European Commission consults on gas market changes

The European Commission (EC) opened its online consultation into a major overhaul of the region's gas market March 26. The public has until June 18 to comment on the plans, which are expected to see a lot more electricity, biomethane and hydrogen and very little natural gas in the energy mix by the middle of the century.

The EC said the issues raised in the consultation related mainly to cost-efficient decarbonisation of the gas sector including renewable and low-carbon hydrogen and the transport and distribution of renewable and low-carbon gases through pipeline networks. It said responses would feed into its preparation of legislative measures for a new gas market, which it aims to publish at the end of this year.

The commission launched a Green Deal in 2019. Among its key ingredients are: a European climate law to enact the 2050 target date for net zero carbon emissions; an extension of the European emissions trading system; and a European carbon border tax. As an interim measure, emissions are to fall by at least 55% by 2030.