Despite REPowerEU’s focus on the need to reduce fossil-gas consumption and diversify fossil-gas supplies in the 2030 perspective, the EU has not gone as far as to explicitly draw a pathway out of fossil gas. Alternatives to fossil gas such as biomethane and renewable hydrogen are also being strongly supported in the very short term, while no impact assessment has been carried out to assess the sustainability and trade-offs of such a strategy.
In the context of the ongoing legislative processes on gas-market legislation and ahead of upcoming debates on the EU's 2040 climate ambitions, there is a growing urgency to make sure no investments are made into future technological lock-ins which could compromise the achievement of the climate targets. A fundamental rethinking of the projected role of fossil gas as a "bridge fuel" to a clean economy is imperative.
This one-hour webinar will present the key findings from a new report by Agora Energiewende, outlining a vision for a complete fossil gas phase-out pathway for the EU, covering the energy, buildings and industry sectors based on modelling work carried out by Artelys, TEP Energy and Wuppertal Institute. We will discuss the key policy implications for the EU’s gas-related policy initiatives as well as initiate a conversation for the upcoming 2040 climate targets debate.
