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Southern Corridor GRIP 2017–2026 |
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Image courtesy of Snam Rete Gas
3.5 The impact of renewables
on gas demand in the
Southern Corridor countries
The most significant developments expected in terms of European energy and
climate policy objectives, destined to promote renewable energy sources and energy
efficiency, will be driven by the following acts formulating targets for 2020 (2020
Energy Strategy
7)
), 2030 (2030 Energy Strategy
8)
) and 2050 (Energy Roadmap
2050
9)
) and by the adoption of a challenging long-term strategy with progressively
higher objectives.
In the Southern Corridor Region there are no available yearly data in all countries
about planed installation and the usage of renewable sources in primary energy
production over the next ten years.
Impacts of RES on the overall gas demand are difficult to estimate depending on key
energy policy decisions (e. g. coal or nuclear phase out). By the way, for peak
demand requirements, due to the inherent intermittent nature of RES, gas will play
a key role.
Indeed, a sustainable and reliable growth of green electricity sources is heavily
dependent on the back-up solutions put in place to substitute the renewable
electricity streams when wind is not blowing or sun not shining. Due to the possibility
of CCGTs to come on stream at a very short notice they are the necessary complement
to the increased penetration of RES. As natural gas is the fossil fuel having the least
impact in terms of CO ² emission, CCGTs represent the most appropriate solution to
fulfil RES back-up function without running the risk to waste the environmental gain
provided by green energy sources.
7) So called 20-20-20 targets: reduction of Greenhouse gases emission by at least 20%, increase of the RES share to at
least 20% of the power production mix and improvement of the energy efficiency by at least 20%, all compared to 1990.
8) Objectives by 2030: 40% reduction in GHG emmissions, at least 27% share of renewable energy consumption and
increase of energy efficiency by at least 27%, to be potentally raised to 30%.
9) EU targets for 2050: reduction of GHG emmissions by 80% to 95% compaired to 1990.