{"id":102912,"date":"2022-01-12T07:09:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-12T06:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/?p=102912"},"modified":"2022-01-10T13:49:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-10T12:49:20","slug":"eu-paves-way-for-renewable-and-low-carbon-gases-to-replace-fossil-fuel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/eu-paves-way-for-renewable-and-low-carbon-gases-to-replace-fossil-fuel\/","title":{"rendered":"EU paves way for renewable and low-carbon gases to replace fossil fuel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

To reach its aim of net zero emissions by mid-century, Europe needs to drastically increase the level of electrification across the economy, but the European Commission says there will still be a need for gas in certain sectors that are difficult to electrify, like heavy industry and transport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"EU
EU climate chief, Frans Timmermans, speaking at a press conference to unveil a package of proposals on energy and climate action. (Jennifer Jacquemart \/ \u00a9 EC Audiovisual Service)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that electricity alone cannot deliver all the energy we\u2019ll need in the future and renewable and other low carbon gases will increasingly replace fossil fuels,\u201d said Frans Timmermans, the EU\u2019s climate chief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEurope needs to turn the page on fossil fuels and move to cleaner energy sources. This includes replacing fossil gas with renewable and low carbon gases, like hydrogen,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the EU executive, gaseous fuels, like biogas, biomethane, renewable and low-carbon hydrogen, as well as synthetic methane, will represent around a fifth of final energy consumption by 2050.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElectrification is a primary tool to implement renewable energy sources in all sectors where this is technically and economically feasible. However, electrification is not today at least possible in all sectors,\u201d said a senior EU official who was briefing the press on Tuesday (14 December).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is where we will continue to need gaseous fuels and, to meet our Green Deal objectives,\u201d the official continued, saying \u201cthese gaseous fuels, which today are mainly fossil-based, need to be decarbonised\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To enable the transition, the European Commission has introduced measures to support renewable and low carbon gases, reduce methane emissions and decarbonise buildings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe aim is to reduce the share of fossil gas in the mix by, on the one hand, energy efficiency measures which reduce the overall consumption, but also then by replacing it with these renewable and low carbon gases and electrification,\u201d said an EU official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting renewable and low-carbon gases<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the key measures unveiled today include a revision of EU gas market rules to prioritise renewable and low-carbon gases and ensure these have access to the EU energy market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy 2030, we want to have 40 gigawatts of electrolyser capacity in the EU. To deliver those volumes to end-users in the most effective and low-cost manner, we need competitive markets and infrastructure to connect production and consumption. Today\u2019s proposals prepare the ground for a competitive European hydrogen market,\u201d said Timmermans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To enable this, the European Commission proposed increased support for hydrogen, including an obligation for EU countries to accept cross-border transit of natural gas which has been blended up to 5% with hydrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to remove some of the barriers for blended hydrogen to help boost its overall role in the gas market. However, it is \u201cnot something we consider to be a long term solution,\u201d an EU official explained, saying that \u201crenewable remains, of course, the priority and future\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU executive also laid out plans for a pure hydrogen market, with the idea that this would be fully regulated like the current gas and electricity market from 2030 onwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Until then, hydrogen will enjoy a so-called \u201cregulatory holiday\u201d in order to support projects like hydrogen valleys, which it is hoped will ultimately expand to form a hydrogen supply system across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further support for hydrogen and other renewable and low-carbon gases comes in the form of taxation support, including the removal of cross-border tariffs. The future hydrogen network will also be free from cross-border tariffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, hydrogen transport and production activities will have to be clearly separated, with a clear \u201cunbundling\u201d of the two types of activities, along the lines of what is already being done in the gas and electricity markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur objective is to create a hydrogen market with several players competing on a level playing field, with transparent and free access to the network,\u201d said Kadri Simson, the EU\u2019s energy commissioner. \u201cAnd to get there, we need to ensure that no one can use an initial position of advantage,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s why we are proposing this very clear unbundling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commission also places a focus on network planning, including a push for gas network operators to include information on infrastructure that can or will be decommissioned and could potentially be repurposed to transport hydrogen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, a certification scheme will be introduced to confirm whether the gas brought on the market is renewable or low-carbon. The European Commission has now added a definition for low carbon gases and fuels under the same certification scheme as renewable gases<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the proposal, low-carbon sources are defined as being produced from an energy source with greenhouse gas emission savings of at least 70% compared to fossil fuels, which would include hydrogen produced using nuclear energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slashing greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The EU\u2019s new gas legislation is aimed at reaching the bloc\u2019s target to decrease net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, which requires improving energy efficiency and reducing the use of fossil gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, like Europe\u2019s coal phase out, the European Commission is not providing targets or end dates for using unabated natural gas \u2013 fossil gas without technology such as carbon capture and storage to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, the EU executive is trying to steer the European economy away from fossil gas by introducing measures, such as a ban on long term supply contracts beyond 2049 for unabated gas. Short terms supply contracts below one year which are important for security of supply and market liquidity will still be allowed, however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU executive has also proposed a ban on public subsidies for new fossil gas boilers from 2027 onwards and has laid out a legal basis for countries that want to introduce a national ban on these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alongside this, the European Commission is looking at increasing the energy efficiency of buildings, in order to lessen the demand for fossil fuel energy. With its revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), it wants EU countries to renovate their worst-performing buildings by 2033 at the latest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a new focus on addressing greenhouse gases beyond just carbon dioxide. For the first time, the European Commission is tackling methane emissions with a regulation solely for this purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will introduce a ban on venting and flaring of methane, which emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and introduce obligations on companies to repair leaks in natural gas infrastructure, such as pipelines or storage sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe estimate that the full implementation of this proposal will contribute to reducing methane emissions in oil, gas and coal sector by 80% by 2030, compared to last year, 2020. And it would double the amount of methane emission reductions in sectors compared to what would happen through voluntary corporate action,\u201d Simson said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The legislation has a strong focus on gathering data, including on imports of fossil fuel. However, there is no direct obligation on importers at this stage. Any potential measures on imports will be envisaged in 2025 \u201cwith the view to introducing more stringent measures for imports\u201d said Simson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reactions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Commission\u2019s gas package was hailed as \u201ca landmark in decarbonisation efforts\u201d by the gas industry body Eurogas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe European Commission gets the message that gases are good for the energy transition, for industry and for households across Europe. Fundamentally, gases are a key part of Europe\u2019s energy resources, so we need EU policies that help and don\u2019t hinder the role of gas,\u201d said James Watson, Eurogas\u2019 secretary general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he reiterated the industry\u2019s call for certainty from European policymakers to speed up the integration of renewable and low carbon gases into the energy system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But others are not so positive. For instance, the geothermal industry has long campaigned against the prominence of gas in the EU energy market and says this package means yet more prioritisation of the fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn just over a month after the COP26, and in the middle of a gas price crisis, the European Commission continues to protect gas markets at the expense of renewable heat and energy efficiency. The Commission should have proposed a regulatory level playing field between fossil gas, renewables and energy efficiency to supply affordable heat to all consumers,\u201d said Sanjeev Kumar, head of policy at the European Geothermal Energy Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmental organisations, too, have criticised the package, with Global Witness warning that the package will lock in dependence on fossil fuel and hand more decision-making powers to the fossil gas industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead of putting the needs of people first and showing a bold vision of a transition to affordable, renewable heating for all, the Commission has announced a masterclass in greenwashing,\u201d said Tara Connolly, senior gas campaigner at Global Witness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt has left consumers at the mercy of greedy gas companies, determined to keep investing in expensive gas grids we no longer need,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greenpeace was equally critical. \u201cThe EU Commission is debating how fast to sail Europe\u2019s heating systems into the rocks, instead of steering us clear completely with a move to renewable heating. Fiddling with blends still locks the EU into dependence on climate-wrecking gas that\u2019s also sending people\u2019s energy bills skyrocketing,\u201d said Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner Silvia Pastorelli.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To reach its aim of net zero emissions by mid-century, Europe needs to drastically increase the level of electrification across the economy, but the European Commission says there will still be a need for gas in certain sectors that are difficult to electrify, like heavy industry and transport. \u201cWe know that electricity alone cannot deliver […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","nova_meta_subtitle":"The European Commission on Wednesday (15 December) unveiled a package of gas legislation that aims to steer Europe away from fossil gas towards more sustainable energy sources, like renewable and low-carbon hydrogen","footnotes":""},"categories":[5572],"tags":[7670,5627,12366,10630,13306],"supplier":[2317,19639,19642,2204],"class_list":["post-102912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bio-based","tag-biogas","tag-energy","tag-fuels","tag-hydrogen","tag-methane","supplier-european-commission","supplier-european-geothermal-energy-council","supplier-global-witness","supplier-greenpeace-international"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102912\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102912"},{"taxonomy":"supplier","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/renewable-carbon.eu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/supplier?post=102912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}