The European Commission president warned EU member states to not backtrack on their long-term drive to curb fossil gas use, saying governments ought to keep firmly targeted on “massive investment in renewables”.
Ursula von der Leyen spoke after Russia’s choice final week to chop pipeline provides prompted Germany and Austria to spice up coal use in a bid to protect fuel shares. Countries concern extra cuts to provides by Moscow and a doable disaster in power provides over winter.
The imminent rise in coal use, even when short-term, has stoked concern {that a} host of member states might use the disaster to delay the swap to much less polluting options.
“We have to make sure that we use this crisis to move forward and not to have a backsliding on the dirty fossil fuels,” she mentioned in an interview. “It’s a fine line, and it’s not determined whether we are going to take the right turn.”
The Netherlands turned the newest EU nation to announce plans to briefly enhance coal use with a view to stave off fuel shortages this winter. Rob Jetten, local weather and power minister, mentioned on Monday that the nation would change legal guidelines that require coal-fired stations to function at a most of 35 per cent of capability.
Germany and Austria introduced the emergency restart of mothballed coal crops on Sunday after Russia minimize capability on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 60 per cent final week. The pipeline, which runs by way of the Baltic Sea to Germany, is among the primary conduits for Russian fuel to Europe and officers are involved Russia might make additional provide cuts earlier than winter.
Russia has blamed the capability minimize on technical points affecting the road which were exacerbated by western sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. However, it has declined to make up the shortfall by way of different pipeline routes.
Other EU international locations, together with Italy, are anticipated to announce comparable plans to Germany. Member states are dealing with mounting financial strain due to the power shortfalls, with benchmark European fuel costs up greater than 50 per cent previously week. Gas is not less than six instances dearer within the eurozone than it was earlier than the pandemic.
Von der Leyen mentioned the EU has “emergency steps in place” to reply to the specter of falling provide from Russia, together with power financial savings measures and “prioritising” which industries obtain fuel. She singled out for reward the German authorities’s proposals, saying conserving power was some of the efficient instruments the EU has right now.
The fee president cited figures exhibiting that European consumption of fuel had already fallen by 9 per cent within the first quarter, in contrast with the identical interval final yr. Industry has been decreasing consumption partly in response to near-record costs for pure fuel. If shoppers turned thermostats down by 2C it might make a major additional distinction by way of fuel use, she mentioned.
The EU needs to speed up plans to extend era from renewable sources whereas discovering methods to diversify its fuel provides corresponding to bringing in seaborne cargoes of liquefied pure fuel (LNG) from different areas.
Von der Leyen mentioned the fee was doing every part doable in order that the EU will in future be capable of say “we made the right choices. We invested massively in renewables.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February added momentum to plans to quickly increase renewables capability, which was already taking form after the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Under the “RepowerEU” plan, the bloc not goals to chop reliance on Russian power, diversify its sources of fuel and increase wind and photo voltaic capability.
Von der Leyen highlighted a current journey to the Eastern Mediterranean the place the EU hopes rising fuel provides from the waters of Israel, Cyprus and Egypt might finally present extra LNG provides for Europe.
She additionally mentioned producers corresponding to Norway and Azerbaijan had been “stepping up” by rising output to provide the EU options to Russian fuel provides, which made up as a lot as 40 per cent of the EU complete earlier than the invasion.
But she mentioned a very powerful pillar of RepowerEU was to significantly enhance funding in renewable power as rapidly as doable and streamline planning laws so initiatives together with wind farms could be arrange extra rapidly.
“We know by now they’re not only good for our climate, but also good for our energy security and independence.”
