ENTSOG Gas Regional Investment Plan (GRIP) 2017 - 2026 / Southern Corridor / Main Report

3.5 The impact of renewables on gas demand in the Southern Corridor countries The most significant developments expected in terms of European energy and climate policy objectives, destined to promote renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, will be driven by the following acts formulating targets for 2020 (2020 Energy Strategy   7) ), 2030 (2030 Energy Strategy   8) ) and 2050 (Energy Roadmap 2050   9) ) and by the adoption of a challenging long-term strategy with progressively higher objectives. In the Southern Corridor Region there are no available yearly data in all countries about planed installation and the usage of renewable sources in primary energy production over the next ten years. Impacts of RES on the overall gas demand are difficult to estimate depending on key energy policy decisions (e. g. coal or nuclear phase out). By the way, for peak demand requirements, due to the inherent intermittent nature of RES, gas will play a key role. Indeed, a sustainable and reliable growth of green electricity sources is heavily dependent on the back-up solutions put in place to substitute the renewable electricity streams when wind is not blowing or sun not shining. Due to the possibility of CCGTs to come on stream at a very short notice they are the necessary complement to the increased penetration of RES. As natural gas is the fossil fuel having the least impact in terms of CO ² emission, CCGTs represent the most appropriate solution to fulfil RES back-up function without running the risk to waste the environmental gain provided by green energy sources.

 7) So called 20-20-20 targets: reduction of Greenhouse gases emission by at least 20%, increase of the RES share to at least 20% of the power production mix and improvement of the energy efficiency by at least 20%, all compared to 1990.  8) Objectives by 2030: 40% reduction in GHG emmissions, at least 27% share of renewable energy consumption and increase of energy efficiency by at least 27%, to be potentally raised to 30%.  9) EU targets for 2050: reduction of GHG emmissions by 80% to 95% compaired to 1990.

Image courtesy of Snam Rete Gas

Southern Corridor GRIP 2017–2026 |

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