Energy for a Changing World

Wednesday, the European Commission issued a set of documents shaping an energy policy for the EU aiming at a sustainable, competitive and secure energy supply. This framework has also an objective to CO₂ emissions. The documents refer to the issues, the possible solutions and their effects on reducing CO₂ emissions.

The package is built on three basic pillars, a true internal energy market, accelerating the shift to low carbon energy and energy efficiency; it consists of the following documents:

• An energy policy for Europe
• Renewable energy road map
• Report on progress on renewable electricity
• Biofuels progress report
• Prospects for the internal gas and electricity market
• Priority interconnection action plan
• Draft nuclear illustrative programme
• Sustainable power generation from fossil fuels: aiming at near-zero emissions by 2020
• Towards a European Strategic Energy Technology Action Plan

The Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (already published on the 19^th of October 2006) is included as an essential element. Energy efficiency is once again stressed as the primary track to follow towards a sustainable energy future. Its potential 20% primary energy savings against baseline by 2020, means that the Energy Efficiency Action Plan alone would allow the EU to consume 13% less energy in absolute terms than today.

The Action Plan on Energy Efficiency (already published on the 19 of October 2006) is included as an essential element. Energy efficiency is once again stressed as the primary track to follow towards a sustainable energy future. Its potential 20% primary energy savings against baseline by 2020, means that the Energy Efficiency Action Plan alone would allow the EU to consume 13% less energy in absolute terms than today.

The shift to low carbon energy involves a proposal from the commission for a binding target of 20% share for renewable energy sources in the overall energy mix. This is complemented with a binding target of 10% biofuels in car fuels. These targets require a huge growth in all the three sectors for renewable sources: electricity, biofuels and heating and cooling. The reaction of the Council to this proposal remains to be seen, especially regarding the binding targets.

The European Energy Technology Action Plan will be a fundamental instrument to meet the objectives as it will enable new technologies for renewable energies and for carbon capture and storage. The Commission also believes that by 2020 all new coal-fired power plants should have CO₂ carbon capture and storage – but does not mention the old ones.

The new impetus that the Commission intends to give to the internal energy market includes a set of measures to remove the barriers and achieve a genuinely competitive European electricity market. The Commission identifies the internal energy market as the policy line that ensures fair, though not necessarily lower energy prices to consumers.

The priority interconnection action plan is most welcome as it has an essential role speeding up investments and tackling the current key bottlenecks.

This framework is taken by some as very ambitious but others deem it will not be enough. The resources to implement this comprehensive set of measures are currently not available. Member states do not have sufficient technical expertise to effectively implement some of the measures. And the Commission may not have the necessary staff allocated to such a thorough plan. For the Action Plan on Energy Efficiency alone, the Commission estimated that it would need 20 extra staff members.

We all recognize it as a huge challenge within the next 13 years, but when achieved, it will establish Europe as a world-class efficient and clean economy.