Eight EU states make case for natural gas industry
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Eight EU countries published a joint position paper to highlight the potential of natural gas in the European strategy towards a net-zero emissions policy. The document is signed by Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.
The proposal calls for a transition away from coal power, which is the most widely used form of energy generation in the Balkan and Eastern European regions, arguing that natural gas and other decarbonised gases can substantially reduce the emissions.
The paper says that gas can be a strategic contributor to the emissions objectives laid out in the EU Green Deal by providing a viable alternative to coal-dependent technologies. “Natural gas can curtail greenhouse gas emissions (60% less CO2 than coal) but also of dusts and other pollutants such as NOx and SOx (up to 99% less than coal),” claim the countries in their common position.
Meanwhile, the natural gas industry is also readying itself for a transition to other sources such as biomethane and hydrogen, which can use the same infrastructure. In their official statement, the eight countries make the case for a wider energy mix besides wind and solar solutions.
“Bio-methane has a neutral greenhouse gas emission impact,” reads the paper, “It provides the fastest and the most affordable intermediate path to a less carbon-intensive economy, an improvement of air quality (reducing premature deaths due to air pollution) and allows for gradual and effective contribution to EU’s climate neutrality by 2050.”
Some environmental organisations, however, were critical of the demands proposed in the document. Campaigner for fossil-free sources Tara Connolly urged the EC to move away from any support for gas: “Investing in gas pipelines to cut carbon emissions is like buying menthol cigarettes to stop smoking,” said the activist.
Others have adopted a more conciliatory tone, noting that the joint declaration raises legitimate concerns over the speed of the transition to net-zero strategy and the social and economic effects of the changeover.
“This paper suggests that countries across Europe start thinking about how to get ready for a world where we need to replace fossil gas.,” said Lisa Fischer from climate think-tank E3G. “This is something we would not have expected a couple of years ago.”
The document titled ‘Role of natural gas in climate-neutral Europe’ is published here.
