Energy Blast – April 1, 2011

Germany’s RWE has filed a legal challenge with the government against a plan to shut down the country’s seven oldest nuclear reactors, saying that it is acting to ‘protect the interests of our shareholders‘.  Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, China says it will cut its 2020 target for nuclear power capacity and build more solar farms.  BP has made no official comment, but sources say that even if Rosneft Chairman Igor Sechin is indeed forced to resign under Kremlin measures proposed by Dmitry Medvedev, the company’s strategic alliance with BP would remain intact.  Russia, together with Canada and Japan, says it will not sign up for new Kyoto protocol beyond 2012.  Independent producers are to be granted direct access to oil pipelines as of next month.