and asks travellers to the Far West of NSW avoid the area surrounding Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee and White Cliffs unless absolutely necessary.

For the latest updates from Essential Energy visit: https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages-and-faults/power-outages

Customers, including Life Support customers, can contact Essential Energy on its outage line on
13 20 80 for support.

For more information on ways to reduce your energy during this peak demand event visit https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/guides-and-helpful-advice-households/electricity-supply-disruptions

Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe said:

“It’s positive news that power supplies have been restored to Broken Hill and nearby communities via a large-scale back-up generator. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to replace the transmission towers and repair the electricity network.

“I want to thank the Essential Energy and Transgrid workers who have worked tirelessly over the past two days to restore power.

“I also want to thank Perilya Mine for supplying load to the large-scale backup generator, which in turn, has provided security and stability to the Broken Hill grid and helped restore power to communities across the Far West.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said:

“We are focused on restoring power to all homes and businesses in Broken Hill and towns across the region.

“We welcome the arrival of supplies including generators to support those on the ground.

“I encourage everyone in our community to please check in on your neighbours and relatives, especially those who are vulnerable, as we work through this situation.”
MIL OSI News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Case Announces $40 Million Federal Grant To Improve Resiliency Of O‘ahu Power Grid Serving Both Military And Civilian Communities

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-HI-01) today announced that a $40 million grant funded by the landmark 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) will develop a back-up power source for O‘ahu’s electric grid, providing resiliency to both military and civilian communities in the event of disruptions from various sources.

The federal grant award will fund the Pu‘uloa Microgrid and Backbone Project, a partnership between the U.S. Navy, Hawaiian Electric and Ameresco, Inc.

“I strongly advocated for this project with the U.S. Department of Energy when the partnership applied for funding under the Department’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program,” said Case.

“Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) plays a critical role in promoting national security throughout the Pacific theater. Especially given its importance, the Department of the Navy has identified energy resilience gaps that could significantly impact JBPHH’s ability to respond to and recover from grid outages. Further, new state and federal policy directives have required the Department of the Navy to improve resilience and reduce carbon emissions from the installation.

“As the U.S. Congressman in whose district JBPHH is located and a member of the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense, I have focused on the installation’s grid challenges and the potential for disruption of service to our civilian communities as well, and on assuring available funding to address these issues. This GRIP funding is critical to enabling this project to succeed.”

“We are thrilled to be chosen for the Department of Energy’s GRIP program,” said Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President at Ameresco. “Partnering with the U.S. Navy and Hawaiian Electric Company on the groundbreaking Pu`uloa Microgrid project will not only enhance energy resilience and reliability for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, but also provide significant benefits to the broader O‘ahu community. This project exemplifies our commitment to innovation, sustainability, and community engagement.”

According to the project description, the Pu`uloa Microgrid will detect the loss of power during grid outages, disconnect from the broader grid and direct power from Pu`uloa Energy to support JBPHH’s national security needs while maintaining civilian community service. During a full island outage, the system will provide black start capabilities. The project will also improve power quality to JBPHH and the local grid through ancillary services such as frequency response and voltage support.

Pu`uloa Microgrid is designed to strengthen the grid and improve resilience by increasing or establishing interconnections between Hawaiian Electric substations at JBPHH with new 46 kV transmission infrastructure that will be integrated into the microgrid control system and utilize state of the art smart grid technologies.

“Since 2021 I have been working hard to ensure that my government and community partners throughout Hawai‘i are aware of project and funding availability from both the $1.2 trillion BIL, as well as from the $500 billion Inflation Reduction Act (which Congress passed in August 2022). Together these two landmark measures are addressing our country’s most pressing infrastructure needs including those arising from climate change,” said Case.

· Details of the project can be found here.

###

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-Evening Report: Do electric cars greatly increase the average mass of cars on the road? Not in Australia

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Robin Smit, Adjunct Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney

Karolis Kavolelis/Shutterstock

Statements have been circulating online, including leading news platforms, that battery electric cars will greatly increase the average mass of the on-road fleet. This claim is used as an argument against these cars.

Even the Australian motoring organisation NRMA has posed the question: “EVs are heavy. Are they safe on our roads and carparks?” (It does say the answer is yes.)

The stated reason for such concerns is generally that electric car batteries are heavy and increase overall vehicle mass. A heavier vehicle needs more energy to drive it and so will typically increase emissions. A greater mass also reduces traffic safety and could have damaging impacts on parking spaces and roads.

A critical review released yesterday took a closer look at these claims to see if they hold true in Australia. It finds these claims don’t stack up in a country where sales of fossil-fuelled (petrol, diesel, LPG) vehicles skew towards large and heavy utes and SUVs.

When adjusted for actual top 10 vehicles sold and using realistic mass values, the average mass of battery electric and fossil-fuelled cars differs by just 68 kilograms. That difference is not significant, especially because electric cars are much more energy-efficient.

Oversimplifying a complex topic

The claims being made often oversimplify a complex reality. They tell only part of the story, which can be misleading.

For instance, internal combustion engine cars have consistently increased in mass over time. Known as car obesity, this fact is often unfairly ignored in comparisons.

Similarly, these statements pretend to know how complex consumer behaviour will respond to future availability of battery electric cars and their fast-changing and improving features. Often, the results of overseas studies cannot be directly applied to different Australian conditions.

4 points of contention

Our report identifies and unpacks four main points of contention.

First, there are different ways to define and compare the mass of battery electric and combustion engine cars. In practice, the choice is rather arbitrary. Depending on the method, the comparison may be neither adequate nor accurate.

Often the comparison is made between similar or similarly sized battery electric and combustion engine cars. Or electric cars can be compared only to an equivalent non-electric version of models such as the VW Golf. Another variation is to simply compare the average mass of a large range of cars currently on sale, without considering the impact of sales volumes.

Second, a common argument is that batteries are heavy, so electric cars are heavier than fossil-fuelled cars. But this is simplistic – it’s not only the battery that matters.

Offsetting the extra battery mass, other parts of the electric car such as their motors are smaller and lighter. They can cut its mass by up to 50%.

And actual extra battery mass itself depends on a range of factors. Battery chemistry, battery size and energy storage capacity (which determines how often a car needs recharging) all affect the mass. Indeed, battery mass varies between 100 and 900 kilograms for cars.

Third, car obesity has greatly and consistently increased fossil-fuelled car mass. Unless we include this rise in car obesity, the comparison with battery electric cars tells only half the story.

Finally, it is challenging to accurately predict the mass impacts of electric cars. A common assumption is that future vehicle buyers’ behaviour does not change when switching to battery electric cars. This assumption seems unlikely and again oversimplifies the comparison.

For instance, market availability, marketing focus, purchase price and performance characteristics will largely guide buyers’ decisions. These considerations are all highly dynamic. They are changing significantly and fast.

So how do they compare in Australia?

A proper comparison needs, at least, to include realistic vehicle mass and sales data. Our study compares the differences in vehicle mass between the top ten best-selling cars for both battery electric and fossil-fuelled vehicles in Australia in 2022, as shown below.

Masses of the top 10 most popular new battery electric (top) and fossil-fuelled (bottom) passenger cars sold in Australia in 2022. Circle sizes represent sales volumes. The top-selling internal combustion engine car is the Toyota Hilux (64,391 sold). For pure battery electric cars it’s the Tesla Model 3 (10,877 sold). Vehicle mass is defined as ‘mass in running order’, adjusted for average vehicle occupancy.
Author provided, Transport Energy/Emission Research (TER)

Currently sold top 10 models of battery electric cars cluster more at the heavy end, but the most popular cars are relatively light. The top 10 models of fossil-fuelled cars have a larger spread in mass. Yet, when it comes to sales, most are relatively heavy SUVs or utes.

When ranked by popularity and compared, battery electric cars are not always heavier. They can be almost 300kg (12%) lighter to almost 800kg (55%) heavier than the corresponding fossil-fuelled car. Importantly, the overall difference in the average mass of the two categories when adjusted for sales is just 68kg (about 3% of total vehicle mass).

This small difference is insignificant in terms of energy and emission impacts. A more important factor here is the superior energy efficiency of battery electric vehicles.

How will they compare in future?

Clearly, future sales profiles may differ from current sales profiles. The current profile may be largely defined by a certain type of customer (such as a high-income early adopter). They might not be typical of mainstream consumers in coming years.

Buyers’ future behaviour is uncertain and hard to predict. It would depend on the effectiveness of (new) policy measures such as Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, the actual vehicles offered for sale, marketing efforts by car suppliers and possibly also cultural changes.

Any shifts in buyer behaviour could greatly influence the car fleet’s average mass. They could continue the current trend towards larger and heavier vehicles, or shift to smaller and lighter vehicles.

But this is the point: the impacts of electrification of passenger vehicles on average mass are highly uncertain. Statements on the matter are often speculative and can be unfairly biased by the methods used.

In markets where heavy petrol and diesel vehicles dominate car sales, such as Australia and New Zealand, current evidence suggests increased electric car sales are unlikely to greatly increase average vehicle mass. In fact, average mass could actually go down as cheaper and lighter electric cars go on sale here.

Vehicle mass remains important

Importantly, the report is not downplaying the importance of vehicle mass for transport emission abatement.

In previous research it was estimated that only a passenger vehicle fleet dominated by small and light battery electric vehicles may get Australia close to achieving the net-zero emissions target in 2050.

To meet the target, it is thus important to reverse the trend of increasing car obesity, for all cars. But vehicle mass should not be used as an argument against electrification.

Robin Smit is the founding Research Director at the Transport Energy/Emission Research (TER) consultancy.

– ref. Do electric cars greatly increase the average mass of cars on the road? Not in Australia – https://theconversation.com/do-electric-cars-greatly-increase-the-average-mass-of-cars-on-the-road-not-in-australia-240555

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Highlights – EU Commissioners-designate confirmation hearings in committees – Committee on Regional Development

Source: European Parliament

The designated candidates of the von der Leyen Commission will be heard by the EP committees dealing with their respective portfolios from 04/11/2024 until 12/11/2024. During each confirmation hearing, the commissioner-designate will give an opening speech and then answer questions by committee members. More detailed information, including the candidates’ portfolios, the procedure, the schedule, the latest news and a live webstreaming during and record after the hearing, can be found on the dedicated webpage.

The Committee on Regional Development will conduct the hearing of Rafaele Fitto, Commissioner-designate for Cohesion and Reforms on 12 November.

This Committee will participate also in the hearings of the Commissioners-designate Dan Jørgensen, Energy and Housing portfolio and Teresa Ribera, Clean, Just and Competitive Transition portfolio on 5 and 12 November respectively.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Pineapple Energy Announces Two Additional Commercial Solar Installations, with Work Scheduled to Begin November 2024

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., Oct. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pineapple Energy Inc. (Nasdaq: PEGY) (“Pineapple” or the “Company”), a leading provider of sustainable solar energy and backup power to households, businesses, municipalities, and for servicing existing systems, today announced that work will soon be commencing on two new commercial contracts for solar projects on Long Island.

The work will be performed under contract for facilities within the arts & entertainment and consumer retail sectors and is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2024. In terms of renewable energy production, generation across the two distinct sites is expected to yield a total of 87 kW of clean energy across a total of 176 rooftop modules.

“Once again, the market demonstrates that there is ample demand for commercial and industrial work in the renewable energy space,” Scott Maskin, Pineapple’s Interim CEO, said. “As energy prices continue to increase, commercial, industrial, and institutional property owners see the value, savings, and energy security that solar delivers.”

In providing this update, the Company reiterated that it remains confident that the second half of the year, notably on the commercial side of the business, will show marked improvement when compared to the first six months of 2024.

“We’ve been saying for months that there has been an uptick on the commercial and industrial side of the business, and believe that these latest agreements validate this position,” John Mucci, SUNation’s General Manager of New York Operations, added. “These additional awards reflect the robust nature of our project pipeline and the diverse opportunities we are pursuing.”

About Pineapple Energy
Pineapple is focused on growing leading local and regional solar, storage, and energy services companies nationwide. Our vision is to power the energy transition through grass-roots growth of solar electricity paired with battery storage. Our portfolio of brands (SUNation, Hawaii Energy Connection, E-Gear) provide homeowners and businesses of all sizes with an end-to-end product offering spanning solar, battery storage, and grid services.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on the Company’s current expectations or beliefs and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances, including the Company’s expectations regarding its ability to effect the reverse stock split and regain compliance with Nasdaq’s continued listing standards. While the Company believes its plans, intentions, and expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, these plans, intentions, or expectations may not be achieved. For information about the factors that could cause such differences, please refer to the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the statements made under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and in subsequent filings. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

Safe Harbor Statement
Our prospects here at Pineapple Energy Inc. are subject to uncertainties and risks. This news release (video statement) contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbor provided by the foregoing Sections. These forward-looking statements are based largely on the expectations or forecasts of future events, can be affected by inaccurate assumptions, and are subject to various business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which are beyond the control of management. Therefore, actual results could differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this presentation. The Company cannot predict or determine after the fact what factors would cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements or other statements. The reader should consider statements that include the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “intends”, “estimates”, “plans”, “projects”, “should”, or other expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends, to be uncertain and forward-looking. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional information respecting factors that could materially affect the Company and its operations are contained in the Company’s filings with the SEC which can be found on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Contacts:
Scott Maskin
Interim Chief Executive Officer
+1 (631) 823-7131
scott.maskin@pineappleenergy.com

Pineapple Investor Relations
+1 (952) 996-1674
IR@pineappleenergy.com

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Success of SPbGASU in the competition of the International Public Organization for the Promotion of Construction Education (ASV)

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering – Fragment of the work by Anastasia Babinova. Open full size image

The results of the competition of final qualification works, held by the International Public Organization for the Promotion of Construction Education (ASV), have been summed up. Students and graduates of SPbGASU became its laureates.

Anastasia Babinova won first place in the nomination “Bachelor’s Project in the Field of Construction Technology and Organization” with her work “Design and Construction of a Complex of Buildings and Structures of a Technopark in the City of Vladikavkaz”. Anastasia continues her studies in the Master’s program. Her supervisor Sergey Bovteyev, Associate Professor of the Department of Construction Organization, tells about the student’s work:

– Anastasia Babinova’s final qualification work examines a complex of objects, the architectural solutions for which were fully developed by the graduate herself during her third year of study. Margarita Aleksandrovna Gurieva, senior lecturer at the Department of Architectural and Construction Structures, provided great assistance in this. In addition, the project adopted a number of non-standard organizational and technological solutions, and also used modern calendar-network planning software. The knowledge gained from studying the course “Construction Organization” helped here, taught by Roman Vladimirovich Motylev, head of the Department of Construction Organization, and Vera Mikhailovna Chelnokova, associate professor at the Department of Construction Organization.

Fragment of the work by Tatyana Pletnikova. Open full size image

Tatyana Pletnikova was awarded a diploma for effective participation in the competition in the nomination “Technology and organization of construction”. The topic of her research is “Application of 4D modeling in the organization of construction of a 27-story monolithic residential building”. Tatyana Pletnikova’s work was also supervised by Sergey Bovteev.

Anna Rerikh’s project “High-tech building solutions using nanocellulose” became the second among the research works of masters in the direction of “Production and application of building materials, products and structures”. The leader was Georgy Khrenov, associate professor of the Department of Building Materials Technology and Metrology.

– Anna Vladimirovna demonstrated incredible diligence and perseverance. This allowed her to complete the work at a high level in a short time, publish several articles, including in a journal from the list of the Higher Attestation Commission. But most importantly, she managed to obtain interesting scientific results, determining the rational area of application of nanocellulose in building solutions. Anna Vladimirovna summarized the obtained results and developed a draft of practical recommendations that can be implemented in production, – said Georgy Khrenov.

Timur Aibedulov with his work “Ventilation of the educational building of SPbGASU, Serpukhovskaya St., Bldg. 10 (TIM-project)” won second place in the nomination “Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation (project)”. The work was supervised by Kirill Sukhanov, associate professor of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation.

As Kirill Sukhanov explained, Timur carried out the work as part of a comprehensive TIM project. The team consisted of several people: an architect, a designer, a coordinator, an estimator and specialists in engineering sections. As part of the project, a 3D scan of the building was performed, and a full inspection of the facility was conducted.

– Timur conducted a survey of the existing ventilation systems of the building. Based on the data obtained, he created an information model. Performed verification calculations of the ventilation system. After creating an information model of the existing facility, a model of the building reconstruction was created. Timur performed the necessary calculations and selected ventilation equipment. Particular attention was paid to the design of the atrium and parking ventilation systems. A ventilation system for the assembly hall was also developed while preserving the historical ventilation grille. Research was carried out on the parameters of the microclimate of the assembly hall with various ventilation equipment. The research was carried out using numerical modeling methods. The results obtained allowed us to select the optimal equipment that provides acceptable microclimate parameters, – said Kirill Sukhanov.

Kristina Astashkevich with her work “Design of foundations of a multi-storey building with a single-level underground parking in the Kalininsky district of St. Petersburg” took third place in the nomination “Bachelor’s project in the field of geotechnics”. Now Kristina continues her studies in the master’s program. Her supervisor is Andrey Boyarintsev, senior lecturer of the Department of Geotechnics.

– No construction project can be completed without geotechnical calculations, because each building requires a foundation. Moreover, in dense urban development, there is a need for additional parking spaces. According to current urban planning concepts, underground parking is the best solution for apartment complexes, as it saves above-ground space that can be occupied by public areas or green spaces. However, in the conditions of St. Petersburg, underground construction is complicated by weak water-saturated soils, which requires complex engineering solutions for the construction of the facility. It was this case of underground parking construction in a multi-story residential building, erected on weak soils, that was considered in the final qualification work. Now I continue to do geotechnical calculations, including in poor engineering and geological conditions. I am also involved in projects to strengthen the foundations of historical buildings in St. Petersburg, – said Kristina. The student is grateful for the help, consultations and important engineering solutions of Andrey Boyarintsev and Anatoly Osokin, Director of the Soil Testing Center of St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Head of the Department of Geotechnics.

Linda Fortas came in third in the nomination “Master’s Research in the Profile of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation” with her work “Air-thermal curtains for large-sized gates”. Her supervisor is Viktor Puhkal, associate professor of the Department of Heat and Gas Supply and Ventilation.

– At automobile transport enterprises intended for repair of heavy-duty vehicles, large gates are used for entry and exit. Recommendations and methods for selecting air-thermal curtains for such gates are absent. That is why Linda chose the topic of her master’s thesis “Air-thermal curtains for large-sized gates”. The work includes studies of temperature and speed fields for various designs, positions and sizes of curtains. The influence of coolant parameters on the efficiency of curtains is also studied. The strengths of the work are the novelty of the research and consideration of issues of energy efficiency of air-thermal curtains, – said Viktor Puhkal.

In the nomination “Master’s Research in Geotechnics”, Daria Paskacheva distinguished herself with her work “Stress-strain state of flexible enclosing structures in conditions of weak clay soils”, taking third place. Supervisor – Ivan Dyakonov, associate professor of the Department of Geotechnics.

According to Daria, the high level of development of geotechnics in St. Petersburg is connected with the prevalence of “weak” clay soils in the city, which requires a highly scientific calculation approach to ensure safety during construction.

The Department of Geotechnics of SPbGASU occupies a leading position in the field of calculations and design in such conditions.

– I chose this topic because I became interested in what needs to be done to ensure the accuracy of geotechnical calculations in St. Petersburg’s natural conditions. Geotechnical calculations themselves, it seems to me, always include a large share of creative scientific work due to the complexity and relative youth of such a discipline as soil mechanics, – noted Daria Paskacheva.

Currently, Daria continues to develop this topic in graduate school. The main component of her dissertation is the development of her own mathematical model of weak clay soil. In addition, in a team of graduate students and young teachers of the department, she is working on the creation of a software package based on the finite element method, which will allow the implementation of this model.

– I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor in the Master’s program, Associate Professor of the Department of Geotechnics Ivan Pavlovich Dyakonov for his support and guidance, which played an important role in my admission to graduate school and continuation of research in this area. I would also like to thank postgraduate student of the Department of Geotechnics Ivan Borisovich Bashmakov for his inspiration and help in choosing geotechnics as the main direction of my scientific and design activities.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://www.spbgasu.ru/nevs-and-events/nevs/success-spbgasu-at-the-competition-of-an-international-public-organization-promoting-construction-industry/

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: 52 Bipartisan Congressmembers Urge Biden Administration to Tighten Russian Oil Sanctions and Question Exception Approval

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Contact: Alexis Torres, Alexis.Torres@mail.house.gov

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37) and Jake Auchincloss (D-MA-4) led a bipartisan effort to demand a tightening of Russian oil sanctions and to question an exception granted to a U.S.-based company, Schlumberger (SLB). Specifically, the lawmakers are questioning Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Secretary Antony Blinken as to why the Biden administration has permitted SLB to serve as an accomplice to Vladimir Putin.

“We write regarding alarming findings that the U.S.-based company and world’s largest oilfield services firm SLB, widely known as Schlumberger, is expanding in Russia,” wrote the members. “Since Russia’s unjustified and illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, SLB has signed new contracts, recruited hundreds of staff, and imported nearly $18 million in equipment into Russia. This U.S.-based company is keeping Vladimir Putin’s war machine well-oiled with financing for the barbaric invasion of Ukraine. We urge you to continue supporting our Ukrainian allies by pursuing more rigorous oil sanctions to effectively restrict Putin’s profits.”

“My name is on the first sanctions legislation to become law shortly after the Russian invasion,” said Rep. Doggett. “Implementation of that and similar legislation by our allies has not prevented Putin from earning billions from oil exports. And unfortunately, North Korea and Iran are not the only places providing him help. By permitting his exports and permitting continued American company investments in Russia, Americans, and our European allies, are essentially funding both sides of this war. While well aware of concerns about the price of gasoline at the pump, we must stop oiling the Putin war machine to win this war, secure a just peace, and reparations.”

“While Ukrainians fight and die on the front lines of freedom, a U.S. oil company is supporting the enemy,” said Rep. Auchincloss. “Oil is the lifeblood of the Russian war economy, which is why the West must stand united in tightening and enforcing oil sanctions. That begins by holding SLB and its collaborators accountable for evading allied sanctions, profiteering from pain, and fueling Putin’s ability to wage war.”

Additional signers include Representatives Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Wiley Nickel (NC-13), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Danny Davis (IL-07), Jim Costa (CA-21), Sean Casten (IL-06), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Adam Schiff (CA-30), Susan Wild (PA-07), Joe Wilson (R-SC-02), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Earl Blumenaur (OR-03), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Chris Deluzio (PA-17), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Chris Smith (R-NJ-04), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Don Bacon (R-NE-02), Juan Vargas (CA-52), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Annie Kuster (NH-02), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Ted Lieu (CA-36), John Larson (CT-01), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), David Trone (MD-06), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Bennie Thompson (MS-02) and Ro Khanna (CA-17).

The full letter can be found here.

Rep. Doggett is a strong champion for a prosperous Ukraine, consistently urging Congress and the Biden administration to take further actions in holding Putin accountable and ensuring full support for a Ukrainian victory. In 2022, the morning after Putin launched his unprovoked and illegal invasion, Rep. Doggett filed the first sanctions legislation, which later became law, to prohibit the direct import of energy products from Russia into the United States. The following year, he introduced the bipartisan Ending Importation of Laundered Russian Oil Act to close a “refining loophole” that allows Russian oil to be laundered through third-party countries and sold in the U.S. as gasoline and other petroleum products—therefore linking American consumers to financing parts of Putin’s war machine. In recent months, Rep. Doggett expanded his efforts to prevent Russia from continuing to profit off Western countries by publishing an opinion piece in Foreign Policy, calling for U.S. sanctions against a network of companies associated with Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear corporation.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ambitious Mobile Strategy to be considered by councillors

Source: Scotland – City of Perth

This strategy, developed with feedback from the public, will be discussed when Climate Change and Sustainability Committee meets on 23 October 2024.

The Mobility Strategy is one of three critical place-based strategies designed to shape the long-term development of Perth and Kinross, alongside the Local Housing Strategy and the Local Development Plan.

Together, these strategies are instrumental in realising the Council’s vision of “a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality.”

The Mobility Strategy outlines Perth and Kinross Council’s vision for managing and developing the transport and active travel network over the next 15 years.

It considers all modes of transport for the movement of people and goods across both rural and urban areas, addressing the impacts of emerging technologies, digital services, housing, inclusion, poverty, health, climate adaptation, economic growth, air quality, and place making.

Aligned with the priorities set out in the Scottish Government’s National Transport Strategy 2 (February 2020), the Mobility Strategy adopts four key priorities: Reducing Inequalities, Taking Climate Action, Delivering Inclusive Economic Growth, and Improving Health and Wellbeing.

These priorities are fundamental to the development and delivery of the strategy, ensuring it meets both national targets and local goals.

Councillors will also be asked to approve the next priorities for the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) for the upcoming 12-18 months.

The Perth and Kinross LAEP envisions the area as a leading example of affordable and equitable access to sustainable energy for all residents, businesses, and organisations.

By 2045, the area aims to achieve an integrated, net-zero local energy system. Similarly, the Perth and Kinross LHEES aims to make homes and buildings more energy efficient and equipped with decarbonised heat sources, providing more affordable warmth and reduce climate impact, all contributing to achieving our goal of Net Zero by 2045.

In line with these initiatives, committee members will be asked to approve the Council’s Public Body Climate Change Duty report. The report outlines the Council’s actions and progress in addressing climate change within its own operations, with a 31% reduction in its overall emissions. The decrease is primarily attributed to improvements in waste processing and the transition from waste to energy. Additionally, there were modest reductions in emissions from on-site energy production, business travel and employee commuting.

Councillor Richard Watters, Convenor of Climate Change and Sustainability Committee said: “We are deeply grateful to the public for their active involvement and valuable feedback throughout the development of the Mobility Strategy. Their participation has been crucial in shaping a strategy that is robust, relevant, and adaptable to the diverse needs of our community.

“We also want to recognise the outstanding work made through the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES), the Local Area Energy Plan (LAEP) and the Council’s own initiatives in tackling climate change. It is truly encouraging to see the Council’s substantial reduction in overall emissions, equivalent to 12.5 kilotonnes of C02, between 2022/23 and 2023/24.

“Despite facing financial challenges, we are striving forward with new priorities for the next 12 to 18 months. Together, we are paving the way for a sustainable and prosperous future for Perth and Kinross.”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Strategic plan for long-term energy infrastructure
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Strategic spatial plan to provide a blueprint for Great Britain’s energy infrastructure
Strategic spatial plan commissioned for energy infrastructure

new plan to provide a blueprint for Great Britain’s energy infrastructure out to 2050, providing stability for investors

more strategic approach will help cut grid connection waiting times, reducing overall system costs and accelerating the government’s clean energy superpower mission

UK, Scottish and Welsh energy ministers commission National Energy System Operator (NESO) to produce first ever spatial plan for energy in 2026

The location for new energy infrastructure will be set out in a strategic plan to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and accelerate the government’s clean energy superpower mission.

Taking this more strategic approach will provide much-needed long-term certainty and stability for investors and accelerate the growth of the UK’s clean energy industries, creating more jobs and improving lives in communities across the UK.

Building on work to deliver clean power by 2030, energy ministers in the Scottish, Welsh, and UK governments have asked the newly formed National Energy System Operator (NESO) to produce the first ever strategic spatial plan for energy out to 2050, across land and sea in Great Britain. Planning of energy infrastructure in this way will help cut grid connection waiting times, giving investors confidence on where to build and when.

The publicly owned body will look at how to best spread new energy projects across the country in a way that takes into account other sectors, such as transport and water supply, as well as the environment. This wide-angle lens will speed up project delivery and reduce overall system costs, which could in turn bring down bills for consumers.

The first iteration of the plan will be published in 2026 and will focus on electricity generation and storage, including hydrogen assets, from offshore wind farms to pumped storage hydro.

Minister for Energy Michael Shanks said:

To help drive growth and investment in our clean energy future, we need to provide investors with the long-term certainty and stability that they have been crying out for.

That’s why we need a more strategic approach to our energy system, ensuring we can quickly scale up investment in the right infrastructure where we need it, to keep costs down and speed up our transition to clean power.

Delivering the country’s first ever spatial plan will be a major milestone for our new public energy body.

Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans, said:

We welcome this strategic approach to the energy system, which should reduce overall costs and bring certainty to communities.

In Wales we have been developing plans to meet our energy needs at the local, regional and national level for some years and look forward to working collaboratively with the NESO and others to feed into these UK-wide plans. Getting this right will help ensure we deliver the best possible outcomes for our communities and our industries through the considered development of the clean energy they will need to power them.

Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, said:

I am committed to working collaboratively with other governments where it can accelerate progress towards Scotland’s economic and net zero targets.

Key to the plan’s success will be ensuring that investor confidence is maintained throughout.

It is also vital that it takes into account the nature of devolved policies and ambitions, delivers real benefits for the people and communities of Scotland and supports our ongoing efforts for a just transition.

I look forward to working with the UK and Welsh governments on the plan as it develops.

Kayte O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer, NESO said:

We are delighted to receive this formal commission as NESO to develop this plan and bring together our expertise and that of our partners to develop this critical blueprint for Great Britain’s energy system of the future.

By setting out pathway options, engaging across government, the regulator, wider industry, interested parties and with communities as well as exploring the needs at a more zonal and regional level we can then identify where and what type of electricity and storage technologies we need to meet our future demand and decarbonisation ambitions.

Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive, SSE:

As one of the largest investors in clean power in the UK we are very supportive of the strategic spatial energy plan. Having long-term stability through spatial plans and policy mechanisms will be critical to unlocking billions of pounds of investment across the country, supporting good jobs and building a homegrown energy system that is cleaner, more affordable and secure.

CEO of Ofgem, Jonathan Brearley, said:

I warmly welcome and strongly support this commission to create the first national energy blueprint for Britain’s future energy system.

It will be a real gamechanger in unlocking growth and investment, accelerating new infrastructure build, and speeding up innovation and technology. It will be a big stepping stone in delivering government’s mission to provide clean power by 2030 and accelerate the transition to net zero.

Ofgem will work closely alongside the UK, Scottish and Welsh governments, as well as NESO, to protect consumers and to deliver clean power at the lowest possible cost.

NESO will develop several options for how the energy system could look in the future which will be presented to ministers. The chosen option will be taken forward to public consultation alongside detailed environmental assessments.

Notes to editors

Minister Shanks is today launching the SSEP at an event in parliament.

NESO will publish its consultation on methodology later this year, and deliver the plan in 2026.

See the SSEP letter and commission

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Published 22 October 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic students are winners of the competition for St. Petersburg government awards

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

The Diploma Project Commission summed up the results of the competition for the St. Petersburg Government Prize. For the implementation of diploma projects in the 2023/2024 academic year, 33 executive bodies of state power offered students 116 topics for work. 72 people won the competition, seven of whom are SPbPU students. All of them represent the Institute of Industrial Management, Economics and Trade.

1. Maria Gorshenina, graduate of the Master’s program at the Higher School of Industrial Management, Energy Management program, scientific supervisor: Associate Professor at the Higher School of Industrial Management Inga Skvortsova.

Project “Analysis and ranking of factors promoting and hindering the introduction of renewable energy sources in the engineering and energy complex of St. Petersburg”. The aim of the study was to improve the elaboration of the scientific base for assessing the feasibility of introducing renewable energy sources into a specific regional energy system by identifying and analyzing key factors that form the environment within which the operation of renewable energy sources is planned in the region.

To be honest, this work is a story of constant improvements and refinements, as I always wanted to improve my project. The result was worth it: victory in the St. Petersburg government diploma project competition, second place in the TGK-1 competition and, most importantly, my own satisfaction with the work done, Maria shared her impressions.

2. Leonid Alkhimovich, a graduate of the bachelor’s degree program of the Higher School of Industrial Management, international educational program “International Business”, scientific supervisor: associate professor of the Higher School of Industrial Management Ksenia Kikkas.

The topic of the thesis is “Corporate training – gamification as a basis for effective interaction in the work process”. The choice of the topic is associated with the rapid development of technologies in the field of corporate training, digital methods of professional development and increasing employee engagement. One of the most common tools in this area is gamification.

3. Evelina Polushkina, Bachelor of the Higher School of Administrative Management in the direction of “State and Municipal Administration”. The project “The Impact of Digitalization on the Process of State Support for Business” was developed under the supervision of HSAM Associate Professor Maxim Ivanov. During the final qualifying work, recommendations were developed for improving the provision of state support by changing the internal processes for ensuring the operation of digital services, as well as creating directions for their popularization among small and medium-sized businesses.

Participation in the competition was a very useful and necessary experience for me. I positively evaluate the experience of communication with the executive bodies of St. Petersburg in the person of civil servants, who promptly provided the necessary information and statistics on my topic. I believe that the topic of state support for business is relevant at the moment, so I am glad that the city authorities are actively involved in its implementation and are constantly developing this industry, including with the help of digital technologies, – Evelina noted.

4. Elizaveta Parkhomchuk, Master of the Higher School of Administrative Management in the direction of “State and Municipal Administration”. Under the supervision of HSAM Associate Professor Tamara Selentyeva, she completed the work “Development of projects for methodological assistance in supporting small and medium-sized businesses in the executive bodies of state power”, which is aimed at creating recommendations for executive bodies of state power to improve the process of providing assistance and support to small and medium-sized businesses. This work was done jointly with specialists from the Center for Development and Support of Entrepreneurship of St. Petersburg.

5. Mikhail Kiryushatov, a graduate of the bachelor’s degree program at the Higher School of Service and Trade, majoring in “Trade Business”, scientific supervisor: associate professor at the Higher School of Service and Trade Irina Kapustina. The project was called “Analysis of the possibilities of expanding economic cooperation between St. Petersburg and cities of ASEAN countries in modern conditions.”

The most memorable events were the off-site events in which the External Relations Committee took part. The first of these was the XXIII International Forum “Ecology of the Big City”, where a student of the Higher School of Social and Technical Studies accompanied a delegation from Myanmar headed by the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Min Tu, and also carried out communication at a meeting with Russian partners in the field of geology, Mikhail shared.

6. Ksenia Fisun, a graduate of the bachelor’s degree program at the Higher School of Service and Trade, majoring in “Trade Business”, scientific supervisor: Associate Professor of the Higher School of Service and Trade Vladimir Bakharev. Her project was called “Trends and Factors Influencing the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in St. Petersburg”.

Participation in the project was a very interesting experience for me! Thanks to it, I got acquainted with the activities of government agencies from the inside, and also learned more about the sphere of small and medium entrepreneurship in our city. I am grateful to the Polytechnic University and the government of St. Petersburg for the opportunity to participate in such a project! – shared Ksenia.

7. Karina Allahverdiyeva, graduate of the Master’s program of the Higher School of Service and Trade, the program “Quality Management at the Enterprise” under the supervision of Associate Professor of the Higher School of Service and Trade Boris Lyamin. The project work on the topic “Monitoring of food products based on the KPPIT as a promising form of quality control and product safety” consisted of identifying discrepancies in the food product monitoring process, assessing the quality control process of samples, developing recommendations for improving and optimizing the food product monitoring process in the testing laboratory of the IL “PETEKS”. It is worth noting that the results of the project work were agreed upon, approved and applied by the head of the testing laboratory.

The winners will be awarded in November during the St. Petersburg International Scientific and Educational Salon, the city’s largest event aimed at demonstrating educational, scientific research and innovation activities.

According to statistics, most of the winners of this competition are employed in city administrative structures. It is also worth noting that this year the prize amount has been increased from 16 thousand rubles to 30 thousand rubles for each winner.

I am proud of our students! IPMET regularly participates and annually remains among the leaders in the number of winners. And this year is a particularly significant event for the entire institute – seven winners from the Polytechnic University and all IPMET students! Your achievements are the result of hard work, creativity and commitment to high quality work. I wish you further success in your professional activities, may your victories continue to delight us with new achievements, – shared the director of IPMET Vladimir Shchepinin.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED” Signs Agreement with Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company “SRPC”

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CAIRO, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Mr. George Matharu, President of Elite Capital & Co. Limited “ECC” (Financial Lead Arranger of Soukhna Refinery), and His Excellency Eng. Sameh Fahmy, Chairman of Egyptian Petroleum Investments Corporation “EPI Corp.” (Founding Director and Lead Consultant of Soukhna Refinery), announced today that the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED” has signed a Term Sheet for handling, storing, and transferring crude oil feedstock and petroleum products with the Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company “SRPC”.

“SUMED signing the Term Sheet with Soukhna Refinery – SRPC will reduce the refinery construction cost by USD 700 Million, making the project’s capital USD 4.7 Billion, which will positively reflect on the appetite of targeted investors to enter as partners into the project, while reducing any future financing burdens and contributing to the expected financing process,” Mr. George Matharu said.

The SUMED Pipeline (also known as the Suez-Mediterranean Pipeline) is an oil pipeline in Egypt, running from the Ain Sokhna terminal in the Gulf of Suez, the northernmost terminus of the Red Sea, to offshore Sidi Kerir port, Alexandria in the Mediterranean Sea. It provides an alternative to the Suez Canal for transporting oil from the Arabian Gulf region to the Mediterranean.

The pipeline is owned by the Arab Petroleum Pipelines Company “SUMED”, a joint venture of Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation “EGPC” (50%, Egypt), Saudi Aramco (15%, Saudi Arabia), Mubadala Investment Company “Formerly IPIC” (15%, the United Arab Emirates), Kuwait Investment Authority “KIA” (15%, Kuwait), and QatarEnergy (5%, Qatar).

His Excellency Eng. Sameh Fahmy, Chairman of EPI Corp (former Minister of Petroleum), added, “Soukhna Refinery and Petrochemical Company – SRPC is a promising project and will be one of the most important petroleum and petrochemical projects globally, especially since it is located in the heart of the world to serve four important markets – Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. Therefore, the project’s success is inevitable, as all companies involved in this project are currently cooperating with Elite Capital & Co. Limited to provide the necessary financing to build it.”

SRPC’s Project is a petroleum complex consisting of an oil refinery, petrochemical technology, mini hospital, and petroleum studies institute. This project is located at the heart of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, specifically in Ain Sokhna, and it is surrounded by the continents of Asia from the east, Europe from the north, and Africa from the west.

The refining capacity of the oil refinery is 208 thousand barrels per day, which will be relied upon in selling oil derivatives and fed by petrochemical technology, and therefore the project will be one of the world scale state of the art strategic refinery project in the world in selling oil derivatives and petrochemical products.

“Implementation of the project will support the economy of Egypt, which witnessed remarkable development in all sectors during the era of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and which are expected to flourish in the coming period,” Eng. Sameh Fahmy said.

Elite Capital & Co. Limited is a Financial Management company that provides project-related services including Management, Consultancy, and Funding, particularly for large infrastructure and mega commercial projects.

Elite Capital & Co. Limited offers a wealth of experience in Banking and Financial transactions and has a range of specialized advisory services for private clients, medium and large corporations as well as governments. It is also the exclusive manager of the Government Future Financing 2030 Program^®.

Mr. George Matharu concluded his statement by saying: “We are currently working on preliminary negotiations with international sovereign entities to enter the project as major partners representing the main source of crude oil supply to the refinery. After that, we will move to the potential financing process according to the data that will be available at the time.”

Elite Capital & Co. – Contact Details –

Elite Capital & Co. Limited
33 St. James Square
London, SW1Y4JS
United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 (0) 203 709 5060
SWIFT Code: ELCTGB21
LEI Code: 254900NNN237BBHG7S26

Website: ec.uk.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ccd23ff-3956-40af-9c99-7fa85dfd3325

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0136/2024

Source: European Parliament 2

Yannis Maniatis, Nacho Sánchez Amor, Udo Bullmann, Raphaël Glucksmann, Francisco Assis
on behalf of the S&D Group

B10‑0136/2024

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

(2024/2980(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan, in particular those of 20 May 2021 on prisoners of war in the aftermath of the most recent conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan [1], of 10 March 2022 on the destruction of cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh [2], of 19 January 2023 on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh [3], of 14 September 2023 on the case of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, imprisoned in Azerbaijan [4], of 13 March 2024 on closer ties between the EU and Armenia and the need for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia [5], and of 25 April 2024 on Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev [6],

– having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement of 22 April 1996 between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part,

– having regard to the joint statement of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan of 7 December 2023,

– having regard to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group’s 2009 Basic Principles,

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas from 11 to 22 November 2024 Azerbaijan will host the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29); whereas respect for fundamental human rights and civil society participation are enshrined in the host country agreement through which the Azerbaijani Government committed to uphold these rights;

B. whereas for more than a decade and with increasing determination Azerbaijani authorities have been reducing space for civil society, arbitrarily closing down non-governmental organisations and arresting or forcing into exile civil society representatives;

C. whereas since the announcement that Azerbaijan would host COP29, control of critical voices has increased, resulting in the arrest, arbitrary detention and prosecution of civil society activists, journalists and media workers, including foreign journalists;

D. whereas an estimated 300 people are currently being detained on politically motivated charges, including human rights defenders, journalists, academics, peaceful protesters, lawyers and political and other activists; whereas they are being held in conditions that do not meet international human rights standards and they are often denied access to their family members, lawyers and adequate medical care;

E. whereas the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided in January 2024 not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation, noting its ‘very serious concerns as to …[Azerbaijan’s] respect for human rights’; whereas the PACE noted that its Monitoring Committee’s rapporteurs were not allowed to meet with people who had been detained on allegedly politically motivated charges, and that the Azerbaijani delegation refused to allow the rapporteur for the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights to visit the country;

F. whereas Azerbaijan has implemented a systematic policy of bribing officials and elected representatives in Europe in order to downplay Azerbaijan’s human rights record and to silence critics, as part of a widely used strategy described as ‘caviar diplomacy’; whereas some cases have been investigated and some of those involved have been prosecuted and convicted by national courts in several EU Member States;

G. whereas Azerbaijan has been actively involved in destabilisation campaigns against the national politics of Member States, as recently observed and well-documented in New Caledonia, where it has conducted disinformation operations and provided support for rioters;

H. whereas on 3 July 2024, the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) publicly denounced Azerbaijan’s ‘refusal to improve the situation in the light of the Committee’s recommendations’ and the ‘persistent lack of cooperation of the Azerbaijani authorities with the CPT’,

I. whereas Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, a renowned political economist, anti-corruption activist and chairperson of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Movement, who is due to start his visiting scholarship at Technische Universität in Dresden, was arbitrarily detained on 23 July 2023, kept in prison on dubious charges with limited contact with his family and lawyer and reportedly subjected to inhumane treatment; whereas since Parliament’s resolutions of 14 September 2023 and 25 April 2024, his health has further deteriorated due to the inadequate treatment of his serious medical condition, poor detention conditions and inhumane treatment; whereas on 22 April 2024 Dr Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest, where he is being kept under constant police surveillance without being allowed to communicate with doctors, while his health condition still gives rise to serious concerns for his life; whereas on 17 October 2024 Dr Ibadoghlu was shortlisted for the 2024 Sakharov Prize;

J. whereas on 4 December 2023 human rights activist Ilhamiz Guliyev was arrested on politically motivated charges a few months after he gave an anonymous interview to AbzasMedia about the alleged police practice of planting drugs on political activists;

K. whereas charges have been brought against numerous independent journalists who remain in prison or in pre-trial detention, while independent media outlets such as AbzasMedia, Kanal 13, Toplum TV and others have been shut down after key members of their staff were arrested on politically motivated charges;

L. whereas Dr Ibadoghlu’s research found that Azerbaijan was highly unlikely to be able to increase its natural gas production sufficiently in order to fulfil its promise to provide gas to the EU as set out in the strategic partnership for energy; whereas Azerbaijan’s increased Russian gas imports are a cause for concern as to whether Azerbaijan can replace Russia as a gas supplier, as Baku, unable to meet European demand, may relabel Russian gas as Azerbaijani for European consumption;

M. whereas on 19 September 2023 Azerbaijan launched an unjustified attack against Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in several hundred casualties, the death of civilians, and the majority of the population fleeing from their homes; whereas this forced displacement of the population and offensive against the civilian population represent a de facto ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh and gross violations of international law and human rights, which may amount to crimes against humanity;

N. whereas in December 2023 a joint statement of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan brought about the release of 32 Armenian prisoners of war, expressed the commitment of both countries to continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence-building measures, and called on the international community to support their efforts that would contribute to building mutual trust between the two countries and positively impact the entire South Caucasus region;

1. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to address the deteriorating human rights situation in the country ahead of COP29 and to show its commitment to fundamental rights and to fundamental principles of democracy, justice, the rule of law and human dignity;

2. Denounces the reported violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, the reprisals against human rights defenders and journalists, the widespread violations of the right to a fair trial, and the abuse of the criminal justice system for political purposes;

3. Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all human rights defenders, activists, journalists and government critics imprisoned in retaliation for their human rights work and dissenting views; demands that freedom of the press and expression be guaranteed and that media organisations not be restricted; calls, therefore, on the Azerbaijani Government to release journalists working for AbzasMedia, including Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifqizi, and Alasgar Mammadli who works for Toplum TV;

4. Deplores the crackdown on civil society, as documented by Amnesty International, around major international events hosted by Azerbaijan, including Eurovision 2012 and the 2015 European Games;

5. Takes note of the statements of the electoral observation mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, according to which Azerbaijan’s presidential and early parliamentary elections of February and September 2024 did not offer voters genuine political alternatives and took place within a legal framework that overly restricted fundamental freedoms and the media;

6. Reiterates its grave concern over the detention of anti-corruption activist and academic Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, who was held in pre-trial detention for almost one year despite his deteriorating health, moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 and continues to be deprived of liberty, and who is not allowed to leave Azerbaijan to receive the medical care he requires; calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and on the Member States to actively call for the release of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu; calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against him, release him immediately from house arrest and allow him to leave the country on humanitarian grounds to receive urgently needed medical treatment abroad;

7. Expresses its concern over the case of Anar Mammadli, a prominent human rights defender and climate advocate, who was arrested on 29 April 2024 and placed in pre-trial detention, and who faces charges of conspiracy in apparent retaliation for his criticism of the government and his activism; calls for his release from prison;

8. Deplores the arbitrary detention of human rights defender Ilhamiz Guliyev and opposition leader Tofig Yagublu and calls for their immediate and unconditional release;

9. Calls for the EU and its Member States to impose targeted sanctions on individuals responsible for human rights violations and systematic repression against civil society in Azerbaijan, as well as on Azerbaijani officials responsible for the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh;

10. Reiterates its call for independent investigations into the abuses committed by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh that could amount to war crimes; calls, further, on the Azerbaijani authorities to allow the safe return of the Armenian population to Nagorno-Karabakh and to offer solid promises regarding the protection of their rights and protection from intimidation and discrimination, guaranteed and monitored by an international presence;

11. Highlights the importance of providing continuous support to the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who were displaced in September 2023 and beforehand through direct humanitarian aid and budget support for the Armenian Government; calls for the EU, in this regard, to provide a new package of assistance to Armenia to help the Armenian Government address the humanitarian needs of refugees;

12. Calls on the Azerbaijani Government to immediately and unconditionally release all remaining Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and captives, and to ensure transparency regarding the situation of detainees from Nagorno-Karabakh;

13. Strongly condemns the destruction of Armenian cultural, religious and historical heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh; calls on Azerbaijan to refrain from destroying this heritage in the region and calls for the protection of this heritage in line with UNESCO standards, including through the authorisation of a UNESCO mission to the area;

14. Calls for thorough investigations into serious risks of Russian gas laundering through Azerbaijan and into the Azerbaijani authorities’ facilitation of Russia’s circumvention of EU sanctions, which would severely contradict EU foreign policy objectives; calls on the Council to systematically tackle the circumvention of sanctions by non-EU states; calls on the Council to design a new horizontal sanctions regime to counter this circumvention, which will require a more general and holistically applicable instrument to target circumvention in all regimes implemented by the EU;

15. Insists that any partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan – including on energy – must have strong conditions attached on the respect of international law, fundamental rights and international obligations, in particular on Azerbaijan making substantial progress towards a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement with Armenia; calls on the Commission, consequently, to urgently assess and review the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy and to act accordingly;

16. Calls on the VP/HR to suspend the negotiations for a renewed partnership agreement until Azerbaijan has demonstrated its genuine readiness to faithfully engage in the negotiation of a peace agreement with Armenia and to respect the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians;

17. Confirms its full and strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan; condemns any military aggression, use of force or hybrid threats against Armenia, as well as foreign interference and attempts to destabilise the political situation in Armenia; welcomes the assistance measures under the European Peace Facility in support of the Armenian armed forces and calls for the cooperation between Armenia and the EU to be further reinforced in security and defence; welcomes the actions undertaken by several Member States to provide defensive military support to Armenia and urges the Member States to consider similar initiatives;

18. Urges Azerbaijan and Armenia to advance towards full normalisation of their relations on all pending issues and to promptly conclude a comprehensive and sustainable peace agreement; calls on Azerbaijan to demonstrate genuine efforts to this end and invites the VP/HR to continue to support efforts towards a comprehensive peace treaty;

19. Welcomes the joint Armenia-Azerbaijan statement of 7 December 2023 on confidence-building measures; firmly believes that such measures can benefit the overall peace process and pave the way for increased trust between the two sides; welcomes the progress made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process, which has led to an agreement on several sections of the border; encourages both sides to take further steps on the remaining sections;

20. Calls on EU and Member State officials and elected representatives taking part in COP29 in Baku not to turn a blind eye to human rights violations in the country and to use the momentum of the conference to increase diplomatic pressure on the Azerbaijani regime to respect fundamental rights and freedoms, release all political prisoners and return Armenian hostages;

21. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the President, Government and Parliament of the Republic of Armenia, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Canada: Strengthening Alberta’s economic partnerships abroad

Source: Government of Canada regional news

The minister will engage in trade missions to Argentina and the UAE from Oct. 21 to Nov. 9. During these missions, Minister Jones will meet with companies, potential investors and government officials in several high-value, in-demand sectors to discuss investment and trade opportunities for Alberta.

Government-led trade missions enhance Alberta’s trade market access and help Alberta businesses diversify into new international markets.

“Our government is committed to establishing strong relationships that connect Alberta businesses with key international partners. With Canada’s most investment-friendly environment, competitive tax system, highly educated workforce and robust research and development pipeline, Alberta is a competitive partner on the global stage. I am looking forward to showcasing Alberta’s world-class products, energy, agriculture and innovation to our partners in Argentina and the UAE. These missions will enhance collaboration, driving us toward a more prosperous future together.”

Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade

Minister Jones will participate in the Argentina Oil and Gas Patagonia Expo and speak at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC). During a trade mission in 2023, Minister Jones made many connections at ADIPEC. This year’s participation will further strengthen those relationships while showcasing Alberta’s innovative energy solutions and helping Alberta-based companies establish new business partnerships.

Minister Jones will be joined by three government employees. Mission expenses will be posted on the travel and expense disclosure page.

Alberta’s government is committed to working with its national and international partners to advance shared interests that can lead to new opportunities for people and businesses in Alberta and around the world.

Quick facts

In 2023, Alberta exported about $126 million worth of goods to Argentina.
- Top exports included filtering/purifying machinery and apparatuses for gases ($71.2 million), air or other gas compressors ($5.1 million) and aircraft ($3.7 million).
In 2023, Alberta exported almost $242 million to the UAE.
- Top exports included food and agriculture ($130.6 million), machinery ($82.9 million) and metal, stone or glass ($13.1 million).
Trade missions to priority markets are one way Alberta’s government is helping small- and medium-sized businesses get their products to international markets, making Alberta’s economy more resilient.

Itinerary for Minister Jones*

Oct. 21-22	Travel to Neuquén, Argentina
Oct. 23-25	Meetings and briefings in Neuquén
Oct. 26	Travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oct. 27-29	Meetings and briefings in Buenos Aires
Oct. 29-31	Travel to Abu Dhabi, UAE
Nov. 1-6	Meetings and briefings in Abu Dhabi
Nov. 5	Participate in ADIPEC ministerial panel
Nov. 6	Travel to Dubai Meetings and briefings in Dubai
Nov. 7-8	Meetings and briefings in Dubai
Nov. 9	Return to Alberta

*Subject to change.

Related information

Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference
Argentina Oil and Gas Patagonia Expo

MIL OSI Canada News –

January 24, 2025

MIL-OSI Russia: With the support of Rosneft, the Days of Culture of Indigenous Peoples of the Tyumen Region opened

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Rosneft – Rosneft – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

With the support of RN-Uvatneftegaz (part of Rosneft), the Days of Indigenous Peoples Culture have started in the Tyumen Region. It is expected that over 1,200 guests will visit the festival in two weeks.

In the ethnographic center “Uvas Mir Hot” (House of Northern People), created with the support of “RN-Uvatneftegaz”, guests get acquainted with the rich culture of northern ethnic groups, their customs and traditions. The concert program of the opening of the festival included performances by dancers and throat singers accompanied by a jaw harp. Excursions around the ethnic camp were organized for adults and children, and they could also take part in games in national sports and taste dishes of national cuisine.

The Days of Culture will include interactive excursions and themed events for schoolchildren and large families. For residents of the Uvatsky District, the festival will also include performances by creative groups, competitions in national sports “Northern All-Around”, master classes in arts and crafts, an exhibition of photographs and works by northern poets and writers. Guests of the festival will also be able to watch the film “Master of the Taiga”, which introduces the unique culture and way of life of the Eastern Khanty. The festival program will end in the Uvatsky District, where 30 families of indigenous peoples live in 11 camps today.

The assistance of the oil producing company RN-Uvatneftegaz in organizing this and other traditional national holidays helps popularize culture and strengthen ties between families and generations.

The territory of “Uvas Mir Hot” hosts ritual festivals and cultural events, concerts, interactive excursions, local history and national language lessons, and master classes all year round. To immerse guests in the culture and life of indigenous peoples, the ethnic camp has recreated in detail a Khanty hut, a Nenets tent in summer and winter versions, a storage shed for food, a kitchen with a clay oven, a hunter’s hut, and animal enclosures. Interest in the “House of Northern People” is growing – since the beginning of the year, it has been visited by 14,800 tourists.

Preservation of the national culture of the indigenous peoples of the North is one of the significant areas of Rosneft’s social policy. The Company’s enterprises implement many social projects in the regions of their operations, develop the infrastructure of northern villages, help reindeer herder families, improve the material and technical base of educational institutions, social and medical facilities in areas of traditional residence.

RN-Uvatneftegaz, together with the administration of the Uvatsky municipal district, supports representatives of the Khanty, Mansi and Evenki of the Tyumen region, providing comprehensive assistance in preserving their way of life. The company pays for the education of young people in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions, finances participation in competitions in a national sport – oblas (boat) races. Oil workers provide access to winter roads and ice crossings that are built for production needs, organize the distribution of fuel at the fields closest to the camps. The company is also one of the organizers of the annual festival “Wealth of the Uvat Taiga”, which includes a fair of goods of traditional crafts and trades of indigenous peoples living in the Uvatsky district.

Reference:

RN-Uvatneftegaz LLC, a subsidiary of Rosneft Oil Company, is conducting exploration and development of a group of fields located in the Uvatsky District of the Tyumen Region and the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra. The Uvatsky project includes 19 licensed areas, their total area exceeds 25 thousand square kilometers.

Department of Information and Advertising of PJSC NK Rosneft October 22, 2024

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: U.S. construction costs rose slightly for solar and wind, dropped for natural gas in 2022

Source: US Energy Information Administration

In-brief analysis

October 22, 2024

The average U.S. construction costs for solar photovoltaic systems and wind turbines in 2022 were close to 2021 costs, while natural gas-fired electricity generators decreased 11%, according to our recently released data. Average construction costs for solar generators increased by 1.7% in 2022, and for wind turbines they increased by 1.6%.

These three technologies—solar, wind, and natural gas—comprised 86% of the capacity added to the U.S. electric grid in 2022. Investment in new electric-generating capacity in 2022 decreased by 27% from 2021 to $36.9 billion dollars.

Generator cost data are reported to EIA through the EIA-860, Annual Electric Generator Inventory. The costs discussed in this article reference our electric generator construction costs data, which organize the nominal construction cost values for generators installed in each reporting year. The recently released data examine trends from past years. Discussion of additional cost information and trends is available in our Short-Term Energy Outlook.

Solar
Average U.S. solar construction costs across all solar panel types increased 1.7% to $1,588 per kilowatt (kW) in 2022. The increase was primarily driven by a 13% increase in the construction cost for crystalline silicon tracking panels, which increased to $1,605/kW, the highest price since 2018.

The average construction cost for crystalline silicon fixed-tilt panels decreased by 13%, but they remained the most expensive of the major solar technologies at $1,788/kW. The average cost for Cadmium telluride panels also decreased by about 6% to $1,529/kW in 2022.

Most solar panels installed in the United States are crystalline silicon tracking panels. Unlike fixed-tilt systems, solar tracking systems automatically move to follow the sun as it moves across the sky, allowing more continuous sun exposure and, therefore, greater electricity production.

Wind
The average construction cost for U.S. onshore wind turbines increased 1.6% in 2022 to $1,451/kW. Higher costs were driven by increases in construction costs for wind farms greater than 100 megawatts (MW) in nameplate capacity. The cost for wind farms between 100 MW and 200 MW of capacity increased by 10% to $1,614/kW. Construction costs for the largest wind farms—those with more than 200 MW—also increased to average $1,402/kW in 2022, up 1.4%. Construction costs for wind farms with 1 MW to 100 MW of capacity continued to decrease, this time by an average of 7.3% to 1,806/kW in 2022.

Natural gas
The average construction cost for natural gas-fired generators fell 11% between 2021 and 2022. The decrease was driven primarily by decreases in the cost for combined-cycle facilities. The average construction cost for generators at combined-cycle facilities fell by 42% in 2022 to $722/kW.

The costs for other natural gas technologies increased in 2022. The average construction cost for a combustion turbine almost doubled between 2021 and 2022 to $1,006/kW, and the cost for internal combustion engines fueled with natural gas increased by 27% to $1,677/kW.

Principal contributor: Alex Mey

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Turbo Energy Teams with Connection Holdings to Introduce All-in-One, AI-Optimized SUNBOX Home Energy Storage System to U.S. Market
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

VALENCIA, Spain, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Turbo Energy, S.A. (NASDAQ:TURB) (“Turbo Energy” or the “Company”), a global provider of leading-edge, AI-optimized solar energy storage technologies and solutions, today announced that the Company has partnered with Florida-based Connection Holdings, LLC (“CH”), the managing entity of brands operating in the performance marketing and lead generation sectors with focus on a broad range of industries, including the U.S. solar energy market.

Pursuant to the strategic advisory agreement entered into on October 18, 2024, CH will employ its organization’s award-winning market penetration capabilities and leverage its extensive nationwide network of leading U.S. solar installation companies to assist Turbo Energy in introducing and winning U.S. market share for the Company’s proprietary, all-in-one, Artificial Intelligence (“AI”)-optimized SUNBOX solar energy storage system designed specifically for residential application (“SUNBOX Home”).

Turbo Energy Partners with Connection Holdings to Introduce SUNBOX Home to U.S. Market

Mariano Soria, the Chief Executive Officer of Turbo Energy, stated, “With virtually thousands of SUNBOX Home installations spanning nine countries throughout Europe, we have been actively engaged over the past several months in progressing through extensive U.S. testing and certification processes to affirm that SUNBOX Home meets and exceeds American public and product safety standards for energy storage systems and equipment. We are very excited to be partnering with Connection Holdings to take the next pivotal step in our global expansion plan, introducing SUNBOX Home to the U.S. market in hopes that we will achieve meaningful market awareness and rapid adoption of what we believe is the industry’s most price-competitive, smart, all-in-one solar energy storage solution on the market today.”

“We are very proud to have been chosen by Turbo Energy to lead the market launch of SUNBOX Home in the U.S.,” noted Edmond Pain, Managing Principal and Co-Founder of CH. “Considering that SUNBOX Home features scalable energy storage capacity that is up to four times greater than other leading residential energy storage systems available in the U.S., coupled with the fact that all components – inverter, batteries and AI-optimized software — are fully integrated in an innovative, all-in-one, elegantly designed system, we expect that market demand will be strong and immediate and grow exponentially in the coming years as sustainable solar energy storage solutions become a must-have for homeowners nationwide.”

According to the Q3 2024 industry research report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association and Wood Mackenzie, homeowners and businesses are increasingly demanding solar systems that are paired with battery storage. California’s shift in net metering policy and state incentives for solar-plus-storage in other markets have driven attachment rates up in recent quarters. The report further states that by 2028, 28% of all new distributed solar capacity will be paired with storage, compared to under 12% in 2023.

SUNBOX Home is a complete intelligent solar energy storage system powered by Turbo Energy’s patented AI algorithms and processes that allow homeowners to fully optimize the energy efficiency of their solar power panel installations. Moreover, the cloud-based Turbo Energy mobile app gives SUNBOX Home users total control over the storage system, including determining best times of day when to use the surplus energy stored, as well as providing complete real-time visibility into battery status, energy production, actual power usage and monthly cost savings. In addition, the app provides data-driven insight into weather and electricity price forecasts, among other vital metrics.

Turbo Energy’s U.S. market launch will be led by a multi-month beta test, whereby Connection Holdings will coordinate the deployment of several SUNBOX Home system installations in residences located in key, high growth markets across the nation. Following the conclusion of the beta test and analysis of collected data and feedback from installers and homeowners, Connection Holdings is tasked with implementing a national marketing campaign designed to ramp sales of SUNBOX Home and help to define and refine, as necessary, the U.S.-based infrastructure needed to support anticipated market demand in the months and years to come.

About Connection Holdings, LLC

Connection Holdings has built and consolidated a portfolio of U.S. companies which are trusted to provide award-winning performance marketing and comprehensive data analytic services to the nation’s leading solar, roofing, home improvement, consumer financial and health insurance companies. Its brands, which have collectively generated nearly $500 million in sales for its valued customers, include Solar Direct Marketing, Connecting the Dots, Home Direct Marketing, Senior Direct Marketing, Encompass Leads, Debt Direct Marketing, Vested Exchange and Blockhub. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, Solar Direct Marketing earned distinction as one of Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing, privately held companies in the country. Connecting the Dots was also named to Inc.’s top 500 fastest growing companies in 2022; and in 2023 and 2024 was nominated as the premiere Data Provider of the Year at the prestigious Affy Awards. For more information, please visit http://www.connectionholdings.com.

About Turbo Energy, S.A.

Founded in 2013, Turbo Energy is a globally recognized pioneer of proprietary solar energy storage technologies and solutions managed through Artificial Intelligence. Turbo Energy’s elegant all-in-one and scalable, modular energy storage systems empower residential, commercial and industrial users expanding across Europe, North America and South America to materially reduce dependence on traditional energy sources, helping to lower electricity costs, provide peak shaving and uninterruptible power supply and realize a more sustainable, energy-efficient future. A testament to the Company’s commitment to innovation and industry disruption, Turbo Energy’s introduction of its flagship SUNBOX represents one of the world’s first high performance, competitively priced, all-in-one home solar energy storage systems, which also incorporates patented EV charging capability and powerful AI processes to optimize solar energy management. Turbo Energy is a proud subsidiary of publicly traded Umbrella Global Energy, S.A., a vertically integrated, global collective of solar energy-focused companies.

For more information, please visit http://www.turbo-e.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of the business of the Company, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control, including the risks described in our registration statements and annual report under the heading “Risk Factors” as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Turbo Energy, S.A. specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information, please contact:

At Turbo Energy, S.A.
Dodi Handy, Director of Communications
Phone: 407-960-4636
Email: dodihandy@turbo-e.com

At Connection Holdings, LLC
David Stodolak, Chief Executive Officer
Phone: 919-802-1555
Email: david@solardirectmarketing.com

Attachment
- Turbo Energy Partners with Connection Holdings to Introduce SUNBOX Home to U.S. Market
The MIL Network –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Houston Natural Resources Reports Q3 2024 Financials Period Ending September 30, 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HOUSTON, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Houston Natural Resources Corp. (OTC: HNRC) (“the Company”) reported today Q3 2024 results, concluding on September 30, 2024, as compared to Q3 2023 ending on September 30, 2023.

Key Highlights for Nine Months Results: Q3 2024 Ending September 30, 2024 vs Q3 2023 Ending September 30, 2023
- Total revenue was $13,094,326 for nine months in 2024, compared to $15,241,815 for nine months in 2023.
- Total earnings for nine months in 2024 amounted to $8,764,980, compared to $8,871,912 for nine months in 2023.
- Earnings per share (EPS) for nine months in 2024 was $0.02, compared to $0.02 for nine months in 2023.
The company achieved a net asset value (NAV) of $0.20c per share in Q3 2024.

Additionally, the company reported successful milestones including:

Acquisition of Cunningham Energy, LLC:
- Achieved 100% ownership of Cunningham Energy, LLC.
- An independent engineering firm assessed the Oil & Gas Assets of Cunningham Energy, determining an appraised value of $352 million as of December 31st, 2022, based on a 68 well drilling program.
- The appraised value translates to approximately $1.00 per share as of September 30, 2024.
Corporate Changes:
- Filed with FINRA for a comprehensive review leading to a change in name and symbol, to Cunningham Natural Resources Corp.
- Corporate changes are expected to be completed in the fourth quarter.
Mining Interest Acquisition:
- Completed the acquisition of a 9% interest in Cunningham Mining Ltd that owns the Placer Claims known as the ‘Nugget Trap Placer Mine’ in the British Columbia Mineral Title registry with initial reserves valued at over $500 million.
- Cunningham Mining Ltd announced a Nugget Trap Token Offering for 100M Units at $0.60 USD to focus on tokenizing the Mining Industry. (https://bit.ly/3Yq3kZU).
- The company expects a liquidity event in the fourth quarter from its Cunningham Mining Ltd investment to be passed on to its shareholders.
Spin-Off of Worldwide Diversified Holdings, Inc. (WDHI):
- Successfully executed the corporate action to Spin-Off WDHI assets.
- The trading of WDHI shares is pending completion of its listing.
Financial Performance and Strategic Outlook:
- Continued receipt of advisory fees for assets under management.
- Actively evaluating potential acquisitions in the energy and energy services industry to enhance shareholder value.
About Houston Natural Resources Corp

Houston Natural Resources Corp. (OTC: HNRC) (http://www.hnrcholdings.com) stands as a versatile energy enterprise with stakes in both oil and gas. Notably, the company has successfully obtained full ownership, a 100% interest, in Cunningham Energy LLC, boasting appraised reserves totaling $352 million. Additionally, Houston Natural Resources Corp. holds minority investments in Rhino Energy Ltd, CE Energy Sponsors, LLC, and HNR Acquisition Corp. Demonstrating a commitment to growth, the company remains proactive in its pursuit of new opportunities within the energy and energy transitions sectors, all with the overarching goal of delivering enhanced value to its shareholders.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements and are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve a number of risks and uncertainties.

Contact:

Houston Natural Resources Corp
12 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1100
Houston, Texas 77046
Phone: (713) 425-4901
E-mail: frank@hnrcholdings.com
Website: http://www.hnrcholdings.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CunninghamCorp

The MIL Network –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI: Electrify Expo Partners with Austin Energy to Power the EV Track Experience at Circuit of the Americas

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Electrify Expo, North America’s largest electric vehicle (EV) festival, today announced the continuation of the EV Track Experience Powered by Austin Energy at its final stop of the 2024 tour in Austin. Taking place at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on November 9-10, this one-of-a-kind experience will give attendees the chance to get behind the wheel and experience the thrill factor of EVs on the famed Formula 1 track. The partnership with Austin Energy, will transform COTA into an electrifying showcase offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to feel the power, speed and excitement of EVs on a closed-course track.

Attendees will get a firsthand look at the thrill and performance as they take the wheel of the world’s leading EVs from brands like Tesla, Porsche, Ford, GMC, Rivian, Lucid, Lexus, Volo, and more.

“As we drive broader EV adoption in Austin, we want to make sure that all of those interested in going electric have the chance to experience the excitement and benefits firsthand,” said Cameron Freberg, Manager for Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies at Austin Energy. “Our partnership with Electrify Expo is an opportunity to showcase the future of clean transportation in a fun and engaging way, featuring the unique thrill of driving on a Formula 1 track.”

“We’re excited to partner with Austin Energy and showcase the biggest and best brands demonstrating their EV technology on the Formula 1 track,” said BJ Birtwell, CEO and founder of Electrify Expo. “With interactive exhibits and now the Track Experience Powered by Austin Energy, the event is poised to be the ultimate destination for EV shoppers, skeptics and newcomers. Whether you’re a die-hard EV fan or just curious about what the buzz is all about, the track experience at COTA is a unique opportunity to feel the thrill of these EVs.”

For more information and to purchase tickets to Electrify Expo visit http://www.electrifyexpo.com. Media interested in attending may request credentials by emailing ee@skyya.com.

About Electrify Expo
Electrify Expo is North America’s largest outdoor electric vehicle (EV) festival showcasing the latest technology and products in electrification including startup and legacy EVs, electric motorcycles, bikes, scooters, skateboards, boats, surfboards and more. The festival addresses one of the most challenging barriers to mass adoption of electric vehicles – understanding how electric transportation works – with meaningful consumer experiences behind the wheel or in the seat on thrilling demo courses. Top brands from around the world exhibit and attend Electrify Expo’s events to meet consumers at all stages on their path to electrification. 2024 events will take place in Long Beach and San Francisco, Calif., Phoenix, Denver, New York, Seattle, Orlando, and Austin, Texas. To stay up to date on the latest news and announcements from Electrify Expo, visit http://www.electrifyexpo.com and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact
Skyya PR
ee@skyya.com

The MIL Network –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Rep. Lauren Boebert Condemns Western Land Grab from Biden-Harris Administration

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Lauren Boebert (Colorado, 3)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congresswoman Lauren Boebert (CO-03), House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04), and Western Slope Oil & Gas Association Executive Director Chelsie Miera released the following statements opposing the latest Colorado-Utah land grab by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration and the radical progressives in charge of BLM are attempting to lock up our public lands from critical uses like oil & gas exploration. Instead of putting Coloradans first, they’re continuing to bend the knee to Green New Deal worshippers who want to destroy Colorado’s oil & gas industry and the tens of thousands of good-paying jobs that support families across the state. Our children will lose out on millions of dollars for education from this tyrannical seizure of our land and there is nothing balanced about it. Obama, Biden and Harris have tried to use the Gunnison Sage-Grouse’s ugly, non-endangered cousin, the Greater Sage-Grouse, to lock up more than 183 million acres in the West. This new land grab attempt doubles down to lock up tens of millions of acres more of surface and subsurface mineral rights. There was no consideration by this regime of what is actually best for all Coloradans. I will fight this newest land grab just like I’ve done for every ridiculous attempt from the Biden-Harris Administration and BLM to damage our economy.” said Congresswoman Boebert.

“This is just the latest attempt from BLM to prioritize environmental activists over the economic needs of local communities,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (AR-04). “By limiting the ability of domestic energy producers to use our public lands, the Biden-Harris Administration will continue to drive up energy costs for hard working American families. House Republicans will work to stop this nonsensical war on American energy and will make sure Americans know that we cannot trust this Administration when it comes to supporting American jobs and reducing energy costs.”

“In a state with the most stringent regulations on oil and gas development for our private, state, and federal lands, it is frustrating for our oil & gas employees to watch the Biden-Harris Administration continue to make production of our clean, reliable and affordable natural gas nearly impossible in Colorado,” said Chelsie Miera, Executive Director of Western Slope Oil & Gas Association. “We are grateful to Congresswoman Boebert for her continued advocacy in support of the thousands of families who work in our oil & gas industry and Coloradans who depend on our energy production.”

Background:

This week, the Biden-Harris Administration unleashed another massive land grab in Colorado and Utah when the agency released Records of Decision for the Big Game Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment, the Gunnison Sage-Grouse Resource Management Plan Amendment, and plans for the Grand Junction and Colorado River Valley Field Offices.

Establishing a one-mile buffer completely around this Gunnison Sage-Grouse’s habitat and drastically reducing surface disturbances in the bird’s habitat is ridiculous and unnecessary.

The BLM’s record of decision for oil and gas management that amends resource management plans in Colorado significantly changes the management plans and could hinder responsible energy production on six million surface acres managed by BLM and 16 million acres of BLM-managed sub-surface mineral estate and closes off low and medium potential oil and gas areas.

In this land grab, BLM also amended 11 Resource Management Plans in Colorado and Utah to lock up land for Gunnison sage-grouse habitat on more than two million acres of BLM-managed public land and nearly three million acres of public subsurface mineral estate.

Changes to the Colorado River Valley and Grand Junction Field Office RMPs also close off low and medium potential oil and gas areas. These bureaucratic seizures also designate new wilderness areas that contribute to catastrophic wildfires as they prevent active forest management and mechanical thinning.

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For updates, subscribe to Congresswoman Boebert’s newsletter here.

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Rosneft and the Ministry of Tourism of the Samara Oblast Present the “Zhiguli Weekend” Motor Tourist Route

Source: Rosneft

Headline: Rosneft and the Ministry of Tourism of the Samara Oblast Present the “Zhiguli Weekend” Motor Tourist Route

Rosneft and the Ministry of Tourism of the Samara Oblast presented the “Zhiguli Weekend” motor tourist route, which runs along the region’s landmark and most picturesque locations.

Rosneft is committed to the development of domestic automobile tourism and aims to create comfortable conditions for car travellers. One of Rosneft’s key objectives is to enhance the quality of its roadside assistance and customer service at its filling stations.

The route presentation was held at a Rosneft filling station in Samara. Egor Okhotnikov, a notable navigator of LADA Sport ROSNEFT racing team, took part in the event.

The tourist route “Zhiguli Weekend” runs through Samara, Togliatti, Syzran and unique landscapes and locations of the region. Tourists can efficiently use their travel time and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Volga region thanks to well-designed logistics. Rosneft filling station app makes it easy to find the nearest filling station along the route.

In the historic city of Syzran, guests will be introduced to the region’s only Kremlin. It was built in 1683 and is recognized as an object of national cultural heritage.

In the “Russia’s car capital” Togliatti tourists will be able to visit the AVTOVAZ museum, as well as the production site of LADA Sport ROSNEFT, the leading team in Russian circuit racing, whose title sponsor for many years is Rosneft.

Samara, the capital of the region, will surprise travelers with the longest five-kilometer waterfront. From any point of the waterfront there is a breathtaking panoramic view of the Volga River. In the historical part of the city visitors will be welcomed by the museum-appartment of the author of “The Golden Key” Alexei Tolstoy, an art museum and a unique underground structure – Stalin’s bunker, 37 metres deep.

Along the way, motor tourists can visit other cultural sights of the region: the old village Shiryaevo, where Ilya Repin wrote sketches for the painting “Barge Haulers on the Volga”, a Gothic castle on the shore of the Zhiguli Sea (Kuybyshev Reservoir) and much more.

The route also includes unique natural monuments: Samarskaya Luka National Park and Zhiguli Nature Reserve. This year the Samarskaya Luka National Park celebrates its 40th anniversary. Rosneft’s Samara Enterprises have been supporting the national park’s projects for 13 years, the most significant of which is the study and preservation of the population of the Red Book white-tailed eagle.

Samara Oblast is one of Rosneft’s strategic regions of operation. The Company is present in the region with a powerful full-cycle production complex, including scientific and project support, oil and gas production, oil and gas processing, oil refining, production of lubricants, additives and catalysts, as well as a retail network. Large enterprises such as Samaraneftegaz, Kuibyshev Refinery, Novokuibyshevsk Refinery, Syzran Refinery, Novokuibyshevsk Oil and Additives Plant, Novokuibyshevsk Petrochemical Company, and Samaranefteprodukt operate in Samara Oblast.

Rosneft’s network of filling stations is the largest in the region, covering all major highways in key tourist destinations, including the M-5 highway, as well as highways leading to neighboring regions: the Republics of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, Ulyanovsk, Saratov and Orenburg Oblasts. In the Samara Oblast there are 77 stations of the company, where you can fuel your car with high-quality fuel, have a comfortable rest in a cafe or buy goods you need on the road.

Rosneft filling stations with well-developed infrastructure will help to make traveling along the “Zhiguli Weekend” route as comfortable as possible.

Reference:

Rosneft’s retail network is the largest in the Russian Federation in terms of geographical coverage and number of stations, and the Rosneft filling station brand is one of the leaders in Russia in terms of recognition and fuel quality. The retail chain of the Company covers 61 Russian regions. The Company has a network of approximately 3,000 operating filling stations. In addition to high-quality fuel, the Company offers its customers a wide range of goods and services – from shops and cafes to roadside assistance.

Earlier, Rosneft signed memorandums on cooperation in the development of domestic tourism with the Moscow City Tourism Committee, the Krasnoyarsk and Altai Territories, the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Udmurtia, and the Arkhangelsk, Samara, Voronezh and Ulyanovsk Regions, and the Stavropol Krai.

In 2023, Rosneft launched a special information and service platform “Russian Horizons: Come With Us!”. The special project allows car tourists to choose and plan routes to places of interest using the infrastructure of Rosneft’s network of motorway services and filling stations.

Rosneft
Information Division
August 21, 2024

Keywords: Social News 2024

MIL OSI Economics –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: OLAF’s Intelligence Leads to Record-Breaking Seizure of Illegal F-Gases in the Netherlands

Source: European Anti-Fraud Offfice

Intelligence provided by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has led to the largest-ever seizure of illegal F-gases in the Netherlands. The Dutch authorities, acting on OLAF’s information, confiscated four containers filled with nearly 4,800 cylinders of F-gases at the port of Rotterdam. The illegal shipment, valued at approximately 1.5 million EUR, was intercepted before it could be delivered to unauthorized importers within the European Union.

OLAF has been closely monitoring the international traffic of F-gases (hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs) to the EU from third countries. The intelligence shared with Dutch authorities highlighted suspicious movements of F-gases destined for three European countries, where importers lacked the proper authorization to handle these substances. Thanks to this information, the Dutch Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT-IOD) launched a successful investigation, tracking and seizing the containers in Rotterdam.

F-Gases and Environmental Concerns

F-gases are subject to strict quotas and a phased reduction under EU environmental regulations due to their significant impact on global warming. The seized shipment originated from outside the EU, and OLAF, in partnership with national authorities, is working to disrupt illegal networks trafficking these potent greenhouse gases into Europe.

As the EU enforces increasingly stringent rules on F-gas usage and importation, the black market for these gases has expanded. Devices such as air conditioners and industrial refrigeration systems, which rely on F-gases, are fueling this illegal trade. OLAF remains at the forefront of efforts to protect the EU’s environmental integrity by cracking down on illegal F-gas trafficking.

MIL OSI Europe News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Russia: Dmitry Patrushev got acquainted with the progress of construction of plants for energy waste utilization

Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Dmitry Patrushev got acquainted with the progress of construction of the Svistyagino waste energy recycling plant

October 22, 2024

Dmitry Patrushev got acquainted with the progress of construction of the Svistyagino waste energy utilization plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Svistyagino Waste to Energy Utilization Plant

October 22, 2024

Previous news Next news

Dmitry Patrushev got acquainted with the progress of construction of the Svistyagino waste energy recycling plant

During a working visit to the Moscow Region, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev familiarized himself with the progress of construction work at two waste-to-energy recycling plants – Timokhovo and Svistyagino.

The construction readiness of the Svistyagino plant is 92%. It is planned to put it into operation this year. The launch dates of the energy waste recycling plants have been repeatedly postponed, and, as the Deputy Prime Minister noted, it is necessary to sort out all the problems preventing their commissioning, and to prevent another change in the deadlines.

The company “RT-Invest” is implementing projects for the construction of plants for the energy utilization of solid municipal waste.

“Five enterprises with a total capacity of over 3 million tons are being built in the Moscow Region and the Republic of Tatarstan. The total investment volume is 188 billion rubles. The government provided state support to the projects,” Dmitry Patrushev emphasized.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

MIL OSI Russia News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Canada: Piloting New Ways to Make Homes More Energy-Efficient and Affordable
Source: Government of Canada News

News release

Today, Parliamentary Secretary Julie Dabrusin, on behalf of the honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment totalling $4.3 million for five projects , funded under the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program (GNPP) and the Energy Innovation Program (EIP), to support and inform deep energy retrofits.
October 22, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario Natural Resources Canada

Canada’s buildings sector is the third-largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions across the country. We must increase the scale and pace of retrofitting buildings across the country to make them more energy-efficient, increasing savings and reducing emissions.

Today, Parliamentary Secretary Julie Dabrusin, on behalf of the honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment totalling $4.3 million for five projects , funded under the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program (GNPP) and the Energy Innovation Program (EIP), to support and inform deep energy retrofits.

The announcement was hosted with EnviroCentre at Gloucester’s Carver Place neighbourhood. EnviroCentre received over $2 million from NRCan’s programs for its project, which will develop the local building sector’s capacity to perform deep retrofits faster, saving time and money for retrofits in social housing across eastern Ontario. By customizing renovations for homes in eastern Ontario, this project will help save money for the families who need it most while also increasing the energy efficiency of their homes.

Gloucester’s Carver Place neighbourhood showcases how deep energy retrofits can deliver economic and environmental benefits for affordable housing, leading the way for future work that will create better and more affordable homes. Retrofits through the federally funded project will include:
- replacement of traditional furnaces with electric heat pumps
- upgrades to attic insulation and air sealing
- installation of new heat recovery ventilation systems to improve indoor air quality
Other projects announced today include:
- $1 million for the ReCover Initiative to develop a practical approach to deep energy retrofits for the most common types of residential buildings in Atlantic Canada.
- $1 million for the First Nations Power Authority of Saskatchewan to support the adoption of community-scale deep energy retrofits in Indigenous communities.
- $602,836 for Sustainable Buildings Canada to accelerate deep energy retrofits for Ontario’s social housing.
- $775,897 for Retrofit Canada Society for development of a National Retrofit Repository of case studies and solutions to inform on deep energy retrofits across Canada.
These projects will save money for building owners while reducing emissions that contribute to climate change.
Quotes

“By retrofitting buildings across the country, we can make communities more resilient to climate-related impacts while reducing emissions and utility bills for Canadians, increasing energy efficiency and creating good-paying jobs in construction and maintenance.”

Julie Dabrusin

Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers of Environment and Climate Change and Natural Resources

“Energy efficiency means cost savings for Canadians. At a time when we are facing challenges with affordability and climate change, affordable energy efficiency projects like the ones announced today meet Canadians where they are at and delivers the action they need, at the pace and scale they are demanding. Programs like the GNPP help deliver on the commitments announced recently in Canada’s first-ever Green Buildings Strategy, which is a plan to save Canadians money, create jobs and seize the economic opportunities that a clean and sustainable economy presents.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick facts
- A deep energy retrofit is an extensive overhaul of a building’s systems that can generate large savings in energy costs, improve comfort and help decarbonize buildings. Measures may include:
  
  o   replacing the roof
  
  o   adding insulation in exterior walls
  
  o   replacing the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system with a more efficient system like an electric heat pump
- Deep energy retrofits typically save at least 50 percent in energy consumption, reduce emissions by 80 percent, reduce utility costs and may in some circumstances improve resiliency and adaptation to climate change.
- Results from Carver Place neighbourhood test cases are promising, demonstrating an average annual energy reduction of 42 percent — approximately 35.5 gigajoules — and 2.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, an 82-percent improvement
- EnviroCentre received $1 million in funding through GNPP, through today’s announcement, and an additional $1 million dollars in funding through the Toward Net-Zero Homes and Communities (TNZ) funding program to retrofit over 80 townhomes for low-income residents. This TNZ funding was previously announced in July during the release of the Canada Green Building Strategy.
- Since 2016, the federal government has dedicated more than $10 billion toward decarbonizing homes and buildings through energy-efficient retrofits.
- With $35.5 million in total funding over five years, GNPP is piloting the Energiesprong deep energy retrofit model in the Canadian market, which accelerates the pace and scale of retrofits by aggregating similar homes and buildings in a neighbourhood to create mass demand for deep energy retrofits.
- NRCan’s Energy Innovation Program advances clean energy technologies that will help Canada meet its climate change targets while supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. It funds research, development and demonstration projects and other related scientific activities.
Associated links

Contacts

Natural Resources Canada
Media Relations
343-292-6096
media@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Cindy Caturao
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Cindy.caturao@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

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MIL OSI Canada News –
January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI USA: Latta: Strengthening Our Communications Systems Paramount in the Face of Natural, Man-Made Disasters

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green Ohio)

Today, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH5), who is Chair of the Energy & Commerce Committee’s Communications & Technology Subcommittee, visited an AM radio station located in Maryland that serves the east coast to view redundancy measures implemented to remain operational in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. This AM radio station is one of more than 70 hardened radio stations in the United States.

“We know the important role AM radio stations play in providing emergency alerts, local news, and weather reports for millions of Americans,” Latta said. “This underscores the need to strengthen the resiliency of these stations, especially as extreme weather – like we’ve witnessed with hurricanes Helene and Milton – threatens to take them offline. And with hundreds of cell towers down due to the recent hurricanes, it’s important AM radios stay operational for Americans to receive crucial information and updates.

“It’s encouraging to hear AM radio stations are implementing 21st Century technology to improve and strengthen their operating systems. As Chair of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, it was important to receive an in-depth look today at an AM radio station that is putting this technology to good use.

“Congress has a role to play in strengthening our communications systems. And as a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I’ll continue working with my colleagues to advance commonsense legislation that fortifies our critical infrastructure, including AM radio stations, the electric grid, and our telecommunications networks.”

MIL OSI USA News –

January 24, 2025
MIL-OSI Security: Open Dialogue Key to Local Support in Nuclear Projects

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Open dialogue is key to earning the support of local communities to host nuclear power projects, ranging from power reactors to research laboratories and deep geological repositories for spent fuel, a side event at the IAEA’s General Conference heard.

“Host communities are a key protagonist in the nuclear story,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who delivered opening remarks at the event. “We want to highlight their role in energy transitions and the strong support for the facilities they host. We need even broader local backing – the world needs more ‘yes in my backyard’ for nuclear to thrive.”

The IAEA will also host the first International Conference on Stakeholder Engagement for Nuclear Power Programmes from 26 to 30 May 2025 at its headquarters in Vienna. The conference will bring together a wide range of participants including policymakers, regulators, communication experts, technical support organizations, waste management organizations, community representatives, industry leaders, academic researchers, NGOs and international organizations.

At the General Conference side event speakers from Argentina, Canada, Hungary, Japan and the United States of America considered the challenges and opportunities presented to nuclear facility host communities and highlighted success stories and lessons learned. Participants heard how the success of large infrastructure projects typically relies on social licence and nuclear power projects are no exception. Open dialogue among all stakeholders is vital, especially with host communities, and can help keep projects on time and budget while addressing local concerns.

The recording of the event can be viewed here.

Panellists provided examples illustrating how proactive, cooperative engagement between community members, government bodies and implementing organizations led to positive outcomes and laid the foundation for long-term success.

The town of Ignace in Canada recently confirmed its willingness to host a deep geological repository (DGR) for Canada’s spent nuclear fuel. This expression of interest came after a long process emphasizing dialogue and providing resources for the community to learn what hosting a repository would involve.

“In 2010, our mayor and council brought Ignace forth as one of 22 communities potentially interested in a DGR. We want our community to prosper and thrive, but we also had some concerns about safety, and it was clear that Ignace wanted to have a strong voice in the process,” said Chantal Moore, a resident committee member in Ignace’s Willingness Ad Hoc Committee, which was established to determine residents’ willingness to move forward with hosting. Canada’s National Waste Management Organization (NWMO) and the municipality worked with the community to provide information about what the project would entail and a local committee was established to engage the community in learning about the process.

“After 14 years, we are one of the two communities in Canada being considered for a DGR, and 77% of the community members who participated in the voting process has voted in favour of the project.”

Ongoing discussions with NWMO have been an important component of successful engagement. “We have a large geography, very good geology. And it was key for this to be a voluntary process,” said Isaac Werner, Senior Advisor for Government Relations at NWMO. “We have very clearly stated that we will not move forward with our project without willing and informed host communities. We plan to announce our preferred location by the end of this year.”

Mayor Rebecca Casper of Idaho Falls, the city which hosts the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL), said local engagement is essential. INL is a major nuclear energy research laboratory that has hosted numerous demonstration reactors and is set to act as the testing ground for several advanced reactors in the near future. “Mayors tend to consider themselves partners,” Casper said. “Unlike the many other players who will be a part of a project, only the local community will be around for the entire 100 year relationship.”

Host communities and nuclear operators often share a common goal and work together to achieve it, explained Csaba Dohoczki, Vice President of the Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities. “In Hungary, for example, municipalities across the river from the Paks Nuclear Power Plant identified the need to have easier access to the site. They worked together with the operator and government, and opened a bridge last March, connecting the two sides of the river and providing more access to jobs for the community and a larger offer of services to the operator and the new nuclear project Paks II.”

Disruption caused by construction is often one of the top concerns of the host communities, as well as the challenge of developing the community infrastructure fast enough to meet the needs of a growing economy. “Zarate municipality and its town of Lima are proud to host nuclear power reactors,” said Marcelo Matzkin, Mayor of Zarate municipality in Argentina, site of Atucha nuclear power plant and a small modular reactor under construction. “Lima grew together with the nuclear projects – it used to be a town, now it is a city. The nuclear power plant brought jobs, good salaries and new shops, but the challenge is to provide adequate infrastructure to this growing city and we are working with the operator of the plant to find solutions.”

Masahiro Sakurai, Mayor of Kashiwazaki, home to Japan’s largest nuclear power plant, added: “There are many positive sides of hosting nuclear power plant, such as supporting the country’s economic growth and local employment. However, sometimes there are divisions within the community in terms of support and this has to be discussed. While safety reviews are crucial for the restart of reactors that were shut down after the Fukushima Daiichi accident, it is the local community that must consent to the restart.”

The relationship between the national government and municipalities with nuclear facilities extends beyond nuclear operation. “Our priority is to have a regular dialogue with the municipalities and provide various forms of support tailored to their needs,” said Masahiro Yagi, Special Research Officer in the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. “For example, after the shutdown of nuclear power plants, we supported the diversification of the industrial structure in Hokkaido through using locally grown rice to produce high-value bioplastics, in order to increase the impact of agriculture and the number of people involved in agriculture,” he added.

A community’s reaction to the idea of hosting a nuclear facility often depends on the type of facility. “The local communities are proud of our nuclear power plants, but if we go the other way in terms of establishing a DGR, there could be a lot of opposition,” said German Guido Lavalle, President of Argentina’s National Atomic Energy Commission. “There are different local communities, but in the end, there is a common concept that you have to engage, you have to discuss. Talking with the community about all kinds of nuclear facilities is very important.”

More information on International Conference on Stakeholder Engagement for Nuclear Power Programmes registration and participation is available here.

MIL Security OSI –

January 24, 2025

Category: Energy

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