The latest renewable energy progress report by the European Commission shows that with a projected share of 15.3% of renewable energy in the gross final energy consumption in 2014 the EU on the whole is on track to meet its 20% renewable energy target for 2020. Reaching the 10% renewable energy target in the transport sector is somewhat more challenging yet feasible the Commission says in view of a projected share of 5.7% in 2014.
Tag Archive for 'European Commission'
According to recent press reports, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquín Alumia has announced that the European Commission will open an in-depth investigation of Germany’s Renewable Energy Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz, “EEG”) before Christmas. The EEG promotes renewable energy sources by stipulating fixed feed-in tariffs. In order to ensure that in particular industrial customers with a high level of energy costs and which are subject to international competition are not forced to close done operations in Germany, the EEG allows for certain exemptions of energy-intensive companies. It still seems unclear whether the European Commission only will continue its investigation regarding these exemptions or also regarding further elements of the feed-in tariff scheme of the EEG.
The European Commission has today adopted two decisions on German support schemes in favour of energy-intensive industries. Both decisions are on the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), not the EEG surcharge or grid fees.
The Commission opened an in-depth investigation to find out whether exemptions for large electricity consumers from network charges granted in Germany since 2011 constitutes unlawful state aid. This comes in addition to the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf yesterday declaring these exemptions void on German constitutional law grounds.
The Commission has presented its proposal for a Regulation on Guidelines for Trans-European Energy Infrastructure that aims at cutting permitting times for priority projects and providing co-financing in certain cases. Major efforts are needed to modernise and expand Europe’s energy infrastructure and to interconnect networks across borders to reach Europe’s 2020 goals, the European Commission stated. Presently, permitting procedures often take very long and not all projects are commercially viable.
On 8 March the European Commission presented its Energy Efficiency Plan 2011 as part of the Europe 2020 process. Recent press releases from the Federal Ministry for the Enviroment (BMU) and the Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology (BMWi) voice differing views with respect to binding targets.
Continue reading ‘BMWi and BMU Statements on EU Energy Efficiency Plan’
