25 Amendments of Henna VIRKKUNEN related to 2020/2241(INI)
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas energy system integration canaims to keep costs for European authorities, European businesses and European citizens within realistic and acceptable limits; a cost efficient energy sector integration must be enforced;
Amendment 65 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Believes that such a strategy can help the Union achieve its climate goals while maintaining energy accessibility, affordability and security of supply through the development of an efficient, integrated, interconnected, resilient, smart and decarbonised system;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Reiterates its support forAcknowledges the importance of the energy efficiency first principle and recalls that the most sustainable energy is energy which is not consumeddirect electrification, where possible, presents an important pathway towards decarbonisation. Highlights the need to develop a resilient and climate neutral energy system based on the principle of “cost-efficiency";
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Notes the high energy consumption in the water sector needs; calls on the Commission to consider energy-efficient measures for the EU water sector and the possibility to use treated waste water as an “on-site” source of renewable energy in the Energy System Integration;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. DeplorAcknowledges the insufficient progress made by Member States, as set out in the Energy Efficiency Progress Report; encourages the Commission to propose more ambitious targetexplore the impacts of revised targets on businesses, notably SMEs, taking into account its recommendations as part of the Energy Union governance process; welcomes, in this regard, the renovation wave strategy; emphasizes that the renovation of the existing building stock does not fully compensate for the need to produce more low carbon energy;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to extend the principle of energy efficiency to the entire value chain and to all end-uses; underlines the potential of circularity and reuse of wasteorganic waste from cities and agricultural sector, energy and waste heat from industrial processes, buildings and data centres; draws attention tocalls on the Commission and the Member States to develop effective incentives and business models for the uncoupling and use of industrial waste heat; draws attention to the replacement of old and inefficient heating systems and the modernisation of heat networks, which can play a significant role in heat decarbonisation; stresses the potential of digital tools for smart energy management;
Amendment 112 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the energy transition will require between EUR 520 and 575 billion in annual infrastructure investment; calls on the Commission to develop sustainable investment criteria which are fully in line with the climate and integration goalsfinancial tools which are fully in line with the climate and integration goals; underlines that European programmes and financing instruments such as Horizon Europe and the European Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the Connecting Europe Facility on the basis of the TEN-E and TEN-T Regulations, cohesion policy, InvestEU, Recovery and Resilience Facility, Just Transition Fund and the ETS Innovation Fund have a key role in fostering a renewable and low-carbon hydrogen economy, biogas/biomethane development and carbon capture and storage and hydrogen-compatible infrastructure, while also providing appropriate investments in the use of natural gas where it provides emission reduction and serves as a transitional enabler; calls on the Commission to develop targets for energy infrastructure rollout and that system integration should make maximum use of existing gas infrastructure which can help deliver a cost-effective transition throughout many sectors including industry and mobility;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Regrets that the Commission’s draft taxonomy delegated act undermines the climate goals with regards to renewable energy sources, encourages the Commission to embrace a technological neutral approach based on life-cycle GHG emissions and not demand stricter rules from hydropower, biofuel and biogas, than other renewable energy sources; Furthermore, regrets that nuclear power is broken out and dealt with in a separate delegated act as this undermines the holistic energy system perspective, and limits Member States' possibilities for self- determination over the energy mix;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Highlights the importance of assessing ex-ante and anticipating the need for new energy production, transmission, distribution and conversion of infrastructure in order to optimise itsthe use of existing energy infrastructure in a climate- neutral economy and to ensure its economic viability;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Believes that a common legal classification of the different types of renewable, decarbonised and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen, based on the full life cycle GHG emissions savings and sustainability criteria, is of utmost importance for market players, authorities and consumers; calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive classification and certification framework of gaseous carriers;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission to use the revision of Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 on trans-European energy infrastructure as an opportunity to include energy system integration in the Regulation’s objectives and the 10-year network development planning; calls for greater efforts to remove obstacles hindering the full integration of energy systems, which would otherwise encourage citizens and industry to fully embrace cleaner energy alternatives because there will be no Green Deal without a better integration of the energy system; Emphasises that it is necessary to achieve a cost-effective decarbonisation of the EU economies which will build a more flexible, more decentralised and digital energy system, in which consumers are empowered to make their energy choices;
Amendment 151 #
10. Welcomes the adoption of the European Hydrogen Strategy; is convinced that renewable and delow carbonised hydrogen, together with other renewable gases, can help reduce persistent emissions from hard to abate sectors, such as industrial processes and ,heavy transport which cannot be decarbonised throughand buildings and where direct electrification might be limited due to low cost-efficiency or technical, social and environmental reasons; recalls also the need to decarbonise existing hydrogen production and the usrole of zero-carbon electricity; recalls also the need to decarbonise existing hydrogen productionCarbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies; recalls the potential of blending hydrogen with natural gas as a contribution to the decarbonisation of the gas sector; underlines the potential of hydrogen for energy storage and transport and its contribution to the flexibility of the energy system;
Amendment 168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Calls on the Commission to extend the obligation laid down in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 for Member States to issue guarantees of origin forthat ensure the traceability of low- and zero- carbon gases and for renewables based on a science-based life-cycle analysis; considers that all sustainable and cost-effective biofuels will be needed and believes that it would be environmentally and economically counterproductive to revise the renewable directive's sustainability criteria for forest biofuels in the way indicated in the Commissions energy system integration strategy; believes that sustainable forest management can contribute to climate adaptation by replacing fossil raw materials and through a long-term increased sequestration of carbon in forests;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the need to accelerate research and, development onand full exploitation of technologies for CO2 capture, storage and reuse; emphasizes that the EU needs a technological revolution making large-scale carbon capture (CCS) storage solutions profitable in order to combine economic growth with reduced greenhouse gas emissions;
Amendment 188 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Calls on the Commission to propose ambitious targets for the decarbonisation of road, maritime, rail and air transport in a technology-neutral way; welcomes the Commission’s announcement of the deployment of one million charging points for electric vehicles; stresses the need to adapt the electrification networks for Europe’s vehicle fleetinfrastructure for alternative fuels for Europe’s vehicle fleet as well as to support other readily deployable solutions; highlights that direct electrification is very important but cannot stand alone in order to achieve a fast, affordable and just energy transition;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Highlights the need to reduce regulatory barriers, improve access to capital and further support all forms of energy storage projects alongthat can offer services along with transmission and distribution networks and at consumption sites; recalls the importance to ensure full interoperability of different transport and storage systems, including those with cross-border relevance and connected to third countries; urges the Commission to revise the Energy Taxation Directive to reduce the costs of taxes and levies on energy transformation and energy storage,while avoiding undue market distortions at the expense of other energy sources;
Amendment 223 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Recalls the role that greenewable and low carbon hydrogen can play in balancing grids by using any surpluselectricity; notes the need to develop the hydrogen-storing technologies and capacities and the role that renewable hydrogen and electrolysers can play in providing more flexibility to the grids and integrating the increasing share of renewable electricity production;
Amendment 233 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16 a. Acknowledges that power-to gas and power-to-heat technologies can play a key role in terms of large scale energy storage, to meet seasonal demand and to balance an electricity system because they are easy to integrate in existing infrastructure, help balance the electricity grid and can be cost-effectively transported across long-distances;
Amendment 243 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Calls on the Commission and the Members States to explore ways of further encouraging, through effective incentives, the development of a European market for demand-side flexibility, potentials for energy storage and balancing electricity grid; welcomes flexible integrated energy systems that aim to optimize the district heating/cooling sector contributing to the balancing of the electricity grid, cost- effective use of renewable energy sources and waste heat integration at local/regional level;
Amendment 253 #
19. Stresses that a more renewable, decentralised and better integrated energy system requires better forecasting of energy demand and matching with the supply and storage from different energy carriers; highlights, in this regard, the crucial role of digitalisation for the processing of statistical and meteorological data; calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop an internal market for digital energy technologies; welcomes the intention of the Commission to adopt an action plan for the digitalisation of energy to foster the EU technological leadership and enable a more integrated energy system with intelligent solutions in specific sectors (smart grids, more efficient and safe transport, energy savings in buildings), a more active role of consumers and improved funding for the 2021-2027 period;
Amendment 268 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Recalls that the primary objective of Union action in the field of energy is to ensure the proper functioning of the market; calls on the Commission to propostake the necessary legislative changes to ensure equal rights for all consumers and undistorted price signmeasures to safeguard the well-functioning of energy markets and to ensure the full implementation of the acquis for the internal energy market, including the Clean Energy Package, equals reflecting the real cost of energy and itsights for all households and businesses and help them contributione to the decarbonisation of the economy; welcomes the initiative to revise Directive 2003/96/EC;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Recalls that one of the objectives of the Energy Union is to reduce our import dependency and to ensure security of supply; considers that the creation of synergies can help achieve this objective;
Amendment 317 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25 a. Welcomes the development of carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) when it may be necessary to achieve climate neutrality, and to provide negative emissions by CCS on biomass combustion, and to reduce emissions where other reasonable alternatives through CCS at fossil fuel emissions, particularly in certain industrial processes; in this regard, welcomes the Commission proposal to convene an annual European CCUS Forum as part of the Clean Energy Industrial Forum to further study options to foster such projects;
Amendment 321 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25 b. Considers that the EU should promote regulatory solutions in the heating sector and energy efficiency legislation which respect the variation between Member States' conditions and most appropriate solutions which are particularly large in these sectors;
Amendment 325 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25 d. Underlines that the EU’s climate policy and energy policy has to go hand in hand within creased economic growth; stresses that the energy policy must therefore always encourage cost-effective, low carbon and reliable energy sources that ensure the industry's access to energy.