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BRUSSELS, Belgium, October 11, 2006 (Refocus
Weekly)
The European Commission will propose a long-term
‘road map’ for renewable energies by the end of this year, as part
of “the most important and ambitious energy package it has ever
presented.”
“Should we agree a medium-term (2030) and long term (2050) target
for low carbon energy in the EU's overall mix, with an emphasis on
this being locally produced,” energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs
asked a public hearing. “Subject to minimum agreed common action to
support renewable energy, should the choice of how Member States
meet their resulting minimum local low carbon energy objectives in
terms of their own energy mix be left to subsidiarity?” he asked.
The meeting discussed the green paper on a European energy policy,
and creating a real policy “will not be achieved overnight; it will
require a sustained and determined effort,” he explained. “The first
step, and probably the most important, will be the energy package
for the end of this year and, in particular, the strategic energy
review” that is a unique chance to put Europe on a path to a
sustainable energy future.
“It is self-evident that to achieve these objectives, Europe will
need more renewable energy,” he added. “Thus, should the Long-term
Renewables Road Map that will be put forward at the end of this year
provide for longer term, more ambitious targets? If so, how high
should these targets be and what form should they take?”
The energy package was requested by heads of state at a summit, and
producing a package can only be done on the basis of a full and wide
public and expert consultation. At the end of this year, the EC will
table the road map for renewables and the EU Strategic Energy Review
to provide a vision, as well as an internal energy market review, a
priority interconnection and infrastructure plan, a communication on
sustainable coal and a communication on nuclear energy.
An action plan on energy efficiency will also be tabled by the
Commission, as well as a strategic energy technology plan to be
introduced next year.
“At present, we are being outpaced in terms of low carbon research,
in particular by the U.S.,” he said. “We are the only area in the
world putting a price on carbon and we let other regions take the
lead in developing the technologies that will exploit the resulting
economic opportunities; we need to reverse this, making sure that
Europe is the global centre of low carbon research and development.”
“In order to achieve the very ambitious renewable goals I mentioned,
will large-scale off-shore wind be necessary?” and will that require
an off-shore European electricity supergrid and the completion of
the Mediterranean electricity ring, he asked. “This would require us
to also rethink how to finance such projects in terms of Energy
Trans-European Network funding and in terms of renewable energy
support schemes.”
“I firmly believe that climate change will become - or already is -
the most important and pressing global challenge facing the world,”
he explained. “The science behind global warming is clear and its
consequences are becoming ever more apparent.”
“The real issue regarding global warming is that we can act today to
bring it under control; if we do not, its disastrous effects will
not be felt by us, but by our children and grandchildren,” he added.
“In order to properly react to climate change, by 2050 the EU will
need to source the clear majority of its energy use from carbon free
sources, as will other countries; this has to be the backbone of
Europe's energy policy.”
“An over-reliance on imported hydrocarbons makes no sense; Europe
needs to manage the risk to its economy posed by high and
fluctuating oil and gas prices both now and in particular in the
future,” he said. “Diversifying our energy portfolio meets this
need.”
“The EU has already taken the lead in providing solutions to this
challenge,” including setting ambitious targets for renewables and
introducing a carbon trading scheme, but he said the continent must
build by agreeing on goals which progressively increase the
proportion of low carbon energy in the overall energy mix. There
must be a step change on energy efficiency because Europe has not
succeeded in harnessing the 20% cost-effective energy savings
potential that exists.
“In addition to the fact that increasing the level of carbon-free
and local energy boosts Europe's energy security, for me it is self
evident that it is only a question of time before the remainder of
the world also takes real and decisive steps to reduce carbon
emissions,” he concluded. “Low carbon technologies; wind, biofuels,
carbon sequestration and nuclear but to name a few, will expand
exponentially in terms of global trade. The world regions with
technological leadership in these areas will be well placed indeed.”
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