Future of gas
MEPs back natural gas as a ‘bridge’ to 100% renewable hydrogen
Gas should be used as a bridging solution to produce hydrogen before green varieties made from renewable electricity become commercially available, according to a motion adopted in the European Parliament's environment committee.
‘Gas is over’, EU bank chief says
We need to face the reality that the future is no longer in fossil fuels and need to show credibility on that, said President of the European Investment Bank, Dr Werner Hoyer on Wednesday (20 January).
Nord Stream 2: Europe stays quiet while US ‘tramples over EU sovereignty’
With the recent adoption of its defence budget for 2021, the US has further tightened the screw on Nord Stream 2, threatening sanctions on EU companies involved in the Russian-backed pipeline and putting the future of the project further into uncertainty. EURACTIV France reports.
North of England homes to pilot hydrogen heating
More than 650 households and commercial properties in a village near Gateshead in the north of England will trial the use of blended green hydrogen to be used for heating, reports EURACTIV's media partner, edie.net.
Croatia kicks off LNG terminal in north Adriatic
Croatia's liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the northern Adriatic island of Krk began operations on Friday (1 January) amid the first delivery of gas, said the company which runs the unit.
Adaptation: a backdoor to the sustainable finance taxonomy for fossil gas?
While all eyes have been fixed on the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy’s climate change mitigation threshold, the parallel process for climate adaptation has received less attention – to potential detrimental effects, writes Jonas Helseth.
Energy utilities prepare to deliver new 2030 climate target
Now that the EU has raised its 2030 emissions reduction target from 40% to 55%, questions are being asked about how utility operators can make the changes necessary to transform the energy system.
EU countries agree to ‘rapidly upscale’ hydrogen market
Member states have set aside their divergences on renewable vs ‘low-carbon’ hydrogen to focus on efforts to “rapidly upscale the market for hydrogen at EU level”.
Gas wins recognition as ‘transitional technology’ to climate neutrality
The lower carbon intensity of natural gas – which produces half the emissions of coal when burned in power plants – and the emergence of new technologies like hydrogen are setting gas apart from other fossil fuels in the clean energy transition.
Fossil fuels axed from EU’s just transition fund, but loophole remains for gas
The European Parliament reached a provisional agreement with EU member states on Wednesday (9 December), which sees fossil fuels axed from the EU's just transition fund but finding their way back into EU regional development funding until 2025.
Which technologies should be in the EU’s climate action toolbox?
Experts disagree about which technologies should be used to meet the EU’s climate change targets.
Oil and gas majors sign up to ‘gold standard’ of methane reporting
Sixty-two major oil and gas companies on Monday (23 November) agreed to a new framework for monitoring, reporting and reducing methane emissions as part of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0.
EU Commission drafts world’s first ‘green list’ for sustainable investment
The European Commission on Friday (20 November) launched "the world’s first ever ‘green-list’" of sustainable economic activities for private investors by publishing draft guidelines under the EU's green finance taxonomy.
EU failed to properly assess climate risk of gas projects, watchdog says
The European Commission granted priority status to natural gas projects without properly assessing their impact on climate change, the European Union's Ombudsman said in a decision on Tuesday (17 November).
Oil and gas have been hit dramatically by COVID, speeding the transition out of them
COVID-19 has had a wide-ranging impact on oil and gas, with estimates showing that oil demand could peak as early as 2025, rather than 2040, and that gas will be a much shorter bridge into renewables, writes Simon Redmond and Elena Anankina.
Dangerous pipedream: how funding fossil gas risks blowing apart the EU Green Deal
MEPs should uphold the Green Deal and vote against subsidising gas in the upcoming Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs vote, writes Jeremy Wates and Magda Stoczkiewicz.
Green EU funding is decided, now it must be spent wisely, says energy commissioner
30% of the EU's €1.8 trillion budget and recovery plan for 2021-2027 will be made available for the green transition. That amount is no longer up for negotiation and the focus must now shift to spending it well, said Kadri Simson, the EU's energy commissioner.
EU set to deny gas power plants a green investment label
Power plants fuelled by natural gas will not be classed as a sustainable investment in Europe, unless they meet an emissions limit that none currently comply with, according to draft European Union regulations seen by Reuters.
Hydrogen trade hopes boosted by Australia-Germany deal
A bilateral agreement aimed at increasing German imports of hydrogen produced from solar power plants in Australia could set a milestone in efforts to establish a global hydrogen market.
Turkey extends east Med survey, Greece calls it an ‘illegal move’
Turkey has extended the seismic survey work of its Oruc Reis ship in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean until November 4 – a move that Greece condemned on Sunday (25 October) as "illegal".
Gas fields and tensions in the eastern Mediterranean
The discovery in recent years of huge natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has whetted the appetite of nearby countries but exacerbated geopolitical tensions between Turkey and its neighbours.
EU Commission paves way for regulating methane emissions in 2021
The European Commission has opted for a “holistic” approach to address the global warming impact of methane, putting the emphasis on international cooperation first before regulating emissions in sectors like energy and agriculture.
LEAK: EU’s draft methane strategy puts onus on data, reporting
A draft version of the European Commission’s methane strategy, expected to come out on Wednesday (14 October), doesn't set limits on methane emissions from fossil fuels, instead setting the stage for that to happen as of 2025.