Natural gas

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

How Brussels prepares the decommissioning of gas pipelines
In the fuss about the Building Energy Act, one central question remains unanswered: What happens to gas networks that are not converted to hydrogen? In Berlin, the issue is being pushed aside, but important points on the EU gas market package for decommissioning are being set in the trilogue. continue reading →
Heating rush: Commission hammers back
The Bild newspaper is running a campaign against more climate-friendly heating regulations. The EU Commission is fighting back. Why a gas heating ban from 2029 is still unlikely. continue reading →
Vestager cautious on industrial electricity prices
Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has expressed caution about a push by German Minister for Economic Affairs Robert Habeck (Greens) for a discounted industrial electricity price. “You have to be very careful when you start subsidizing energy for companies that are in direct competition with other companies that don’t have the same opportunities“, Vestager told reporters […] continue reading →
Electricity market: Bruegel warns of overcapacities
The Commission’s draft for a new electricity market design is unsuitable to lower electricity prices in the EU, experts say. “We could be heading for a very expensive system and a very complex one”, Georg Zachmann of the think tank Bruegel said Monday at a hearing in Parliament’s industry committee.The reason, he said, is the […] continue reading →
EU taxonomy: NGOs file lawsuits
Greenpeace and a group of other NGOs today filed lawsuits against the EU Commission at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Greenpeace Germany and seven other Greenpeace country offices are suing against the inclusion of nuclear power and natural gas in the EU taxonomy, while ClientEarth, WWF EU, Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) […] continue reading →
New development plan for gas network
The Association of European Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG) published the draft of the ten-year network development plan (TYNDP) 2022 on Tuesday. Included in the new version are plans for a European hydrogen network. “The Hydrogen and Natural Gas TYNDP 2022 is the first of its kind to assess the benefits of relevant projects for decarbonized […] continue reading →
Nuclear energy: EU and USA expand cooperation
The USA reportedly wants to support the EU in becoming less dependent on Russian nuclear technology and fuel for its energy supply. Both sides plan to strengthen their cooperation accordingly, they announced yesterday after the regular EU-US Energy Council. In addition, a joint event on the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and other advanced […] continue reading →
Commission promises standards for new nuclear reactors
Yesterday, Energy ministers agreed on their position on the gas market package and the extension of the gas savings target. France's demand that hydrogen from nuclear energy should be counted towards the renewables targets remained unheard. Instead, the Commission signaled concessions on another level. continue reading →
Council wants regulated gas prices for SMEs
In the event of future energy crises, the EU states want to retain the permanent option of setting low gas prices, even for small and medium-sized enterprises. This emerges from the latest draft of the Swedish Council Presidency on the amendment of the Gas Market Directive from Tuesday, which is available to Table.Media. The seventh […] continue reading →
Electricity market: Commission renounces local control
Promoting renewables, protecting consumers and industry from high electricity prices – these are the key points of the official Commission proposals for electricity market reform. With siting criteria for green power plants, the authority is scrapping a plan that would have caused fierce controversy in Germany in particular. continue reading →
‘Enforced refurbishments’ divide the European Parliament
In the midst of the debate about banning fossil-fuel heating systems in the federal government, the EU Buildings Directive is also suddenly becoming a media sensation. We show what goals the initiative is pursuing and how it relates to the German debate on building energy legislation. continue reading →
Simson: boycott Russian LNG providers
European Union countries and companies should not sign new contracts to buy Russian liquefied natural gas, as part of the bloc’s attempt to end its energy dependence on Moscow, the EU’s energy policy chief said on Thursday. She said the commission would also propose that EU countries extend their voluntary target to cut gas consumption […] continue reading →
Annegret Groebel – the network pioneer
If citizens in Europe can have electricity and gas at any time, travel without borders by train or use the Internet at low cost, it is also due to the work of civil servants like Annegret Groebel. For decades, the enterprising economist has been helping to weld together the single market in the EU’s network […] continue reading →
Simson pushes for strict methane rules
Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson has urged the Council to take a more ambitious position in the trilogue on methane regulation. “The amendments related to the detection and repair of leaks, to inactive wells and to venting and flaring represent a significant limitation of the targets and could therefore prevent us from effectively reducing methane emissions […] continue reading →
Gas worries and a nuclear alliance
At the meeting of energy ministers, France wins new supporters for its nuclear initiatives. Germany wants to commit EU members to a higher gas savings target, while Luxembourg and Finland succeed in pioneering the expansion of renewables. continue reading →
Fertilizer strategy: Between environmental protection and food security
Due to the continuing high prices and food shortages on the global market, the debate about the supply of fertilizers is not slowing down. The EU Parliament is demanding far-reaching measures from the Commission. Environmentalists warn that climate targets could be jeopardized. continue reading →
LNG terminals: EU experts warned of overcapacity
The EU Commission informed the German government early on that, according to the Brussels authority, Germany only needs a few terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG). This emerges from internal minutes obtained by Table.Media. Berlin nevertheless pursued other plans. continue reading →
New government in Moldova commits to Europe
A new, pro-European government has been sworn in in the Republic of Moldova. The parliament in Chişinău voted on Thursday with 62 of the 101 votes for Dorin Recean as the new head of government. Earlier, the 48-year-old presented his government’s guidelines. “We want to live in a secure world, where international treaties are respected, […] continue reading →