MERL Launches Online Platform
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MERL Launches Online Platform

Photo by:   MERL
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Thu, 11/11/2021 - 17:47

Latin American Women in Renewable Energy (Mujeres en Energía Renovable en Latinoamérica, or MERL) launched its online platform today, available here. MERL is an organization that seeks to create synergy between the promotion of renewable energy development and the expansion of gender inclusivity initiatives in energy companies. It aims to achieve a higher participation of women in leadership roles and key positions through networking, cooperation, alliances and training. The website provides a membership sign-up system that allows new associates to join the organization. 

Ready for more? Here’s the Week in Energy!

Natural Gas Prices Will Only Increase in the Coming Months

Experts and industry leaders warn that natural gas is fast approaching a crisis as prices are soaring high due to the coming winter. In what’s being called a “snowball effect,” prices for natural gas are expected to rise exponentially, warns Leopoldo A. Salinas, Acclaim Energy Mexico’s Business Development Director. Recent events, he says, have proven natural gas to be susceptible to price alterations, mainly due to a demand increase and production drop, as seen in past weeks. These fluctuations may be worst felt by final users, primarily households, in their electric bills. This puts the Mexican government at odds with its population, given that they will have to continue subsidizing energy delivered to the general public while keeping prices low despite international market conditions.

Ebrard Asks US To Understand Electric Reform

Mexican Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard asked US representatives to fully understand the electric reform proposed by President López Obrador before defining their position toward it. Ebrards’s request comes after US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar shared “serious concerns” regarding the proposed amendments. “There is a dialogue with Ambassador Ken because we agree, especially now that we have been in constant communication, that before a position that does not have the information from the Mexican government is established, it is important to hear what the electric reform is and what it is not,” said Ebrard.

Fossil Fuel Divestment: Focus at COP26

Twenty countries pledged to end “unabated” financing for foreign fossil fuel projects following talks at COP26, choosing to fund clean energy projects instead. The growing calls for oil and gas divestment could have wider ramifications in the global sector, though Mexico appears to remain steadfast in its pro-fossil fuel stance. The US, Canada, the UK and 17 other countries were joined by several development banks in a commitment to stop public financing for fossil fuel projects abroad. “We will end new direct public support for the international unabated fossil fuel energy sector by the end of 2022,” the officials said in a statement.

The Future of Coal Sparks Controversy

Nations attending the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow cannot seem to agree on how to meaningfully address the world’s continued reliance on coal power. The solutions that have been discussed so far reflect this lack of a common vision. COP26 president Alok Sharma has been adamant in his insistence to reach an international commitment to phase out coal consumption, having been quoted as wanting to “consign coal to history” and saying “the end of coal is in sight.” Delegates were first asked to consider an international deal that very definitively phased out coal in very strict terms but most delegates turned it down. The agreement that emerged in its place is called the “Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Statement.”

Photo by:   MERL

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