Round table: COVENANT OF MAYORS(Energy policy of EU)

Varna – 10th -12th September 2014

Definition

• The Covenant of Mayors is the mainstream European movement involving local and regional authorities, voluntarily committing to increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy sources on their territories. By their commitment, Covenant signatories aim to meet and exceed the European Union 20% CO2 reduction objective by 2020.

World Energy Production

World Energy Production by Region (%)

World Energy Production by Fuel (%)

World Final Energy Consumption

World Final Energy Consumption by Region (%)

World CO2 Emissions by Region (%)

EU-28 Energy Import Dependency by FuelEU-28 Energy Import Dependency by Fuel – 1995-2012 (%)

EU-28 Imports* by Country of Origin

Renewable Energy Targets

EU energy policy

• To minimize carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere in order to fight the risk of climate change

• To increase the safety of the EU’s energy supplies through limiting its dependence upon fossil fuels (oil, gas...) and enhancing solidarity between Member States, in particular in crisis situations

• To complete the construction of the internal electricity and gas markets through their further integration at European level and connecting them with the neighbouring regions (Mediterranean, Russia).

EU energy policy

Now, energy context has changed under the combined influence of three factors:

● The particularly severe economic and financial crisis in the Southern European countries.

● The energy revolution in the US through the development of non-conventional gas and oil resources.

● The nuclear accident at Fukushima and its market-related consequences on the worldwide civil nuclear industry

Future Energy Policy for Europe

The European Commission adopted, on 22 January 2014,a White Paper on Energy Policy until 2030 at the level of the 28 Member States.

The target is to reach 27% share of renewable energies in the European energy mix without imposing a binding objective on each Member State, to the contrary of the 20% target set for 2020.

(Initially, the forced deployment of renewable energy sources was seen as an effective way to improve energy security and cost as well as addressing climate change. Unfortunately it has seriously increased electricity prices and - in certain Member States - by giving renewable electricity priority access to the grid)

Future Energy Policy for Europe

Three main reasons are:

● To integrate large shares of renewable energies of an intermittent nature into the European electric system.

● To enhance energy solidarity within the EU through mutual assistance between Member States and the neighbouring countries and regions in the field of electricity.

● To complete the integration of the Internal electricity market at European level.

Future Energy Policy for Europe

EU have to rebalance the focus of energy policy

from sustainability to competitiveness.

Europe leads the world in energy effciency but lags behind most of the world in the cost of energy. The priority should first be to maintain leadership in energy intensity, then to reduce the cost of that energy, and lastly to reduce carbon

Transport, as a big consumer - to continue improvement in fuel economy through downsizing, boosting and hybridazing internal combustion engine and by increasing the use of competitive biofuels and electricity

Future Energy Policy for Europe

• The lesson to learn from the USA is that switching from coal to gas can have at least as big an impact on emissions as extensive programmes to promote renewables.

(the emission factors are respectively 439 and 247 gCO2/kWh)

• Europe is surrounded by competitive natural gas supplies – including those from Norway, Russia, the Caspian Sea, North Africa, the Middle East and potentially the Eastern Mediterranean.

References

1. EU energy in figures, statistical poket book 2014,

2. Energy and climate, What strategies for Europe,

The European Files, March-April 2014 - n°32

Thank you for attention

Nikolay Angelov

UBBSLA - Varna

Climate and energy policy of EU

ContentsEnergy consumption CO2 emissions Final energy consumption by fuel Global warming and EU policyStrategy 20.20.20

Energy saving]Energy intensity of products reducing]Energy efficiency]

RES implementation Energy policy beyond 2020