May 21, 2022 07:22 PM
(This post was last modified: May 21, 2022 07:37 PM by C C.)
https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-...sil-fuels/
INTRO: Solar panels on every new home and a ban on fossil-fuel boilers by the end of the decade are among the proposals in a new EU plan to completely end the bloc’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
The European Commission has released its REPowerEU strategy, responding to the “double urgency” of dependence on Russia and climate change. In cutting ties with Moscow “well before 2030”, the strategy sees gas consumption in the EU falling by two-thirds – much faster than previously anticipated – and renewable power capacity doubling over the next eight years.
To help cut gas use more quickly, the commission proposes a higher 45% target for renewables’ share of the EU energy mix in 2030, up from the 40% goal proposed only last July. It also suggests a more ambitious target for energy savings, cutting demand 13% by 2030, from a 2020 reference point, instead of the current 9%.
While framing the plan as an acceleration of the EU’s climate strategy, the headline goal of cutting emissions to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 remains unchanged. Moreover, the detailed figures behind the commission’s proposals show that it expects coal use to fall more slowly under the new strategy, ending the decade 41% higher than previously planned to plug some of the gap left by gas.
The EU’s simultaneous scramble to expand fossil-fuel infrastructure both domestically and abroad has also come under fire. Of the €300bn the commission says will be needed for REPowerEU by 2030, 4% is pegged for new oil and gas pipelines and terminals.
The bundle of proposed legislation and more informal guidance that forms REPowerEU will now feed into on-going negotiations around the bloc’s climate policies.
In this Q&A, Carbon Brief explains the significance of these new plans, how they fit into existing EU climate targets, and the bloc’s broader international energy policies... (MORE - details, the Q&A)
INTRO: Solar panels on every new home and a ban on fossil-fuel boilers by the end of the decade are among the proposals in a new EU plan to completely end the bloc’s reliance on Russian fossil fuels.
The European Commission has released its REPowerEU strategy, responding to the “double urgency” of dependence on Russia and climate change. In cutting ties with Moscow “well before 2030”, the strategy sees gas consumption in the EU falling by two-thirds – much faster than previously anticipated – and renewable power capacity doubling over the next eight years.
To help cut gas use more quickly, the commission proposes a higher 45% target for renewables’ share of the EU energy mix in 2030, up from the 40% goal proposed only last July. It also suggests a more ambitious target for energy savings, cutting demand 13% by 2030, from a 2020 reference point, instead of the current 9%.
While framing the plan as an acceleration of the EU’s climate strategy, the headline goal of cutting emissions to 55% below 1990 levels by 2030 remains unchanged. Moreover, the detailed figures behind the commission’s proposals show that it expects coal use to fall more slowly under the new strategy, ending the decade 41% higher than previously planned to plug some of the gap left by gas.
The EU’s simultaneous scramble to expand fossil-fuel infrastructure both domestically and abroad has also come under fire. Of the €300bn the commission says will be needed for REPowerEU by 2030, 4% is pegged for new oil and gas pipelines and terminals.
The bundle of proposed legislation and more informal guidance that forms REPowerEU will now feed into on-going negotiations around the bloc’s climate policies.
In this Q&A, Carbon Brief explains the significance of these new plans, how they fit into existing EU climate targets, and the bloc’s broader international energy policies... (MORE - details, the Q&A)