Day: December 7, 2022

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A LeddarTech anuncia o lançamento de produtos de software de percepção e fusão LeddarVision Front-View, projetados para aplicações automotivas ADAS de nível 2/2+

CIDADE DE QUEBEC, Dec. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech®, líder global no fornecimento das tecnologias de software ADAS e AD mais flexíveis, robustas e precisas, tem o prazer de anunciar o lançamento do LeddarVision™ Front-View-E (LVF-E) e do LeddarVision™ Front-View-H (LVF-H), dois conjuntos de software distintos e abrangentes de fusão e percepção de baixo nível que apresentam combinações otimizadas de modalidades de sensores para aplicações ADAS de nível 2/2+, atingindo avaliação de 5 estrelas em NCAP 2025/GSR 2022.

A LeddarTech enfrenta os desafios dos OEMs (“Original Equipment Manufacturers”; Fabricantes do Equipamento Original) e fornecedores de grau 1-2 no desenvolvimento de aplicações ADAS de nível 2/2+, tais como solucionar problemas de segurança e encontrar um software expansível de fusão e percepção que proporcione alto desempenho por um baixo custo. A família de produtos de software automotivo LeddarVision Front-View (LVF), desenvolvida pela LeddarTech, traz a solução para esses desafios.

LVF-E (LeddarVision Front-Entry): Feito para consumidores que buscam desenvolver aplicações ADAS de assistência viária e de segurança L2/L2+ de entrada, o LVF-E é um conjunto abrangente de fusão e percepção de visão frontal voltado para assistência viária e de segurança L2/L2+ de entrada e com 5 estrelas em NCAP 2025/GSR 2022. A tecnologia de fusão de baixo nível (LLF; “Low Level Fusion”) da LeddarTech encabeça o pacote de desempenho, dobrando o alcance efetivo dos sensores e viabilizando, pela primeira vez, uma solução com apenas uma câmera frontal de 1,2 megapixel e abertura de 120 graus e dois radares angulares frontais de curto alcance em configuração 1V2R. A detecção de baixo custo, aliada a implementação eficiente na plataforma TDA4L, configura o sistema de menor custo para ADAS de entrada de L2/L2+. A amostra B está planejada para o Q2 de 2023, com vistas para o procedimento operacional padrão veicular em 2025/6.

LVF-H (LeddarVision Front-High): O conjunto premium de fusão e percepção na família de produtos de visão frontal. Com uma configuração de sensores estendida a 1V5R e baseada em uma única câmera de 3 megapixel e abertura de 120 graus, um radar frontal único de médio alcance e quatro radares angulares de curto alcance, o conjunto amplia o suporte de percepção a aplicações de auxílio viário, incluindo controle de cruzeiro adaptativo para 160 km/h, alcance de 200 metros e troca de faixas semiautomática. Amplia, também, o suporte a NCAP 2025 para ultrapassagem e cenários de marcha-ré e colisão com porta. Além disso, com a implementação eficiente da plataforma TDA4L e com um acelerador de aprendizagem profunda Hailo-8, a detecção de baixo custo alcança ADAS de visão frontal L2/L2+ de qualidade premium e econômico. A amostra B está planejada para o Q3 de 2023, com vistas para o procedimento operacional padrão veicular em 2026.

A família de produtos LeddarVision Front-View (LVF) é projetada para atender às necessidades de seus clientes:

Alto desempenho e bom custo-benefício

  • A tecnologia de fusão de baixo nível (LLF) da LeddarVision encabeça o pacote de desempenho, dobrando o alcance efetivo dos sensores.
  • A funcionalidade de custo de detecção mais baixo do produto, bem como a implantação eficiente na plataforma TDA4L, resultam em custos mais baixos para o sistema.
  • A precisão superior na distinção de objetos e na medição da posição longitudinal em rodovias viabiliza a implantação de controle de cruzeiro de melhor desempenho.

Segurança

  • Os produtos LVF abordam aplicações de segurança NCAP 2025/GSR 2022 de 5 estrelas.
  • Inclui um recurso integrado de redundância para enquadrar falhas, degradações e conflitos de sensores.
  • Oferece recursos de segurança aumentados devido à precisão superior na distinção de objetos e na medição de posição longitudinal.

Flexível e expansível

  • Um conjunto abrangente de fusão e percepção de visão frontal que oferece suporte a aplicações ADAS L2/2+ de auxílio viário, de modelos de entrada a modelos premium.

Consumidores interessados podem entrar em contato com a LeddarTech para tratar sobre amostras “A” de produtos LVF-E e LVF-H.

“Tenho o prazer de anunciar nossos mais novos produtos sensores de detecção e percepção para dar suporte a aplicações ADAS L2/2+ de auxílio viário”, declarou o Sr. Charles Boulanger, CEO da LeddarTech. “A necessidade do mercado em busca de um produto sensor de fusão e percepção de alto desempenho, mas que apresente também bom custo-benefício, flexibilidade e expansibilidade, é maior do que nunca. Nossa família de produtos LVF chega para suprir essa necessidade”, acrescentou o Sr. Boulanger. “Nossa missão na LeddarTech é aprimorar a segurança e a qualidade de vida através da viabilização de aplicações ADAS e AD, e alcançamos esse objetivo com o lançamento desses dois produtos que alcançaram avaliações de 5 estrelas em NCAP 2025/GSR 2022. O Sr. Boulanger pontuou: “Estou ansioso para anunciar mais produtos em 2023 que continuarão a atender às necessidades do setor e a melhorar a qualidade de vida das pessoas”.

Os produtos de software da LeddarTech, LeddarVision LVF-E e LVF-H, serão destaque na CES 2023, que ocorre entre 5 e 8 de janeiro em Las Vegas, no estande da LeddarTech n.º 5475, na ala oeste do LVCC (“Las Vegas Convention Center”, Centro de Convenções de Las Vegas).

Sobre a LeddarTech

A LeddarTech, uma empresa de software global fundada em 2007, desenvolve e disponibiliza soluções abrangentes em percepção que viabilizam a distribuição de aplicações ADAS e de direção autônoma. O software de grau automotivo da LeddarTech aplica algoritmos de visão computadorizada e IA para gerar modelos 3D altamente precisos do ambiente nos arredores, permitindo melhores tomadas de decisões e navegações mais seguras. Essa tecnologia de alto desempenho, expansível e de bom custo-benefício é alavancada junto a OEMs e fornecedores de grau 1-2 para a implantação eficiente de soluções veiculares “off-road” e automotivas.

A LeddarTech é responsável por diversas inovações em sensores remotos, com mais de 140 patentes homologadas ou pleiteadas para a melhoria das capacidades ADAS e AD. A percepção confiável é fundamental para fazer com que a mobilidade global se torne mais segura, eficiente, sustentável e acessível: esses são os princípios norteadores da LeddarTech para se tornar a solução de software de sensor de fusão e percepção mais difundida.

Confira mais informações sobre a LeddarTech no link www.leddartech.com e no LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook e YouTube.

Contato:
Daniel Aitken, Vice-Presidente, Marketing Global, Comunicação e Relacionamento com Investidores, LeddarTech Inc.
Tel.: + 1-418-653-9000 ext. 232 daniel.aitken@leddartech.com

Site e contato de relacionamento com investidores: InvestorRelations@leddartech.com
https://investors.leddartech.com/

Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, LeddarEcho, VAYADrive, VayaVision, XLRator e logotipos relacionados são marcas comerciais ou registradas da LeddarTech Inc. e suas subsidiárias. Todas as outras marcas e nomes de produtos são ou podem ser marcas comerciais ou registradas usadas para identificar produtos ou serviços de seus respectivos proprietários.

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8709747

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LeddarTech annonce la sortie des logiciels LeddarVision de fusion et perception à vue frontale pour applications ADAS automobiles de niveau 2/2+

QUÉBEC, 07 déc. 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LeddarTech®, chef de file de calibre mondial dans les technologies logicielles pour systèmes avancés d’aide à la conduite (systèmes ADAS) et de conduite autonome (systèmes AD), est heureuse d’annoncer le lancement de LeddarVision™ Front-View-E (LVF-E) et LeddarVision™ Front-View-H (LVF-H), deux solutions logicielles complètes de fusion de bas niveau des données de capteurs et de perception qui combinent de manière optimale les modalités de capteurs et visent les applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+ conformes aux exigences 5 étoiles NCAP 2025 et GSR 2022.

LeddarTech relève les défis auxquels font face les fournisseurs de rang 1-2 et les équipementiers lorsqu’ils développent des applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+, comme la sécurité ou l’identification d’un logiciel de fusion et de perception modulable capable d’offrir des performances élevées à faible coût.   La famille de logiciels de classe automobile LeddarVision à vue frontale LVF, développée par LeddarTech, répond à ces besoins.

LVF-E (LeddarVision Front-Entry) : créé pour les clients désireux de développer des applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+ d’entrée de gamme pour l’aide à la conduite sur autoroute, LVF-E est une solution complète de fusion et perception à vue frontale qui vise les applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+ d’entrée de gamme pour l’aide à la conduite sur autoroute et répondant aux exigences de sécurité 5 étoiles NCAP 2025 et GSR 2022. Le savoir-faire en fusion de bas niveau de LeddarTech repousse les limites du progrès technologique en doublant la portée effective des capteurs et en permettant, pour la première fois, une solution ne comportant qu’une caméra frontale unique de 1,2 mégapixel et 120 degrés et deux radars d’angle frontaux à courte portée dans une configuration 1V2R.   L’abordabilité de la méthode de détection utilisée et le recours judicieux à la plateforme TDA4L permettent d’obtenir les coûts les plus bas pour un système ADAS de niveau 2/2+ d’entrée de gamme. Un prototype « bêta » du LVF-E est prévu pour le deuxième trimestre 2023, permettant le déploiement sur véhicules de production en 2025/6.

LVF-H (LeddarVision Front-High) : le produit premium de la famille LVF. Supportant une configuration de capteurs étendue à 1V5R comprenant une caméra unique de 3 mégapixels et 120 degrés, un radar frontal unique à moyenne portée et quatre radars d’angle à courte portée, la solution étend la perception aux applications d’aide à la conduite sur autoroute, y compris la régulation de vitesse adaptative jusqu’à 160 km/h, une portée de détection atteignant 200 mètres et le changement de voie semi-automatique. Le système renforce également la cote de sécurité NCAP 2025 en couvrant les scénarios de dépassement, de marche arrière et d’ouverture de porte. De plus, des combinaisons de capteurs à moindre coût peuvent être utilisées grâce au recours à la plateforme TDA4L et à un seul accélérateur d’apprentissage profond Hailo-8, permettant de répondre de manière économique aux exigences des applications ADAS haut de gamme de niveau 2/2+. Un prototype « bêta » du LVF-H est prévu pour le troisième trimestre 2023, permettant le déploiement sur véhicules de production en 2026.

La famille de produits LeddarVision Front-View (LVF) est conçue pour répondre aux besoins de ses clients :

Haute performance et optimisation des coûts

  • La technologie LeddarVision de fusion de bas niveau des données de capteurs repousse les limites du progrès technologique en doublant la portée effective des capteurs.
  • L’abordabilité de la méthode de détection proposée et l’utilisation efficace de la plateforme TDA4L permettent d’obtenir des systèmes aux coûts les plus bas.
  • Une précision supérieure dans la séparation des objets et dans la mesure de la position longitudinale sur autoroute permet une mise en œuvre plus performante de la fonction de régulation de vitesse adaptative.

Sécurité

  • Les produits LVF s’adressent aux applications répondant aux exigences de sécurité 5 étoiles NCAP 2025 et GSR 2022.
  • Ils comprennent une fonction de redondance intégrée pour pallier les éventuelles défaillances ou dégradations des capteurs ou contradictions entre ces derniers.
  • Ils offrent une sécurité renforcée grâce à la précision supérieure de la séparation des objets et de la mesure de la position longitudinale.

Souplesse et modularité

  • La famille LVF représente une solution complète de fusion et perception à vue frontale qui vise les applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+ d’entrée de gamme à supérieures pour l’aide à la conduite sur autoroute.

Les clients intéressés peuvent communiquer avec LeddarTech pour des prototypes « alpha » des produits LVF-E et LVF-H.

« Je suis très heureux d’annoncer nos nouveaux produits de fusion de données de capteurs et de perception afin d’appuyer les applications ADAS de niveau 2/2+ d’entrée de gamme à supérieures pour l’aide à la conduite sur autoroute », a déclaré M. Charles Boulanger, chef de la direction de LeddarTech. « Le besoin du marché pour un produit de fusion de données de capteurs et de perception haute performance à la fois économique, évolutif et modulable n’a jamais été aussi grand, et notre famille de produits LVF répond à ce besoin », poursuit M. Boulanger. « Notre mission, chez LeddarTech, est d’améliorer la sécurité et la qualité de vie en rendant possible le déploiement des applications ADAS et AD, et c’est ce que nous faisons en lançant ces deux nouveaux produits, conformes aux exigences 5 étoiles NCAP 2025 et GSR 2022 ». M. Boulanger conclut : « J’ai hâte d’annoncer en 2023 d’autres produits qui continueront de répondre aux besoins de l’industrie et d’améliorer la qualité de vie des individus ».

Les logiciels LeddarVision LVF-E et LVF-H de LeddarTech seront présentés au stand de LeddarTech (5475 LVCC Hall ouest) lors du CES 2023, qui se tiendra du 5 au 8 janvier à Las Vegas.

À propos de LeddarTech

LeddarTech, une entreprise mondiale de logiciels fondée en 2007, développe et propose des solutions de perception complètes qui permettent le déploiement d’applications ADAS et de conduite autonome. Le logiciel de classe automobile de LeddarTech applique l’intelligence artificielle et des algorithmes de vision numérique afin de générer des modèles 3D précis de l’environnement, pour une meilleure prise de décision et une navigation plus sûre. Cette technologie performante, évolutive et économique permet la mise en œuvre efficace de solutions pour véhicules automobiles et hors route par les équipementiers et fournisseurs de rang 1 et 2.

Détentrice de plus de 140 brevets accordés ou déposés, l’entreprise a contribué à plusieurs innovations liées à des applications de télédétection et qui améliorent les capacités des systèmes d’aide à la conduite et de conduite autonome. Une technologie de perception fiable est essentielle pour rendre la mobilité plus sûre, efficace, durable et abordable : c’est ce qui motive LeddarTech à devenir la solution logicielle de fusion de données de capteurs et de perception la plus largement adoptée.

Renseignements complémentaires disponibles sur www.leddartech.com et sur LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook et YouTube.

Contact :
Daniel Aitken, vice-président, Marketing, communications et relations avec les investisseurs mondiaux, LeddarTech Inc.
Tél. : + 1-418-653-9000 poste 232 daniel.aitken@leddartech.com

Contact relations investisseurs et site web : InvestorRelations@leddartech.com
https://investors.leddartech.com/

Leddar, LeddarTech, LeddarSteer, LeddarEngine, LeddarVision, LeddarSP, LeddarCore, LeddarEcho, VAYADrive, VayaVision, XLRator et les logos associés sont des marques de commerce ou des marques déposées de LeddarTech Inc. et de ses filiales. Tous les autres noms de marques, noms de produits et marques sont ou peuvent être des marques de commerce ou des marques déposées utilisées pour désigner les produits ou les services de leurs propriétaires respectifs.

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8708692

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Zoltek celebrates the founder’s 80th birthday

Leading the carbon fiber industry on a global scale

St. Louis, Missouri, USA, Dec. 06, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Zoltek Corporation, the largest global manufacturer of industrial grade carbon fiber, has recently celebrated the 80th birthday of its founder, Zsolt Rumy.

Born in December 1942 in Budapest, Hungary, Mr. Rumy was a carbon fiber industry pioneer that ultimately changed the carbon fiber world.  He created the first industrial-grade carbon fiber made to compete against other common building materials, and created Zoltek Corporation to drive the commercialization of carbon fibers.

Mr. Rumy fled Soviet communism after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, and arrived in the US as a 14-year old war refugee through the International Red Cross and Catholic Charities.   He later graduated with a chemical engineering degree from the University of Minnesota, accepted a position with Monsanto Company and moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1966. After several years of corporate sales and engineering jobs in the chemicals industry, he started his own distribution business in 1975.   After years of selling carbon and graphite products, he plunged into carbon fiber manufacturing in 1988 with the acquisition of Stackpole Fibers in Lowell, Massachusetts.

His vision of a low-cost carbon fiber began on a pilot line in St. Louis, MO, and later became realized after acquiring an acrylic fiber factory, Magyar Viscosa, back in his native Hungary.  He led a team of engineers that were able to convert this acrylic fiber factory to the world’s first low-cost carbon fiber factory.  Zoltek repeated this feat by acquiring a second acrylic fiber factory in Mexico, and the rest is history.

In 2014, Zoltek was acquired by Toray Industries of Japan, who at the time was the world’s largest aerospace carbon fiber producer.  With the support of the Toray Group, Zoltek has now grown to the largest carbon fiber manufacturer in the world, with more than 30,000 MT of annual capacity.

“Zsolt is a true pioneer who lived the American dream.  He built a company and changed the carbon fiber industry forever.  We are all honored to be part of his journey and grateful for his leadership and friendship”, EVP of Sales & Marketing Dave Purcell. “Now it’s our job to carry his vision forward and bring our low-cost carbon fiber to new applications around the world,” he added.

“The Will To Do, The Soul Dare” is an autobiography that details Zsolt’s extraordinary life experiences and his visionary spirit and courage that revolutionized the carbon fiber industry.  Zsolt’s book is available in major book stores and Amazon.  You may also request a free copy of Zsolt’s book (while supplies last) by sending your request to jschmidt@twinspringsinv.com.

Zsolt Rumy and Dave Purcell are current board members of Zoltek Corporation.

About Zoltek: Zoltek Corporation is the most trusted manufacturer of cost-efficient and customer-centric industrial grade carbon fiber used for automotive parts, wind turbine blades, thermoplastic compounding, marine infrastructure, and many more. In 2014, Zoltek joined the Toray Group (Japan) which has advanced the company’s technology and strengthened the technical and financial resources and positioned the company for further growth as the most reliable global leader of carbon fiber.

For more information, you may visit www.zoltek.com or follow us on any of our social media channels including www.linkedin.com/company/zoltek/ and https://www.facebook.com/ZoltekCorp. For more information about Toray Group, you may visit www.toray.com 

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Jen Olson

Zoltek

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8709508

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Oldest Known DNA Reveals Life in Greenland 2 Million Years Ago

Scientists discovered the oldest known DNA and used it to reveal what life was like 2 million years ago in the northern tip of Greenland. Today, it’s a barren Arctic desert, but back then it was a lush landscape of trees and vegetation with an array of animals, even the now extinct mastodon.

“The study opens the door into a past that has basically been lost,” said lead author Kurt Kjaer, a geologist and glacier expert at the University of Copenhagen.

With animal fossils hard to come by, the researchers extracted environmental DNA, also known as eDNA, from soil samples. This is the genetic material that organisms shed into their surroundings — for example, through hair, waste, spit or decomposing carcasses.

Studying really old DNA can be a challenge because the genetic material breaks down over time, leaving scientists with only tiny fragments.

But with the latest technology, researchers were able to get genetic information out of the small, damaged bits of DNA, said senior author Eske Willerslev, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge. In their study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, they compared the DNA to that of different species, looking for matches.

The samples came from a sediment deposit called the Kap Kobenhavn formation in Peary Land. Today, the area is a polar desert, Kjaer said.

But millions of years ago, this region was undergoing a period of intense climate change that sent temperatures up, Willerslev said. Sediment likely built up for tens of thousands of years at the site before the climate cooled and cemented the finds into permafrost.

The cold environment would help preserve the delicate bits of DNA — until scientists came along and drilled the samples out, beginning in 2006.

During the region’s warm period, when average temperatures were 20 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit (11 to 19 degrees Celsius) higher than today, the area was filled with an unusual array of plant and animal life, the researchers reported. The DNA fragments suggest a mix of Arctic plants, like birch trees and willow shrubs, with ones that usually prefer warmer climates, like firs and cedars.

The DNA also showed traces of animals including geese, hares, reindeer and lemmings. Previously, a dung beetle and some hare remains had been the only signs of animal life at the site, Willerslev said.

One big surprise was finding DNA from the mastodon, an extinct species that looks like a mix between an elephant and a mammoth, Kjaer said.

Many mastodon fossils have previously been found in what were temperate forests in North America. That’s an ocean away from Greenland, and much farther south, Willerslev said.

“I wouldn’t have, in a million years, expected to find mastodons in northern Greenland,” said Love Dalen, a researcher in evolutionary genomics at Stockholm University who was not involved in the study.

Because the sediment built up in the mouth of a fjord, researchers were also able to get clues about marine life from this time period. The DNA suggests horseshoe crabs and green algae lived in the area — meaning the nearby waters were likely much warmer back then, Kjaer said.

By pulling dozens of species out of just a few sediment samples, the study highlights some of eDNA’s advantages, said Benjamin Vernot, who researches ancient DNA at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and was not involved in the study.

“You really get a broader picture of the ecosystem at a particular time,” Vernot said. “You don’t have to go and find this piece of wood to study this plant, and this bone to study this mammoth.”

Based on the data available, it’s hard to say for sure whether these species truly lived side by side, or if the DNA was mixed together from different parts of the landscape, said Laura Epp, an eDNA expert at Germany’s University of Konstanz who was not involved in the study.

But Epp said this kind of DNA research is valuable to show “hidden diversity” in ancient landscapes.

Willerslev believes that because these plants and animals survived during a time of dramatic climate change, their DNA could offer a “genetic roadmap” to help us adapt to current warming.

Stockholm University’s Dalen expects ancient DNA research to keep pushing deeper into the past. He worked on the study that previously held the “oldest DNA” record, from a mammoth tooth around a million years old.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you can go at least one or perhaps a few million years further back, assuming you can find the right samples,” Dalen said.

Source: Voice of America

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UK Approves First New Coal Mine in Decades, Sparking Anger

Britain’s Conservative government on Wednesday approved the United Kingdom’s first new coal mine in three decades, a decision condemned by environmentalists as a leap backwards in the fight against climate change.

Hours earlier, the government reversed a ban on building new onshore windfarms in Britain. Opponents called that announcement a cynical attempt to offset criticism of the mine decision.

Cabinet Minister Michael Gove decided the mine in the Cumbria area of northwest England would have “an overall neutral effect on climate change and is thus consistent with government policies for meeting the challenge of climate change,” the government said.

It said coal from the mine would be used to make steel — replacing imported coal — rather than for power generation.

The mine will extract coking coal, the type used in steelmaking, from under the Irish Sea and process it on the site of a shuttered chemical plant in Whitehaven, a town 550 kilometers northwest of London.

Supporters say the mine will bring much-needed jobs to an area hard hit by the closure of its mines and factories in recent decades.

Opponents say the mine is a major blow to the U.K.’s status as a world leader in replacing polluting fossil fuels with clean renewable energy. They argue it will undermine global efforts to phase out coal and make it harder for Britain to meet its goals of generating 100% of electricity from clean energy sources by 2035 and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

John Gummer, a Conservative politician who heads the Climate Change Committee, a government advisory body, said the decision “sends entirely the wrong signal to other countries about the U.K.’s climate priorities.”

Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace U.K., said “the U.K. government risks becoming a superpower in climate hypocrisy rather than climate leadership. How can we possibly expect other countries to rein in fossil fuel extraction when we’re building new coal mines here?”

Britain has taken steps to bolster its domestic energy supply since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring. The U.K. imports little Russian oil or gas, but its lightly regulated energy market leaves customers highly exposed to price fluctuations.

Many homes and businesses have seen bills double or triple in the past year, though a government price cap — due to end in April — has prevented even steeper hikes.

The invasion of Ukraine has made countries across Europe reconsider plans to cut their use of fossil fuels. Britain has also approved more North Sea oil and gas drilling, while the Czech Republic reversed a plan to stop coal mining in a key region.

France recently restarted a shuttered coal plant, abandoning an earlier vow by President Emmanuel Macron to close all coal-burning plants in the country by the end of this year.

The mine decision came a day after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lifted a ban on building new windfarms on British soil.

Wind produced more than a quarter of the U.K.’s electricity in 2021. But since 2015, the Conservative government has opposed new wind turbines on land because of local opposition. A majority of Britain’s wind farms are at sea.

While running for the Conservative Party’s leadership in the summer, Sunak pledged to keep the ban. But amid growing calls for change from Conservative lawmakers, the government said Tuesday it could allow wind farms in areas where communities support them, pending a “technical consultation.”

Source: Voice of America