The President of the European Commission has warned EU member states not to back down in their long-term attempt to reduce the use of fossil fuels, as Germany, Austria and the Netherlands have said they will ignite fossil fuel plants. coal after Russia moved to limit gas supply.
Ursula von der Leyen said governments should stay focused on “massive investment in renewable energy”.
“We need to make sure that we use this crisis to move forward and not have a backlog of crude fossil fuels,” he said in an interview. “It’s a fine line and it’s not determined if we’re going to turn right.”
Countries are concerned about further cuts in gas supplies, which EU leaders say have been orchestrated by the Kremlin.
The impending increase in coal use, albeit temporary, has fueled concerns that European countries may use the crisis to delay the switch to less polluting alternatives.
Rob Jetten, the Dutch Minister of Climate and Energy, said Monday that the country will change laws requiring coal stations to operate at a maximum of 35% of their capacity.
Germany and Austria on Sunday announced an emergency restart of shut-down coal plants after Russia cut North Stream 1 pipeline capacity by 60 percent last week. The gas pipeline, which crosses the Baltic Sea to Germany, is one of the main pipelines for Russian gas to Europe. EU officials are worried that Moscow may further cut supplies before the winter.
Russia has attributed the capacity cut to technical problems affecting the pipeline. However, it has declined to make up for the deficit through other pipelines.
A gas station from the Nord Stream 2 project stopped in Lubmin, Germany © Krisztian Bocsi / Bloomberg
Other EU countries, including Italy, are expected to follow Germany in restarting coal-fired power plants. Member States are facing growing economic pressures due to energy deficits, with European benchmark gas prices rising more than 50 percent last week. Gas is at least six times more expensive in the eurozone than before the pandemic.
Von der Leyen said the EU has “emergency measures” in place to respond to the threat of a fall in Russia’s supply, including energy saving measures and “prioritize” which industries receive gas. He praised Germany’s recent efforts to save energy, saying it was one of the EU’s most effective tools.
The chairman of the commission cited figures showing that European gas consumption had fallen by 9 per cent in the first quarter, compared to the same period last year. The industry has been reducing gas consumption in part in response to near-record prices. If consumers reduced thermostats by 2ºC, it could significantly reduce gas usage, he added.
The EU wants to accelerate plans to increase generation from renewable sources while finding ways to diversify its gas supplies, such as carrying cargoes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other regions.
Von der Leyen said the commission is doing everything possible to enable the EU in the future to say “we have made the right decisions”.
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Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has added urgency to EU plans to switch to renewable energy. Under the “REPowerEU” plan, the bloc aims to reduce dependence on Russian energy, diversify its gas sources and expand wind and solar capacity.
Von der Leyen highlighted a recent trip to the eastern Mediterranean where the EU expects gas supplies from the waters of Israel, Cyprus and Egypt to provide additional LNG for Europe.
He also said that producers such as Norway and Azerbaijan were “intensifying” increasing production to offer alternatives to the EU’s supply of Russian gas, which accounted for up to 40 percent of the bloc’s total pre-invasion of Ukraine.
REPowerEU would increase investment in renewable energy and streamline planning regulations so projects, including wind farms, can be built faster, he said.
“We now know that they are not only good for our climate, but also for our energy security and independence.”