by Kate Abnett
BRUSSELS, May 12 (Reuters) – The European Commission is expected to unveil a 195 billion euro plan next week to enable the EU to do without Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027, combining accelerated development of energies, energy savings and recourse to new gas suppliers, shows a project that Reuters was able to consult.
The measures envisaged, which can still be modified before their presentation, combine European directives, non-binding provisions and recommendations that the Member States could decline, among which a reorientation towards the energy sector of part of the investments planned as part of the mega-recovery plan launched in 2020 during the pandemic.
The Commission estimates that 195 billion euros will be needed in addition to those already planned to meet the climate targets set for 2030, which are themselves supposed to reduce Europe’s fossil fuel bill.
Among the objectives at the center of the debates are the increase to 45%, against 40% until now, of the share of renewable energies planned in the European energy mix for 2030, and a reduction of 13%, against 9%, of the EU energy consumption by 2030 compared to the level projected without new measures.
The EU could also propose to simplify the procedures for reviewing renewable energy development projects and to implement a new support plan for solar energy, which would go through the revival of the European manufacture of photovoltaic panels.
Brussels also wishes, still by 2030, to increase the production of hydrogen from renewable energy in the Union to 10 million tonnes and to import an additional 10 million tonnes, specifying beforehand the definition of the “green” hydrogen.
Finally, the Commission’s draft should highlight the potential for developing imports of liquefied natural gas from countries such as Egypt, Israel and Nigeria.
(Report Kate Abnett, French version Marc Angrand)