The EU Commissioner for Energy, Günther Oettinger, has presented today a new Communication from the Commission on renewable energy. From a first analysis of the Communication and the documents attached to it, the following can be retained:
- Based on the 2010 indicative targets: "The EU as a whole reached just over 18% for the share of renewable energy in the electricity in 2010 rather than the target of 21%. For transport, the EU reached 5.1% instead of 5.75%."
- 2020 targets are likely to be met and even exceeded;
- The Commisison requires improvement of Member States' financing instruments and their management in order to close the "investment gap". The Commission calls on the Member States to ensure a doubling annual capital investments in renewable energy from EUR35bn per year to Eur70bn.
- "COOPERATION" and "CONVERGENCE" are well the two key words (and successive steps) as regards support schemes. Further coooperation could lead to 10 billions Euros savings each year, according to the Commission. Convergence of support schemes and market integration must be reinforced in order to made the RES sector rapidly competitive. The Commission will assess in 2014 how the three cooperation mechanisms defined in Directive 2009/28/EC have been utilised by the Member States to reach the targets. It takes already note of the intention of some Member States to use them.
- Efficiency in reaching the EU 20% by 2020 target requires such cooperation, playing on the national strengths: building wind turbines where it blows and solar panels where the sun shines. I.e. "work together and produce renewable energy where it costs less...". The Commission is consequently calling upon "an effective selection and coordination of financing tools at national and EU level."
During his press conference, the Commissioner also stressed a series of related issues:
- He made the link with the need for physical transport capacity, i.e. the grid. He estimated that the expansion of electricity infrastructures is the basis to ensure a higher contribution of RES-E to the grid (see 2010 Communication on Infrastructure Priorities). EU legislation provides for several mechanisms here in Directives 2009/72/EC and 2009/28/EC. And results are made: in 2009, 62% of all new power capacity fed into the grid was from renewable sources. The EU is also giving priority to certain strategic electricity infrastructures.
- For either infrastructures of new technologies, the Communication is detayling the different sources of EU financing that have and are being used, "the bulk of which in the form of loans from the European Investment Bank."
- The Commissioner also announced a close follow-up of Member States' compliance, that will be assessed on a annual basis, based on the trajectory defined in the National Renewable Energy Action Plans.
- As far as the national regimes are concerned, the Commissioner expressed concerns concerning possible retroactive changes in support at national level. The Commission "does not see it as acceptable."
- Finally, the Commissioner insisted heavily on the potential laying in the Mediterranean region for renewables, not only within coastal EU Member States, but much more from Tunisia and other Mediterranean partners of the EU in the region.
Today's Communication was qualified by the Commissioner as a "mid-term stock assessment." It takes as background the 2010 targets defined in former Directives 2001/77/EC and 2003/30/EC. It is also the first communication after the deadline of transposition of Directive 2009/28/EC on 9 December 2010.
Texts:
- Text of the Commission Communication: "Renewable Energy: Progressing towards the 2020 target".
- press release, European Commission, IP/10/113 ;
- MEMO, European Commission, MEMO/11/54.
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