European Union policies to promote the use of biofuels for transportation will cost consumers as much as 126 billion euros ($166 billion) between now and 2020, two environmental groups said.

The fuels, gasoline substitutes derived from plants, probably won’t cut greenhouse gases because forests are chopped down to make way for biofuel plantations, Friends of the Earth and ActionAid said today in an e-mailed statement. The European Commission said that while biofuels cost more than fossil fuels, it’s “reasonable” for motorists to pay extra.

France has no option but to extend the lifespan of its nuclear power plants as any investments to renew its nuclear capacity or to increase its reliance on other forms of energy would be too costly and come too late, the French Court of Audit said.

The energy wing of German company Siemens estimates that phasing out nuclear power as planned will cost the country between €1.4 trillion and €1.7 trillion (US $2.17 trillion) by 2030. As reported by Reuters, the company believes investments in renewable energy, natural gas, and other replacements for nukes will far exceed previous estimates.

PARIS — The IEA Wednesday cut its global oil demand growth forecast for 2012, with the market dragged down by a weakening world economy and stubbornly high prices while the nuclear crisis with Iran deepens.

The International Energy Agency in its January monthly report cut its outlook for 2012 demand growth to 1.1 million barrels per day from 1.3 mbpd, citing the impact of a fall in demand in the fourth quarter of 2011 of 300,000 bpd.

According to USA Today, Seattle-based geothermal energy developer AltaRock Energy is planning on pumping 24 million gallons of water into Newberry Volcano, a dormant volcano near Bend, Ore., this summer. The project looks to tap into a new green energy source with the hopes that the water will return to the surface hot enough to generate energy.

Germany famously moved to phase out nuclear energy following the atomic disaster in Japan last spring. Now states in the country are skeptically eyeing plans in neighboring countries, including the Netherlands and Poland, to construct nuclear power plants.

Germany's solar market remained stable last year compared with 2010, the country's main industry association BSW said, suggesting demand for modules remains high despite large cuts in support for the sector over the past two years.

Japan plans to limit the life of nuclear reactors to 40 years, allowing extensions only under stringent conditions, and to legally bind plant operators to prepare for severe accidents, the nation's nuclear crisis minister said on Friday.

Limited supplies of five rare-earth minerals pose a threat to increasing use of clean-energy technologies such as wind turbines and solar panels, a U.S. Energy Department report found.

France's nuclear watchdog has called on the country's 58 power plants to make safety improvements quickly, almost 10 months after the Fukushima disaster.