Aligning the European Union with a scenario to limit global warming to +1.5 degrees does not require additional investment in the EU's fossil gas infrastructure, argues a report byArtelys, an energy consultancy firm, published on Friday 20 November.
As part of the upcoming revision of the EU Trans-European Energy Network (TEN-E) Regulation (347/2013), Artelys’ analysis is based on a modelling of the evolution of the European energy system up to 2050 inspired by the European Commission's '1.5TECH scenario' (one of the scenarios providing for a reduction in emissions to limit global warming to +1.5°C).
Among its conclusions, the report underlines that “there is no need for additional investments in infrastructure to transport methane (natural gas, e-CH4, biomethane)” to remain in line with a +1.5°C scenario or to ensure the security of energy supply in the EU.
“With natural gas seeing a phase out, most of the methane demand will be supplied by locally-produced bio-methane and/or e-CH4 (from enteric fermentation)”, the document explains.
Artelys therefore recommends that the EU should exclude any additional investment in methane transport infrastructure ”so as to avoid creating stranded assets, unless they set forward the repurposing of existing pipelines in line with demonstrated future hydrogen needs”.
See the report: https://bit.ly/2KyKxbf (Original report in French by Damien Genicot)