“Short-, mid- & long-terms: the 3 strategic phases to decarbonise the EU and strengthen its security of supply”

December 21, 2022

GIEnergy Shot Workshop

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On 13 December, high-level experts from the European Commission, Wind, Energy Trading, and Academic sectors joined the gas infrastructure operators from the whole EU for a strategic workshop. During that two-hour discussion, different pathways and solutions to support the EU through these unprecedented challenges were assessed.

The event was moderated by Anne Sophie Corbeau, Global Research Scholar at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, who framed the strategic session with an expert hand. This initiative builds on the outcome of a strategic board of GIE held in September.

Torben Brabo, GIE President opened the discussion by setting up the scene: “The European Union is facing unprecedented challenges where all regions, sectors, generations and genders must collaborate to maintain the cap towards our climate and economic objectives. Sequencing our strategy in 3 phases is essential for a successful transition. The workshop is the occasion to pursue our efforts to enhance communication between market players to define efficient, sustainable and integrated solutions for Europe.”

Traders’ insights
The first session tackled the short-term dimension with a special focus on market evolutions. Doug Wood, Member of the EFET Gas Committee and Chair of the Gas Committee presented the perspective of the traders. “The proposal to introduce a price cap on TTF carries represents a severe risk of unintended side-effects: a migration of trades to uncapped markets, greater price volatility, and more companies unable to meet margining or credit requirements.  We should stop and think how we can better protect vulnerable consumers in the short and medium term.” Explained Doug. “Is the market working? Yes! Today, many people are suggesting that the market is broken. But it works well. The current crisis is due to a physical gas shortage. It is, therefore, essential to increase supply and reduce demand. Challenges are so complex that we cannot solve them alone in a dark room. The Market Correction mechanism proposed is generating some concerns and requires further investigation.”

The European Commission’s perspective
By providing the perspective from the DG ENER of the European Commission, Maciej Ciszewski, Deputy Head of Unit, Global Demand and International Negotiations (ENER.TF.1) as part of the Energy Platform Task Force (EPTF) completed the picture drawn by EFET: “We are at a very difficult juncture. We were successful in some of the instruments that were launched this year, but 2023 and beyond, will still be difficult. We have been well prepared for this winter thanks to efforts on the gas supply side, high storage levels and demand reduction measures. On the supply side, it is good to see that the European Energy Platform is becoming operational. And cooperation will be essential along the way. Today’s workshop is a good example of that.” Maciej stressed that some improvements were made in energy transparency and that the support from the industry was a contributor to that. This work should continue.

Enhancing Market Transparency
“Efforts for energy transparency are of prime importance in such an exceptional and difficult situation.” reminded Anne-Sophie Corbeau. GIE data and transparency experts David Defour and Bogdan Simion presented the progress on GIE Transparency platforms. The audience could benefit from a live demo of their most recent tools, which provide an interactive and user-friendly interface. “The coverage was always increasing. Today, we cover 100% of the EU LNG infrastructure with ALSI and more than 98,5% for underground gas storage with AGSI.”

Natural gas’ role in the transitional period
The second session focused on the midterm and the role of natural gas and the transition towards Hydrogen and Biomethane. Anne-Sophie welcomed Erik Kolstø, GIE Board Member, who presented GIE and Deloitte joint report on CEE&SEE decarbonisation. “This in-depth analysis presents the decarbonisation pathways undertaken by the EU Member States from the central and south-eastern European region. The role of gases (natural gas, hydrogen and biomethane) is well documented. There are limited publications on this topic and the report, published on 16 November 2022, aims to fill this gap. It highlights that the EU Member States of the region have a high share of energy-intensive economies, where coal and oil keep playing a signification role in the consumption mix, and with an important dependency on imports from Russia. The report covers all 14 Member States (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia). It is divided into two chapters under an easy-to-read format: Regional Analysis (including a sector analysis) and Country Analysis (individual country sheets).”

Wind, Hydrogen and underground gas storage: a promising cocktail
The third part of the workshop enabled Wind and Hydrogen market players to tackle the long-term vision, therefore bringing your knowledge on the latest and future developments of the electricity sector in the EU. Giles Dickson, CEO at WindEurope, presented the Wind perspective. He explained that several projects are already being developed which connect wind (onshore and offshore) to H2 production; Governments should encourage such projects. Besides, governments should also use CCfDs to incentivise investments in renewable H2. He  reminded that Wind generation is around 15% of total EU generation which means a wind capacity of about 195, from which a majority is onshore. He stressed that we must reach 510 GW by 2030.

Christopher Andrey, Director at Artelys joined the discussion to deliver a teaser of Artelys’ study on Hydrogen storage that will be officially launched on 10 January 2023 at the GIE workshop “Showcasing the pathways & values of underground hydrogen storage” taking place from 10:00 to 13:00 CET in NH Brussels EU Berlaymont Hotel. “Hydrogen storage has multiple values: its flexibility notably enables a reduction of hydrogen production costs, a decrease of GHG emissions, and higher levels of security of supply. Importantly, the hydrogen system is not to be considered in isolation: it has strong interlinkages with the electricity and methane systems, both at the planning and operational levels. To define the way hydrogen systems can contribute to the energy transition, it is essential that policymakers adopt a holistic perspective in planning exercises. The value of underground gas storage in improving the efficiency of the entire energy system should be recognised.”

Torben Brabo concluded: “The use of natural gas in sectors hard to electrify and in providing the necessary predictability in balancing renewables’ unpredictability should go hand in hand with gas decarbonisation.”

Note to editors

Who is GIE?

Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE) is the association representing the interests of European gas infrastructure operators active in gas transmission, gas storage and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification. GIE is a trusted partner of European institutions, regulatory bodies and industry stakeholders. It is based in Brussels, the heart of European policymaking. GIE currently represents 70 member companies from 26 countries. GIE’s vision is that by 2050, the gas infrastructure will be the backbone of the new innovative energy system, allowing European citizens to benefit from a secure, efficient and sustainable energy supply.