Energy, Environment & Transport Pro Brief |
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Thu 24 October 2024 | View online
Estimated reading time: 4-5 minutes |
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Good morning , And welcome toThursday 24 October’s daily Energy, Environment and Transport Pro Brief.
Today we speak with Austrian energy minister and ‘Friends of Renewables’ co-founder Leonore Gewessler.
And the EU’s latest Innovation Fund funding round picked some technologies you will know, like hydrogen and CCS, and some you may not, like tidal stream power.
Here are our other top stories for the day:
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An inside look in the EU’s alliance of pro-renewables countries |
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Nikolaus J. Kurnayer sat down with Austria’s Leonore Gewessler to talk about what made the energy minister create Europe’s ‘Friends of Renewables’ group, and to hear how she sees the tension with pro-nuclear countries unfolding.
The green politician says that “nuclear energy is fighting somewhat with the courage of the desperate,” given its decreasing share in the energy mix – but nuclear countries remain “very vocal and take up a lot of space, of course backed by a large industry.”
“In the end, it is also about the fight for investments and public funds from the EU pots,” she notes. |
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While she herself is unlikely to return to govern following Austria’s September elections, the future of the EU’s renewables framework beyond 2030 “will be a very intensive discussion for the next Commission,” says Gewessler. [NK] |
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€4.2 billion of EU ETS revenues go to industry – with lots of CCS |
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Each year, the EU’s Innovation Fund regularly distributes the revenues accumulated by the EU’s CO2 price to innovative clean energy projects.
The latest funding round, announced yesterday by the Commission, awarded €4.2 billion to a range of projects.
Notably, a host of CCS projects are in line for receiving grants. CO2 capture facilities in Germany, France, Denmark, Hungary and Italy were selected, alongside subsea CO2 storage projects in Norway, Spain and the Netherlands.
In all, these projects can store upwards of 5 million tonnes of CO2, or 13% of the EU’s 2030 target, of 50 million tonnes per year.
For the first time, projects in Estonia and Slovakia were selected, bumping the number of EU countries covered to 17. Industrial powerhouses which have yet to secure a win include Czechia, Bulgaria and Romania. They will continue to pay into the ETS without receiving any return via the Innovation Fund.
“This shows once again how the EU ETS is a great tool in reducing emissions and funding the projects we need to build a climate-neutral and competitive EU,” said the designated Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra. [NK] |
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High water mark for French tidal power projects |
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The Commission announced yesterday that the EU Innovation Fund will fund two tidal power projects, off the coast of the French region of Normandy.
The two demonstration projects, NH1 and Flowatt will deliver 12MW and 17.MW of capacity respectively, and are intended to progress tidal energy technology and unlock further deployments.
Tidal stream turbines operate much like their wind counterparts, but underwater.
The technology is at an early stage, and the maritime environment creates extra operational and technical challenges. But funders continue to support the technology, attracted by its promise of fully predictable renewable energy.
In its 2020 Offshore Renewable Strategy, the Commission targeted 100MW of wave and tidal energy deployments by 2025 and around one GW by 2030. [DC] |
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Habeck’s vision for a green, successful Germany |
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Jasper Steinlein reports on Robert Habeck’s proposals to cut German electricity taxes to the EU minimum, and to leverage the country's climate commitment to attract business and investment, all set out in the German economic minister‘s vision paper published on Wednesday.
The paper called 'Update for the economy – a roadmap for a modernisation agenda’ is essentially a sharp assessment of Germany’s and Europe's current economic situation. Several chapters elaborate on Habeck’s vision of where to go from here, one of them titled “Winning the European Way” with references to EU policies throughout the paper.
In terms of projects and policies, the paper lacks any substantial new proposals, apart from a 'German fund' (Deutschlandfonds) jointly funded by federal and state governments.
German economic think tanks were quick to pick up the proposal for their assessment. Jasper Steinlein, however, says that the political context means that the plans are unlikely to come to fruition anytime soon. |
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Europe is betting big on biogas. By 2030 the Commission wants the EU to be producing 35 billion cubic metres (bcm) annually of the organic matter-derived gas.
But much work remains to be done. According to the industry association EBA, in 2024 Europe has capacity to produce just 5.2 bcm of biomethane annually.
In a new report released this morning, the industry is saying that certification can help close the gap.
A report by S&P Global Commodity Insights, and commissioned by a coalition of biogas representative groups, says that certification and tracking schemes can help boost investment and demand, by providing clear and reliable figures for the emissions savings associated with each unit of gas.
The report cites a number of operational or soon-to-be-operational certification schemes within the EU, but industry now want the international ‘GHG Protocol’ to contain explicit guidance on biogas.
Industry say that the move would help unlock the large international market for voluntary emission reductions. [DC] |
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Activist Paul Watson’s prison stay extended for another 3 weeks |
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Paul Watson, founder of the marine protection NGO Sea Shepard, has been imprisoned in Greenland since 21 July, following an international arrest warrant issued by Japan over a decade ago, due to his anti-whaling campaigns in the Antarctic.
On Wednesday 23 October, after a fourth court hearing in Nuuk, the Canadian captain learnt that he will now have to wait until 13 November to find out his fate. Japan is still asking for him to be extradited, while around a hundred elected representatives in France have sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron asking him to grant Watson political asylum. [NC] |
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One in ten people globally could be ‘climate refugees’ by 2050 |
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Over the next 25 years globally one billion people, or one in 10 by 2050, could be forcibly displaced by climate-change induced disasters, according to a report released yesterday by three individuals with backgrounds in environmental movements.
According to the report, the Earth’s equatorial belt, which runs through Australia, Africa, India, the Pacific and Central and Latin America, is projected to see average annual temperatures rise above 29 degrees Celsius, making living conditions almost impossible and forcing people to migrate. [NC] |
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Incoming commissioners give further clues on their priorities |
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Yesterday, the written submissions from the incoming Commissioner’s to the Parliament gave more clarity on what will be keeping Brussels stakeholders busy for upcoming coming cycle.
While most of the hopefuls largely stuck close to their mission letters from Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Euractiv picked up the most relevant nuggets of information and insights that slipped through.
Yesterday’s Pro Brief presented Wopke Hoekstra’s laser focus on the transport sector.
Meanwhile, in a likely bid to placate technology supporters in the Parliament, designated energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen has learnt to love nuclear power.
Likely transport commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas is radiating 2019 vibes. His written submission borrows heavily from the Green Deal’s decarbonisation focus.
Teresa Ribera, executive vice president for Europe’s transition, has shifted and is now with the majority of European countries in supporting tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports.
And while competition may not have been part of her initial vision for the role, yesterday’s submission makes clear that she has embraced the file and wants to go ‘faster and further’ on state aid.
Meanwhile designated Commissioners Stéphane Séjourné and Jessika Roswall gave a coordinated double-act on chemicals, with the pair in agreement on the need to simplify rules for the sector. [DC] |
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Podcast: Commissioners hearings - What to expect |
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Today’s brief was brought to you by Euractiv’s Energy, Environment & Transport team |
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Today’s briefing was prepared by the Energy, Environment and Transport team: Donagh Cagney, Nathan Canas, Paul Messad, Nikolaus J.Kurmayer and Bárbara Machado, but not with the keen eyes of any proofreaders. Share your feedback or information with us at digital@euractiv.com. |
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