Gas grid plans in European countries fail to reflect consumption decline needed to reach climate targets – report
Clean Energy Wire
Current plans for gas networks in European countries largely fail to account for the necessary decline in gas consumption in the coming years as states try to reach climate targets, according to a report by the Institute for Applied Ecology (Öko-Institut) and the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP). “This misalignment poses a substantial barrier to the transition towards a sustainable energy system and underscores the need for more holistic planning,” said the organisations.
“Over the past several years, fossil gas demand has shown little to no decline” in most countries included in the report, the researchers found. They criticised the fact that grid planning too often relied on historical consumption patterns and failed to include broader climate objectives or heat planning initiatives. They recommended the introduction of national phase-out targets, net zero mandates for energy regulators, and the adaptation of relevant regulatory frameworks.
The organisations analysed plans in Denmark, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Italy to take stock of their distribution systems, the various regulations associated with these systems, the alignment of network planning and climate scenarios, and consumer protection.
Fossil gas must largely be phased out as an energy source as the European Union's supply mix shifts to become climate neutral by 2050, bringing the focus onto existing infrastructure. The German government this year kickstarted the planning for a gradual decommissioning of the country’s gas distribution network in order to organise a smooth transition to climate-neutral heating for consumers and operators.
Energy and climate think tank Agora Energiewende said last year that the gas pipeline network is set to become largely obsolete with the move to climate neutral energy sources, and that the country needed to ensure an orderly retirement of its gas distribution grid to avoid enormous costs for consumers and billions of euros of stranded assets for operators.
