Less CO2 through power plants EUEmissions trading paying off

Status: 06/17/2021 3:36 p.m.

The European emissions trading system had an impact last year. According to figures from the Federal Environment Agency, CO2 emissions in Germany’s power plants have fallen sharply. It looks different with industry.

From Martin Polansky, ARD capital studio

The German power plants emitted 15 percent less CO2 last year than in 2019. Coal power plants in particular were shut down. The energy sector and industry in this country have reduced their CO2 emissions by 33 percent since 2013. This is shown by current figures presented by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

According to the head of the German Emissions Trading Authority at UBA, Jürgen Landgrebe, European emissions trading has proven its worth. “The greenhouse gas emissions of the plants in Germany have fallen significantly.” Since 2018, the EU has decided to significantly strengthen its ambitions in European emissions trading. “And as a result, the markets reacted immediately,” said Landgrebe.

Significant price increases since 2018

Emissions trading is seen as a market-based instrument to reduce CO2 emissions. The system has existed since 2005. It ensures that around 1,800 power plants and industrial companies in Germany require emission certificates in order to be allowed to emit CO2.

The certificates are traded. The number of these decreases annually, which means that their price increases gradually. As a result, CO2 emissions are also becoming more and more expensive. While the certificate price was quite low for a long time, it has increased significantly since 2018 – to more than 50 euros per ton of CO2.

Gas-fired power plants and renewable energy systems have benefited from this, said the head of the emissions trading office. Last year, more than 45 percent of the gross electricity consumption in Germany was covered by renewable energies. “The aim is for us to price fossil fuels heavily so that renewable energies also become competitive more quickly,” said Landgrebe.

Weak effects in industry

Many market observers assume that emissions trading could lead to the shutdown of coal-fired power plants in this country much earlier than 2038. This end date was agreed a good two years ago in the so-called coal compromise between industry, environmental associations and trade unions. The federal government had largely adopted the compromise in the coal exit law. In industry, however, the effect of emissions trading has so far been less pronounced. Emissions have only fallen by around eight percent since 2013 – also due to the corona pandemic. In many cases there is a lack of marketable alternatives, for example for chemical plants or the steel industry. The latter is to switch from coke to hydrogen in the long term.

Help for retrofitting

The head of the German Emissions Trading Authority advocated increasing the pressure on industry. Fewer CO2 certificates should soon be issued. In addition, public aid is available for retrofitting. Landgrebe referred to the European innovation fund, which will provide approximately 20 billion euros for corresponding investments.

“The national decarbonisation fund is also providing around two billion euros to strongly promote such technologies and bring them to market readiness,” said Landgrebe.

Special taxes on industrial imports?

The steel industry and other sectors fear that European companies could suffer competitive disadvantages if the pressure to switch becomes too strong. The argument goes that climate protection does not benefit from steel coming more from India or China in the future.

In the European Union there are therefore considerations to impose special taxes on industrial imports from regions of the world with low climate standards in order to protect domestic industry. The EU Commission wants to present plans in July on how emissions trading can be used even more. On the one hand, consideration is being given to lowering the CO2 cap more quickly in order to meet the more ambitious European climate targets. On the other hand, certificate trading could be expanded to the areas of transport and buildings.

Surcharge at the gas station

In Germany, there has been a national CO2 pricing for fuel, heating oil and natural gas since the beginning of the year. However, this system is currently not based on a fixed CO2 cap, which is gradually being lowered, but on a price surcharge, for example at the petrol station – in the hope that people will use less fuel.

Similar to the issue of phasing out coal, European emissions trading could in the long run make the special national regulations superfluous in this country – if it proves to be the more efficient and market-compliant system for reducing CO2 emissions

For Mr. Nguyen Van Hau: A fine of 70,000,000 VND (Seventy million VND) as prescribed in Clause 3 Article 5, Point dd Clause 2 and Clause 5 Article 33 of Decree No. 156/2020/ND-CP dated 31/03 12/2020 of the Government on sanctioning of administrative violations in the field of securities and securities market. Because there has been an administrative violation: Not disclosing information about the expected transaction (January 25, 2021, Mr. Nguyen Van Hau is a person related to Mr. Nguyen Van Hung – Member of the Board of Directors of Hanoi Southern Urban and Housing Development Investment Corporation (stock code: NHA) sold 205,000 NHA shares (equivalent to VND 2,050,000,000 par value of NHA shares) but did not disclose information about the expected deal). For Mr. Dao Minh Tuan: A fine of VND 25,000,000 (Twenty-five million VND) as prescribed in Clause 3, Article 5, Point a, Clause 4, Article 33 of Decree No. 156/2020/ND-CP dated December 31st/ 2020 of the Government stipulating the sanctioning of administrative violations in the field of securities and the securities market. Because there was an administrative violation: Disclosure of information on time when owning 5% or more of the voting shares of a public company (December 15, 2020, Mr. Tuan bought 829,946 shares of Saigon General Services Joint Stock Company (stock code: SVC) and became a major shareholder of Saigon General Services Joint Stock Company. Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange has just received the report of becoming a major shareholder of Mr. Dao Minh Tuan.

In the midday of April 23, the “A-share first-quarter performance pre-increasing king” Hotview Bio once again rose by the daily limit, the stock price reported 174.13 yuan per share, and the total market value exceeded 10 billion yuan. In the past 9 trading days, there were 6 daily limits, and the stock price has increased by more than 3 times since April.

As the king of pre-increasing A-share performance in the first quarter, Rejing Bio realized a net profit of 660 million yuan attributable to the parent in the first quarter, a year-on-year increase of about 1,200 times. Regarding the reasons for the pre-increasing performance, Hotview Bio issued an announcement stating that the company’s two new coronavirus antigen detection kits have been certified by the German Federal Institute of Medicines and Medical Devices and can be sold in German supermarkets and pharmacies. Affected by the performance forecast, from April 12th to April 19th, Hotview Biotech gained 5 daily limit on 6 trading days.

It is worth noting that the company’s major shareholders violated regulations to reduce their holdings after the stock price of Hotview Biotechnology soared. Rejing Bio announced that in October 2020, shareholders of Fortune Group announced that three companies will reduce their holdings, and the reduction plan will expire on April 9. During the period, a total of 4.57 million shares were reduced, accounting for 7% of the company’s total share capital. The price of the reduction is maintained at around 40 yuan, and the amount of the reduction is 194 million yuan.

After the expiration of the shareholding reduction, the three Dachen companies are still reducing their shareholdings. Rejing Bio issued an announcement on this matter, stating that due to the negligence of the staff to reduce the shareholding procedures, the three companies of Dachen Group reduced their holdings of 1.368 million shares through a centralized bidding transaction, accounting for 2.2% of the company’s total share capital, and 2.2% after the stock price soared. The reduction in holdings is also close to 100 million yuan. (Text | AI Finance and Economics Zhu Quanhong)

Hanoi Iron and Steel Joint Stock Company was established in 2013, the main production and business activities are the wholesale of scrap, metals, and non-metals.

Specifically, the enterprise specializes in importing all kinds of scrap iron and steel from businesses and industrial parks and then distributes it directly to iron and steel producers nationwide. Current charter capital is 50 billion VND.

In terms of shareholder structure, as of January 31, 2021, HSV has 109 shareholders, all of them are individual shareholders in the country. The only major shareholder is Mr. Nguyen Van Quan, Member of the Board of Directors cum General Director, holding 13% of the company’s capital.

Notably, Mr. Nguyen Mau Hoang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of HSV is currently the Head of Corporate Finance Advisory Department at Phu Hung Securities JSC. Before that, Mr. Hoang worked at many other financial institutions and securities companies.

Regarding business results in 2020, HSV recorded 322 billion VND in net revenue, an increase of 30.61% compared to 2019; profit after tax 2.5 billion, down 20.64%. Total asset value by the end of 2020 reaches 77 billion VND, up 9.18%. The enterprise currently has a short-term financial debt of 23 billion dong.

Regarding the business plan in 2021, the enterprise is expected to reach 330 billion VND of net revenue and profit after tax of 3.5 billion VND, increase 2.48% and 40.51% respectively compared to the implementation in 2020. Year In 2022, the enterprise sets a target of 350 billion VND of net revenue and 4.8 billion VND of profit after tax.