The European Commission has released details of a plan to boost EU renewable energy and reduce reliance on Russian oil, while acknowledging that existing coal-fired power plants could be used “longer than originally expected.”
A document outlining the Commission’s objectives for the REPowerEU program was released on Wednesday, highlighting the importance of energy efficiency, diversification of imported electricity and accelerating what it called the “clean transformation of Europe.”
In total, it estimates an additional investment of 210 billion euros ($ 220.87 billion) between 2022 and 2027. Speaking of the renewed share of EU energy mix, the Commission has suggested that the current target of 40% by 2030 should be increased by 45%.
The Commission’s recommendations came on the same day as the governments of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium said they would aim to target at least 65 gigawatts of coastal air by 2030. By the middle of the century, they are aiming for 150 GW of power.
In terms of fossil fuels, the situation is challenging. Russia was the largest supplier of both petroleum and natural gas to the EU last year, according to Eurostat.
The EU’s desire to withdraw from Russian hydrocarbons following Ukraine’s recent invasion of Ukraine means it will need to find oil and gas in other parts of the world to close the supply channels.
The commission said an estimated 1.5 to 2 billion investments would be needed to produce oil. To import enough liquid natural gas and piped gas from other sources, we will need 10 billion euros by 2030.
All of the above comes at a time when the EU has said it wants to be carbon neutral in 2050. In the medium term, it wants greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by at least 55% by 2030, which the EU calls “Fit”. in terms of system 55 ”.
The commission said REPowerEU would not function without what it calls “the immediate implementation of all 55 Fit proposals and higher renewable energy efficiency and efficiency standards.”
In this new reality, EU gas consumption “will decline sharply, reducing the role of gas as a temporary fuel,” the Commission said.
“However, a move away from Russia’s oil will require targeted investment to secure the provision of gas infrastructure and very limited changes to oil infrastructure as well as large EU grid investments and the EU-wide hydrogen backbone,” he added.
“Similarly, some of the existing coal-fired power plants could be used for longer than originally expected, contributing to nuclear power and domestic gas resources,” the Commission said.
At a press conference on Wednesday the EU chief of climate change, Frans Timmermans, acknowledged that using less natural gas in the transition phase could mean “you can use coal for a while – that has a negative impact on your production.”
“But if at the same time, as we suggest, you are speeding up the introduction of renewable resources – solar, wind, biomethane – you have the opposite effect,” he said.
Timmermans, vice president of the European Commission European Green Deal, went on to stress the importance of finding a central location.
“If we can do what I say – reduce our energy consumption in line with the rapid introduction of renewable energy – we will reduce our emissions faster than ever before,” he said.
“And again, we will have a slightly higher carbon footprint if people stick for a while on the coals, but we need to balance so that, in balance, we do not increase our emissions – hopefully lowering them further.”
Coal has a profound effect on the environment, as Greenpeace describes it as “the most polluting, most polluting of energy production.”
Elsewhere, the U.S. The Energy Information Administration lists emissions from coal-burning sources, including carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particles, and nitrogen oxide.
The European Commission’s declaration was criticized by many environmental organizations.
“These plans should accelerate the transformation of clean energy – but the latest European Commission’s strategy is giving one hand and taking with the other,” said Eilidh Robb, a campaign against mineral consumption at Friends of the Earth Europe, Eilidh Robb said.
“The so-called REPowerEU contains practical and necessary steps towards renewable solutions but at the same time undertake approximately 50 fossil fuel infrastructure projects and expansion,” said Robb.