Electrification Alone is "Set-up for Failure": IGU

Using electrification alone to reach Paris and UN sustainable development goals is a "set-up for failure", the president of the International Gas Union (IGU) Joe Kang said on March 9, noting that natural gas, hydrogen and the infrastructure to support them were also needed for an achievable energy transition.

Kang's comments follow last week's CERAWeek 2021 virtual conference, where government officials, energy industry figures and others raised concerns that the world would fail to meet the Paris Accord ambition of capping global warming at well below 2 °C.

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"The global debate about climate change and the role of energy is at a critical juncture," Kang said in a statement. "That debate in recent years has been intense and loud, but we have not come far in aligning on an approach that enables us to meet the enormous challenges of decarbonisation, energy access and energy security."

The main challenge in developing nations with low CO₂ per capita and low energy access is obtaining "affordable, secure and clean supply of energy," Kang continued, while richer nations with higher CO₂ have the resources and infrastructure in place to accelerate decarbonisation. 

"The IGU believes an achievable transition is one that delivers clean, secure and affordable energy, using electrons and natural gas and hydrogen molecules, and the necessary infrastructure to help individual countries meet the UN Sustainable Development and Paris Goals," he said. "Picking only electrical pathways will lead to lost opportunities, higher costs and a slower transition for millions of people."

Kang called on decision-makers to recognise the role of both electrons and molecules in the transition and "let the energy industry innovators compete to see how best this can be achieved by a variety of means, and in so doing ensure the greatest opportunities for citizens around the world – the opportunities a just transition should provide."