Wind turbines and solar panels in the field in the Seine Maritime department of Normandy, France, on Monday, January 24, 2022. Photographer: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Photographer: Nathan Laine / Bloomberg via Getty Images
A global energy group has come up with a roadmap to help deal with dependent on natural gas from Russiathis has given President Vladimir Putin leverage over the European Union, making it more difficult to impose energy sanctions on the country. Invasion of Ukraine.
Plan of the International Energy Agency, a policy organization with members from 31 national governmentswould reduce the region’s dependence on Russian natural gas by a third in a year while still complying European Green Dealan EU agreement to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% from 1990 levels by 2030.
Its recommendations are similar to measures reported from the EU will cut Russia’s natural gas imports by 80% next year.
However, according to experts, getting rid of Russian natural gas will be difficult to do quickly. That is both because the EU is too dependent on the EU and because the EU has committed to limiting greenhouse gas emissions.
The EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2021, almost half (45%) of the gas imported and almost 40% of the total used, according to the IEA. Switching from burning natural gas to burning coal is a technically feasible quick fix, but it will not help the EU meet its climate goals.
The Withdrawal of IEA, named The “10-point plan to reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian natural gas”, is a set of actions designed to diversify Europe’s energy supplies, accelerate progress towards renewable energy and focus on energy efficiency.
IEA executive director Fatih Birol said: “No one is delusional anymore. written notice of the plan.
Here is a summary of the 10 recommendations:
No renewal of gas supply contracts with Russia. Currently, the EU has a contract with Gazprom, a Russian state-owned multinational energy corporation, that imports more than 15 billion cubic meters of gas per year. That contract expires at the end of the year. The EU should let that and other gas import contracts expire.
Replace expired contracts from Russia with contracts from other sources. Domestic natural gas production and imports from non-Russian sources, including from Azerbaijan and Norway, are expected to increase next year by up to 10 billion cubic meters from 2021. But the IEA said that the EU should go further and increase its imports liquid natural gas (LNG)is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state at about -260°F so that it can be more easily transported on ships or trucks.
The IEA also recommends that the EU increase the supply of biogas and biomethane, but these supply chains take time to develop. So, low carbon “green” hydrogen supply chains are created by electrolysis.
Store more gas. Gas storage gives any region a buffer of security in the event of a change of seasons, extreme events, or in this case war. The IEA will have operational storage capacity 90% filled by October 1 to keep homes warm during the winter.
Accelerate the deployment of renewable energy, such as wind and solar. In 2022, the EU is expected to increase its electricity generation from renewables by 15% compared with 2021 due to increased spending on new wind and solar power facilities as well as favorable weather patterns. The IEA recommends accelerating on-going renewable projects by addressing delays in permit processing. This will require more administrative staff, better communication between licensing authorities, setting clear deadlines, and going digital with applications.
Maintain existing nuclear status and operate bioenergy plants at maximum scale. Some of the existing nuclear reactors in Europe have been taken offline in 2021 for maintenance and safety checks, but when those power plants are back up and running this year, they will be added. to the production of clean energy. Nuclear power plants, once they are built, will generate energy without emitting any greenhouse gases. Additionally, commercial levels of nuclear power are expected to begin at Finland’s new nuclear plant in 2022, which will help meet the region’s emissions targets.
A handful of nuclear power reactors are already set to go offline in 2022 and 2023, but if those continue to operate that will reduce EU demand for gas. Russian nature.
In addition, bioenergy power plants operating at only 50% of capacity need to be fully fueled and operated at full capacity.
Protect vulnerable customers. When energy prices are high, energy companies do well, while some customers often experience economic difficulties. The EU should be prepared to help low-income customers pay their high energy bills. One way to account for the current high energy price market is to impose a temporary tax on excessive profits from energy companies and use the proceeds to pay energy bills to high-income users. low input.
Accelerate the replacement of gas boilers with heat pumps. The IEA calls on the EU to speed up the replacement of gas furnaces with domestic heat pumps.
Doubling the rate of indoor heat pump installations will cost the region $16.3 billion (€15 billion) and it will save an additional 2 billion cubic meters of gas in the first year. Ideally, the IEA said it would be ideal to increase energy efficiency projects in homes at the same time.
Accelerate energy efficiency programs for industrial buildings and facilities. Currently, about 1% of EU buildings are retrofitted to be more energy efficient each year. To maximize impact, the region should focus on improving the efficiency of the least efficient homes and buildings that are uninhabited.
In addition, the IEA recommends accelerating the installation of smart thermostats to reduce energy requirements. For example, adoption could be accelerated by providing subsidies to households to install one.
Ask the public to reduce their heat. Most buildings average close to 72 degrees Fahrenheit, and asking consumers to lower their temperatures by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1 degree Celsius, could potentially reduce gas demand by 10 billion dollars. cubic meters.
Strengthen the low emission grid reliability mechanism. The IEA recommends that the EU focus on increasing grid flexibility both in terms of resilience to seasonal changes and the ability to handle short-term demand spikes. Currently, it manages ebbs and flows in the energy grid demand with stored natural gas.
Improving grid reliability and flexibility in the future will depend on a diverse portfolio of responses, including battery technology and other large-scale, long-term energy storage technologies. Some of the low carbon produced in the EU such as biomethane, low carbon hydrogen and synthetic methane could be part of improving grid reliability, but they will not be enough to meet the overall energy demand. .
Remarkably, the IEA’s plan pales in comparison to news of another plan reported from the EU on Tuesday, that would cut Russia’s natural gas imports by 80% next year.
