BAKU, Azerbaijan, Dec.16
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Europe can transition to carbon-neutral energy market only through continued use of gases, Trend reports citing Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE).
GIE is an association representing the sole interest of the infrastructure industry in the natural gas business such as Transmission System Operators, Storage System Operators and LNG Terminal Operators. GIE has currently 70 members in 26 European countries.
GIE said its members – operators of Europe’s gas transmission, storage and LNG facilities – will contribute to the short-, mid- and long-term climate ambitions for reduced emissions through the supply of cleaner energy and renewable and net-zero gases.
“Europe can transition to an affordable, secure, fully integrated, carbon-neutral energy market only through the continued use of gases. This is particularly relevant in the difficult-to-electrify sectors of industry, heating, transport and power,” reads a report by GIE.
The association believes that there is still untapped potential to achieve fast and significant emission reductions and immediate health benefits with the switch from carbon-intensive fuels (such as coal, lignite and heavy fuel oil) to lower-emission natural gas; air pollution resulting from such burning high-emission fuels still constitutes a serious health problem in many communities.
“The gas infrastructure is the backbone of energy throughout Europe: our LNG import terminals receive large quantities of energy that secure and diversify energy supply, our transmission pipelines deliver gases throughout the EU28 and our underground storage facilities store the gas needed to balance both the gas and electric grids and to provide seasonal back up. In line with the Green Deal ambitions, GIE members are already underway with preparations to facilitate the increased delivery and storage of sustainable gases, including biomethane, synthetic methane and hydrogen – be these in liquid or gaseous form. All our facilities can be used for renewable and decarbonised gases,” reads the report.
As proposed by the Commission, GIE said it supports a Green Deal that will sustain high ambitions towards carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Nonetheless, we also urge the Commission to be pragmatic in its support of gas infrastructure investment for the development of low-emission power generation in areas of energy poverty or extreme air pollution in regions with coal-dependency or hard-to-decarbonise economies,” said the report.
Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 is the greatest challenge and opportunity of our times. To achieve this, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal, the most ambitious package of measures that should enable European citizens and businesses to benefit from sustainable green transition. Measures accompanied with an initial roadmap of key policies range from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment.
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