“We need new, binding targets for renewable energy. We need a clear perspective for renewable energy, and the EU countries must make commitments.”
This was the clear statement from Günther Oettinger, EU Energy Commissioner , at the reception marking the ground breaking partnership between DONG Energy, GE, Shell, First Solar and Alpine Energie.
Günther Oettinger welcomed the new partnership; the European Coalition for Renewable Energy and Gas , and elaborated:
“I think we need new targets for reducing CO2 emissions. But if we only set new targets for CO2 emissions, nuclear power would be preferable. Which is why, it’s important that we decide on a firm target for renewable energy in general.”
A completely new approach
Jan Ingwersen, Vice President in Energy Markets, was very pleased with the EU Energy Commissioner’s clear statement.
“This partnership between renewable energy and gas is a brand new way of combining the industrial forces that are so vital for Europe to reach its 2050 de-carbonization and energy goals,” he says.
“Renewables and gas are a strong match in Europe’s quest for a low-carbon and cost efficient energy supply. In DONG Energy we decided long ago to address both the climate, resource and energy challenges. We’re in the midst of a historic transformation of our heat and power generation, and we’re moving towards an energy mix based on offshore wind power, biomass and natural gas instead of coal. The new platform that unites renewable energy and gas reflects the future we’re looking into.”
The evidence is clear
The other partners were also pleased with the new cooperation in the European Coalition for Renewable Energy and Gas.
“Combining renewable energy with gas to obtain flexibility is the key to Europe’s low-carbon energy future. Companies from different parts of the energy industry are launching this new alliance because the evidence is clear that renewables and gas offer the most affordable, reliable and sustainable pathway towards an energy secure Europe,” says Stephan Reimelt, CEO in GE Energy Germany.
Also the EU Director of the Danish Energy Association, Ulrich Bang, was pleased with the new partnership:
“Even though the EU’s 2020 target is one of the most ambitious of its kind in the world, we need a high level of transparency. When it comes to building power stations and investing in transmission capacity, 2020 is tomorrow and 2030 is next week. In short, we must ensure that the investors can foresee what the energy markets and legal regulations will look like in 10,15 and 20 years’ time,” he says.
[mappress]
Press release, November 06, 2012; Image: european parliament