BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.2
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The level of the EU’s climate and energy ambitions also means that the gas sector cannot continue business as usual, Trend reports with reference to Eurogas, an association representing the European gas wholesale, retail and distribution sectors in relation to relevant EU institutions.
“The gas decarbonisation package must also enable the transformation and decarbonisation of the gas sector before 2050. It can only succeed if it builds on the success of the natural gas market. The experience gained in the past thirty years of regulating the natural gas market, should guide the regulatory and policy choices for the coming thirty years,” says Eurogas.
Eurogas, together with 14 other organisations active throughout the entire gas value chain, are calling for a binding 2030 EU-level target to lower the GHG intensity of gas consumed by at least 20 percent and increase the share of renewable gas to at least 11 percent.
Countries across Europe have, in the past few years, announced their intention to become carbon neutral in the coming decades. Some, like Norway, have targets for 2030, while others, like the UK and France, have goals that extend to 2050.
As part of the European Green Deal, the Commission proposed on 4 March 2020 the first European Climate Law to enshrine the 2050 climate-neutrality target into law.
The EU is well on track to meet its emissions reduction target for 2020 and has put in place legislation to achieve its current 2030 climate and energy targets. Member States have prepared integrated national energy and climate plans to achieve their 2030 targets.
EU greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by 24 percent between 1990 and 2019, while the economy grew by around 60 percent over the same period. From 2018 to 2019, emissions declined by 3.7 percent. The most significant decline was in sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), in particular power plants. Emissions from stationary installations in all countries covered by the system fell sharply by 9.1 percent between 2018 and 2019.
“It will take time before the new policy and regulatory framework translates into concrete market signals. We are convinced that a clear and binding decarbonisation pathway for the gas sector is essential to ensure the necessary investments in gas installations and infrastructure to meet EU climate targets to 2030 and beyond. It should be possible to comply with the >20 percent greenhouse gas intensity reduction target and >11 percent renewable gas target building on existing RED II mechanisms. These should be extended to cover all renewable and decarbonised gases. This includes, but is not limited to, the possibility to comply with the targets through a harmonized EU wide system of certifications, inter alia, the Guarantees of Origin system (extended to include GHG intensity information) and sustainability certificates,” said the association.
Eurogas notes that member states shall be free to define their individual national contributions towards the “EU level greenhouse gas intensity reduction target” and “EU level renewable gas target” no later than June 2024. “When setting their national contributions towards the “EU level greenhouse gas intensity reduction target” and “EU level renewable gas target” in their (revised) NECPs, Member States may do so, inter alia, by means of measures targeting volumes, energy content or greenhouse gas emissions as well as being free to establish differentiated sectorial targets and obligations (e.g., ETS/non ETS).”
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