On 18 May, the European Commission is expected to present a communication aimed at redefining the European Union’s external energy policy in order to better take into account the challenges of the global energy transition, as well as the new geopolitical situation in which the EU is evolving since Russia invaded Ukraine.
“The invasion (...) has profound implications for the EU’s energy policy and its energy relations with international partners, exposing the links between energy security and global stability”, said a draft of the communication obtained by EUROPE on Tuesday 10 May.
According to the draft, the EU’s external energy policy will aim to: (1) facilitate the diversification of fossil fuel imports and efforts to accelerate “clean” energy; (2) support Ukraine and other countries that are directly affected by Russian aggression and mitigate the impact on its partners around the world; (3) lead and accelerate the “global green and just energy transition”; (4) strengthen and develop long-term partnerships intended to ensure sustainable, secure and affordable energy for the EU and the world.
To this end, the European Commission plans to take action not just to diversify its gas supply, but also with regard to energy efficiency, renewable energy and even hydrogen.
With regard to gas, the institution would like to see, among other things: - the negotiation of political agreements with gas suppliers such as Egypt and Israel in order to increase the EU’s supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG); - support for a doubling of capacity of the Southern European Gas Corridor to 20 bcm per year; - relaunch a high-level energy dialogue with Algeria; - intensify cooperation with sub-Saharan African countries, such as Nigeria, Senegal and Angola, to explore the possibility of increasing the amount of LNG they supply to Europe.
In terms of hydrogen, the European Commission intends to enter into partnerships to facilitate the import of 10 million tonnes of hydrogen by 2030.
It also wants to accelerate the diversification of fuel supplies used in nuclear power plants.
Looking at energy efficiency and renewable energy, the draft document mentions, among other things, the launch of an international commitment to renovate buildings and accelerate the integration of renewable energy in electricity grids in the Western Balkans, as well as in other regions of the world such as Africa and the Indo-Pacific region.
In order to support Ukraine, the European Commission also plans to launch a programme called ‘REPowerUkraine’. It is modelled on ‘REPowerEU’ and is intended to support the post-war reconstruction of the Ukrainian energy sector.
The Commission also wants to offer Ukraine as well as the Western Balkan countries, Moldova and Georgia the possibility to participate in the EU’s voluntary gas purchases.
Read the draft: https://aeur.eu/f/1kt (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)