EU shifts energy infrastructure funding away from gas, into electricity grids

(EurActiv, 16 Dec 2020) The European Commission on Tuesday (15 December) proposed rules to restrict EU funding for natural gas infrastructure and instead funnel cash into electricity and low-carbon energy networks to meet climate goals.

The EU’s Trans-European Energy Networks rules, or TEN-E, define which cross-border energy projects are eligible to receive EU funding and fast-tracked permits.

The Commission on Tuesday proposed to rewrite those rules, which guided €4.7 billion in EU cash to cross-border energy projects over the last decade, including power grids and gas pipelines.

The proposal excludes dedicated oil and gas infrastructure from the rules, confirming draft plans previously reported by Reuters.

“The closer we move to our climate neutrality target, the more natural gas will be replaced by renewables and low-carbon gases,” EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said, referring to the bloc’s goal to eliminate its net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

“Our policy objectives have changed with the Green Deal,” Simson told lawmakers in the European Parliament’s industry and energy committee. “From now to 2030, we estimate that investments in electricity grids will have to double, compared to the last decade, reaching more than €50 billion per year,” she said in a speech to MEPs.

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EurActiv, 16 Dec 2020: EU shifts energy infrastructure funding away from gas, into electricity grids