Event Highlights

Power Choices: Eurelectric Carbon-Neutrality Study Stimulates Lively Debate At European Parliament Event

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Welcoming some 150 participants to the official launch event of the EURELECTRIC study - Power Choices: Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Electricity in Europe by 2050 - at the European Parliament on 10 November, EURELECTRIC Secretary General Hans ten Berge set the background by reminding the audience of the Declaration signed in March this year by Chief Executives of power companies representing over 70% of total electricity production in the EU, who made a commitment to carbon-neutral electricity by mid-century. The Power Choices study was set up to investigate how that vision could be made reality - ie what technologies would be called to play a role and what energy policies should be put in place to facilitate their deployment on the supply side, coupled with energy efficiency measures on the demand side. Mr ten Berge underlined the criteria for the modelling: the goal was "to achieve carbon-neutrality in a cost-efficient way through an integrated European market, and reliable energy supply must be maintained."

Hosting the event, Danish Social Democrat MEP Dan Jorgensen, who is Vice-Chairman of the Parliament’s Environment Committee, welcomed the EURELECTRIC initiative. "Climate change is the most significant environment challenge of our era (…) and it is vital to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This study will help to focus minds on ways forward to a carbon-neutral European economy," he told the audience and panel of distinguished speakers.

EURELECTRIC President Lars G Josefsson, unveiling the study, told the audience that "Carbon-neutral electricity in Europe by 2050 is attainable through the market system. For this to become reality, policymakers must support the carbon market so as to deliver the CO₂ cap at least cost, work for an international agreement on climate change action, ensure that all sectors internalise the cost of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and enable the use of all low-carbon power technology options. However, the key to Europe’s low-carbon future will be on the demand side, where a paradigm shift is needed away from direct use of fossil fuels to energy-efficient electric systems - including electric road vehicles and electric heat pumps".

Placing the EURELECTRIC study in an international context, Bill Kyte, EURELECTRIC’s chief advisor on international climate change policy, told the audience of the work of the International Electricity Partnership (IEP) founded at the 2008 International CEO Electricity Summit in Atlanta, USA by electricity sector leaders from several continents. The Partnership agrees that a reduction in GHG emissions of 60-80% can be achieved by mid-century - provided a broad mix of low-carbon technologies is deployed in determined fashion through the market - and is working to contribute constructively to the international climate change debate by squaring the scientific and political timeframes with technical reality. A roadmap drawn up by the IEP shows "major GHG emissions reductions in the power sector occurring in the 2025-2040 period, which conflicts with the EU and the United Nations Climate Conference political timeframes of 2020," Dr Kyte underlined.

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