The Council of the European Union ratified a few days ago its objective of reaching at least one 27% renewable energy in final consumption by 2030. This proposal by the Council is in conflict with the objective of the European Parliament, which advocates a percentage of 35%, and even with the more ambitious goals of the European Commission itself.
The Council's decision came as a surprise, as it came just a week after European leaders such as Mariano Rajoy, former Spanish president, or the French president, Emmanuel Macron, defended in Paris the need to increase the presence of clean energies, during the One Planet Summit.
The mechanisms to ensure compliance with this objective will be framed within the governance of the Energy Union, a programme that seeks to coordinate the efforts of the Member States. The purpose is to ensure common policies that allow the achievement of at least that 27%, through control and coordination mechanisms.
Spain has shown a positive assessment of the proposed regulation, which simplifies the administrative transactions for the installation of renewables, establishes new commitments related to their penetration in the transport sector, and presents objective criteria to evaluate the progress of the Member States on this front. These measures, according to the Spanish Government, are key to accelerating the energy transition.
El Ministry of energy Spanish shares the Council's view, stressing that there should be no discrimination or cross-subsidies among consumers, and that all should contribute equitably to the cost of the electricity system, regardless of whether they are self-consumers or not.
A key decision is that, by 2030, States will have to reflect in their respective National Energy and Climate Plans how they will cooperate with other European States to meet the 15% interconnection target. This objective seeks to improve the integration of renewables between neighbouring countries, prioritising cooperation and shared infrastructure.
Every two years, a review will be carried out of countries' progress towards this interconnection objective. If gaps are found, the Commission will be empowered to intervene and cooperate with Member States to find solutions to speed up the process.
The importance of achieving a minimum of 15% in interconnection This is crucial for countries like Spain, which rely heavily on interconnections to better integrate renewables. In fact, this is one of the aspects most demanded by the Spanish Government, given its strategic role in fulfilling its commitments.
Renewable targets and the Paris Agreement
Setting goals for the use of renewable energy In the European Union it is an essential part of the commitments made in the Paris Agreement against climate change. This pact has as its main objective to limit the increase in global temperatures 2°C below pre-industrial levels. To achieve this, the EU has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
The extension of subsidies to thermal power plants is another point of debate within European energy policies. These subsidies seek to compensate the owners of these plants for remaining as a backup in times when renewable sources, such as solar or wind, are not available. However, this measure has been criticized by several social and environmental organizations, who consider that subsidizing fossil energy sources goes against the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
El European Commissioner Arias Cañete proposed that, starting in 2020, thermal power plants that emit more than 550 grams of CO2 per kilowatt hour of electricity produced do not receive these subsidies. Nevertheless, Member States agreed to a gradual reduction of these payments from 2025, with a view to eliminating them by 2030.
France, Denmark, Portugal and other countries supported drastically reducing coal use, while others such as Poland and Hungary were more reluctant due to their high dependence on the resource. This reflects differences within the EU regarding the speed and approach to achieving completely clean energy.
Biofuels and their role in energy sustainability
As for biofuels, EU energy ministers have proposed that at least 2030% of transport fuel should come from biofuels by 14. This target has been seen as a key support for the sector, but it is also controversial. There are fears that the rise of first-generation biofuels, such as those derived from palm oil or soya, will compete with food crops, potentially creating food supply problems. To counter this, the Commission has proposed limiting the share to 3,8%.
However, several environmental organisations such as Greenpeace and SEO/BirdLife have expressed concern about the push towards biofuels. They argue that this measure could slow down the development of other technologies such as the electric car, which in the long term could offer a more effective and clean solution for transport.
The ongoing debate on the role of biofuels is essential for the EU's energy future. Despite being a cleaner source than fossil fuels, their production remains under scrutiny due to side effects on land use change and competition with food crops.
It is for this reason that the green hydrogen Hydrogen has begun to gain ground as a viable alternative to biofuels. While still in the early stages of development and implementation, this element promises to offer a long-term solution, especially for sectors where electrification is difficult. It is hoped that advances in hydrogen production and storage could contribute significantly to meeting EU energy targets.
