Gas for Climate was initiated in 2017 to analyse and create awareness about the role of renewable and low carbon gas in the future energy system in full compliance with the Paris Agreement target to limit global temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius. To this end, the entire economy has to become (net) zero carbon by mid-century.
The Gas for Climate group consists of eleven leading European gas transport companies (DESFA, Enagás, Energinet, Fluxys Belgium, Gasunie, GRTgaz, Nordion, ONTRAS, OGE, Snam, and Teréga) and three renewable gas industry associations (European Biogas Association, Consorzio Italiano Biogas and German Biogas Association).
The CEOs of the twelve members are: Piero Gattoni (Consorzio Italiano Biogas), Harm Grobrügge (European Biogas Association), Horst Seide (German Biogas Association), Maria Rita Galli (DESFA), Marcelino Oreja Arburúa (Enagás), Thomas Egebo (Energinet), Pascal De Buck (Fluxys), Han Fennema (Gasunie), Thierry Trouvé (GRTgaz), Ralph Bahke (ONTRAS), Jörg Bergmann (OGE), Stefano Venier (Snam), Hans Kreisel (Nordion Energi), Dominique Mockly (Teréga).
In a series of reports over the past few years, the Gas for Climate consortium showed that renewable and low-carbon gases have an important role to play in the EU energy system and that existing gas infrastructure and knowledge can support the transition to an energy system with net-zero CO₂ emissions at the lowest societal cost. The Gas for Climate vision and pathways towards 2050 cover all energy-intensive economic sectors and demonstrate, along with the crucial role of renewable and low-carbon gases, that current policies and trends are not yet sufficient to realise Europe’s climate ambitions for 2030 and 2050 Policy and market actions are required to speed up the transition, and progress of necessary developments must be closely monitored to ensure the transition is achieved at the lowest societal costs.
Consorzio Italiano Biogas
Caterina Nigo
Tel: +39 0371/4662633
Mail: a.vitale@consorziobiogas.it
Enagás
Alexandra Issacovitch
Tel: +34 917099442
Mail: vaissacovitch@enagas.es
DESFA
Anastasia Chatziantoniou
Tel: +30 213 088 4058
Mail: a.chatziantoniou@desfa.gr
Energinet
Sylvester Boe Toldsted
Tel: +4527644913
Mail: syb@energinet.dk
European Biogas Association
Angela Sainz Arnau
Tel: +32 400 1089
Mail: sainz@european-biogas.eu
Fluxys Belgium
Laurent Remy
Tel: +32 2 282 74 50
Mail: Laurent.Remy@fluxys.com
Gasunie
Nicolas Kraus
Tel: +32 2 234 63 55
Mail: N.Kraus@gasunie.nl
GRTgaz
Lilia Brandusa
Tel: +33 (0)7 62 59 13 29
Mail: lilia.brandusa@grtgaz.com
Nordion Energi
Saila Horttanainen
Mail: saila.horttanainen@nordionenergi.se
ONTRAS
Johannes Stolle
Tel: +49 341271112055
Mail: Johannes.Stolle@ontras.com
OGE
Ermal Ndini
Tel: +49 151 11519257
Mail: ermal.ndini@oge.net
Snam
Andrea Giachi
Tel: +393473872658
Mail: ANDREA.GIACHI@snam.it
Teréga
Mathilde Woringer
Tel: +33 5 59 13 32 52
Mail: mathilde.woringer@terega.fr
German Biogas Association
Stefan Rauh
Tel: +49 (0)8161 98 46 804
Mail: Stefan.Rauh@biogas.org
Consorzio Italiano Biogas
Caterina Nigo
Tel: +39 0371/4662633
Mail: a.vitale@consorziobiogas.it
Enagás
Alexandra Issacovitch
Tel: +34 917099442
Mail: vaissacovitch@enagas.es
DESFA
Anastasia Chatziantoniou
Tel: +30 213 088 4058
Mail: a.chatziantoniou@desfa.gr
Energinet
Sylvester Boe Toldsted
Tel: +4527644913
Mail: syb@energinet.dk
European Biogas Association
Angela Sainz Arnau
Tel: +32 400 1089
Mail: sainz@european-biogas.eu
Fluxys Belgium
Laurent Remy
Tel: +32 2 282 74 50
Mail: Laurent.Remy@fluxys.com
Gasunie
Nicolas Kraus
Tel: +32 2 234 63 55
Mail: N.Kraus@gasunie.nl
GRTgaz
Lilia Brandusa
Tel: +33 (0)7 62 59 13 29
Mail: lilia.brandusa@grtgaz.com
Nordion Energi
Saila Horttanainen
Mail: saila.horttanainen@nordionenergi.se
ONTRAS
Johannes Stolle
Tel: +49 341271112055
Mail: Johannes.Stolle@ontras.com
OGE
Ermal Ndini
Tel: +49 151 11519257
Mail: ermal.ndini@oge.net
Snam
Andrea Giachi
Tel: +393473872658
Mail: ANDREA.GIACHI@snam.it
Teréga
Mathilde Woringer
Tel: +33 5 59 13 32 52
Mail: mathilde.woringer@terega.fr
German Biogas Association
Stefan Rauh
Tel: +49 (0)8161 98 46 804
Mail: Stefan.Rauh@biogas.org
Renewable gas can be massively scaled up by 2050. Biomethane should be allocated based on the highest societal value. Hydrogen will be used in hard-to-decarbonise sectors – in industry as feedstock and for high-temperature heating, in the building sector, in power system balancing on long-time scales (e.g. hydrogen peaking plants), and in mobility applications, either as hydrogen or hydrogen-based synthetic fuel (aviation, maritime, heavy-trucking). Hydrogen is a prime candidate to facilitate sector coupling and fits well into the efforts for increased electrification by providing long-term storage and possibly also dispatchable power generation.
A substantial part of the current gas imports from Russia (155 bcm in 2021) can be replaced by domestic biomethane production (35 bcm) and renewable hydrogen production and import (50 bcm) by 2030. At the European level, supply potential is sufficient to meet the demand for renewable gases at all time scales (2030, 2040, and 2050), subject to acceleration of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) build-out beyond current targets. Individual regions might experience an abundance or lack of sufficient renewable energy and accelerated development of the European Hydrogen Backbone will help reconcile these differences can help to reconcile these differences.
Gas for Climate fully supports the Fit for 55 package, aimed at a 55% reduction in European emissions by 2030 and the accelerated goals under REPowerEU. Gas for Climate also promotes a target 35 bcm of biomethane and 20 Mt of hydrogen in the European Union by 2030. Scaling up of renewable hydrogen (deployment of electrolysis) and biomethane (driven in large by sequential cropping) production is possible. Renewable gases are the solution in removing barriers to decarbonisation and creating the conditions for a more cost-effective transition. Policymakers are to adapt the European Union’s regulatory framework so that the production of renewable and low-carbon gases is incentivised, and gas infrastructure can fully unleash its great potential in a future integrated energy system.