Irina Slav on energy

Articles

Astounding Australia

1 week ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

For a while now I’ve been meaning to dedicate a post to Australia’s transition endeavours but I couldn’t decide where to start. And then a story fell into my lap. NSW pitches first “urban” renewable zone based around rooftop PV, batteries and EVs, the headline from a green outlet said, and it immediately grabbed my attention because of its second part. The story was carried by a lot of media, suggesting it was important. Indeed, it is. Just not in the way most would expect.
The curious case of Saudi Arabia's metal wealth

1 week ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

In early 2022, Saudi Arabia hosted its first Future Minerals Forum, an event aimed at opening up the kingdom’s metals and minerals wealth to a world presumably hungry for more metals and minerals because of its transition ambitions. And my, did the Saudis have something to offer: back in 2021, the estimated value of its untapped mineral wealth was $1.3 trillion, based on 2016 figures. By 2024, the figure Riyadh advertised had risen to $2.5 trillion.
Weird news from the EV front

1 week ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

EV sales in Europe are “surging” but the “surge” may be unsustainable because of hybrids and weakened EV mandates. That’s the latest from the EV front in Europe and those doing the coverage haven’t stopped for a second to consider why people still buy hybrids and why governments, despite the quality brainwashing, are relaxing instead of tightening EV mandates.
In the grips of a special disease

1 week ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

You think you’ve seen it all and heard it all, and the transition crowd can’t get any more ridiculous. The thought is a source of solace in a mad world. And then Tammy Nemeth sends you a link with a story proving that while the transition crowd can’t get any more ridiculous, it can — and does — find new ways to be ridiculous on a daily basis.
More interconnectors, now!

2 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

Quick note: I’ve started writing more on Substack but publishing the stories directly here instead of sending them out as newsletters. My impression was that many of you could do with a little less from me. And then, today, a paying reader unsubscribed due to “low volume”, so I’m over trying to make everyone happy. For those fine with things as they are, expect 2-3 stories in your inbox weekly.
Green steel, anyone?

2 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

In late April, the London Metals Exchange announced it was “exploring” the introduction of a so-called green premium to the price of four basic metals if they are mined sustainably, in a bid to “unlock the value attached to sustainability and have the potential to drive the development of the market for more sustainable metals,” per its chief executive.
The number games

2 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

EV sales in Europe are on the rise. Yay. On a very strong rise. Yay. And not a word about the reasons, except reports that carmakers are in rush to sell more EVs to make their quotas. But you know what there are no reports of? Subsidies.
Headlines: May 2025

3 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Hello and welcome to our monthly headline show. Make yourselves comfortable, it’s going to be a long ride. #1UK Grid Warns Record Low Power Use to Test Network This SummerThe UK’s electricity grid operator is warning that power demand could reach record low levels this summer when solar generation overwhelms the grid. Yes, it’s demand that’s going to be the problem, not excessive solar generation, definitely.
Incoherence at the top

3 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. Mark Carney is one of the most fascinating political figures of our time. Former central banker, current PM of Canada, and one of the loudest pro-transition voices the world has heard, the man certainly knows how to make an impression. Also, he’s incoherent, and he’s not the only one. I’ll start with a confession. I don’t like watching videos, unless they’re stand-up comedy or funny animals.
Cheaper and cheaper, safer and safer

3 weeks ago | irinaslav.substack.com | Irina Slav

Global investment in the energy transition exceeded $2 trillion last year, we learned in January this year. Four months later, we learned that the European Union alone will need another $2.6 trillion in grid investment by 2050. The joke could’ve ended here but of course it didn’t. Because we’ll have to spend some money on cybersecurity as well, and when I say “some” I mean “a lot”, as usual.