Credit: Olga Makina
energy report
Delivering a cleaner energy future
Energy priorities of the European Commission Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy outlines the role of member states and the energy system in achieving the EU’s raised ambitions on climate change. The 2019 European Green Deal recognised the need to fundamentally transform the EU’s energy system, states Simson, highlighting that 75 per cent of all the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the energy sector and that this is a priority area if Europe is to be carbon neutral by 2050. In September, the European Commission stepped up its ambitions by proposing the new 2030 Climate Target Plan which saw an increase in ambition for the greenhouse gas reduction to 2030 of at least 55 per cent, which Simson believes has added “further urgency to the green energy transition”. Setting out the significance of the ambition shift, Simson explains: “It also means that by 2030 electrification needs to reach 40 per cent and the rate of building renovation has to double.
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Additionally, 24 per cent of transport will have to be powered by renewable fuels. Oil consumption must be reduced by almost one third and natural gas consumption must be reduced by one quarter. “We know reaching a 55 per cent reduction is doable but it will require massive changes and actions in all sectors. We will not only need to change but we will need to change fast,” states the Commissioner. Highlighting that to date the power sector has led the way in decarbonisation, making it the most decarbonised system in the world, Simson says that the level of ambition will require action on other fronts as well. In June, the European Commission presented the strategies for energy system integration and hydrogen, the
first of which sets out the main characteristics of the energy system of the future and the other which looks at the role of renewable hydrogen in that system. Simson highlights that these strategies also provide solutions to how other sectors can follow the lead of the energy generation sector. On 14 October, the Commission published its Renovation Wave Strategy, which aims to double renovation rates over the next decade, making sure that renovations lead to higher energy and resources efficiency. It’s estimated that by 2030, 35 million buildings could be renovated in Europe, with an additional 160,000 green jobs created in the construction sector. Additionally, Simson confirms that by November, the EU will launch a European offshore renewable energy strategy, aimed at giving a strategic
