Activities of Carolina PUNSET related to 2016/2059(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage (short presentation) ES
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage PDF (405 KB) DOC (91 KB)
Amendments (39)
Amendment 1 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)
Citation 2 a (new)
- having regard to the 2030 Energy strategy, "A policy framework for climate and energy in the period from 2020 to 2030" (COM(2014)15),
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 c (new)
Citation 2 c (new)
- having regard to the Commission Energy Efficiency Communication (COM(2014)520),
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 e (new)
Citation 2 e (new)
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 d (new)
Citation 2 d (new)
- having regard to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21),
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)
Citation 2 b (new)
- having regard to the 2050 Energy roadmap (COM(2011)885),
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that the European Union and its Member States should first of all focus on their renewable resources and energy efficiency and derive maximum benefit from their renewable production capacity; stresses that this should not prevent efforts being made to extract added value from other segments of the energy markets, such as LNG, provided that this is done in a sustainable manner that is fully consistent with the EU’s environmental protection principles, while ensuring that fugitive methane emissions, with a global warming potential much higher than CO2, are minimised;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Highlights that energy is a basic human good and that an important goal of the Energy Union is to ensure equal and cheap access for all and to combat energy poverty; believes that through energy cooperation the EU can positively contribute to promoting and strengthening democracy, the rule of law and human rights in partner countries; calls in this context for better links between energy and climate policies; encourages Member States not to cooperate with gas suppliers who do not comply with similar human rights and environmental standards as the EU;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas gas is expected to continue tocan play an important role in the EU energy system for decades, especially in industrial production and asthe coming decades, as source of heat in buildingsupport to renewable energy, while the EU meets its ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and renewables and makes the transition to a low-carbon economy, where the role of gas will gradually decrease in favour of clean energies;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for better links between energy and climate policies; reminds the need to avoid the creation of a new fossil fuel lock-in and the necessity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that the EU’s domestic production will continue to decline in the coming decades, and further diversification of the EU’s natural gas supply therefore remains a key objective, while nevertheless underlining its role as a short and medium- term solution and as a complement and support to renewables and energy efficiency, bearing in mind the European commitment to the objective of decarbonisation set out in the Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas gas is a fossil fuel, with CO2 emissions during combustion and methane emissions during the whole gas life-cycle, with a global warming potential much higher than CO2;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas the European Union is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80- 95% below 1990 levels by 2050;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Points out that European gas demand has significantly decreased in the past years partly due to the economic crisis but also due to a structural shift in gas demand thanks to the successful implementation of energy efficiency and renewable policies;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises that liquefied natural gas (LNG) and gas storage are of particular importanccan play a role in order to avoid dependence on a single energy supplier; calls in this context for the promotion and developa thorough assessment of where new natural gas nodes and LNG storage stations in the central and south-eastern regions, the Baltic and the Mediterraneancould improve energy security, taking into account the unused capacities of existing infrastructures, declining gas demand throughout Europe, the risk of stranded assets and EU 2030 and 2050 climate and energy objectives;
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas European gas import dependency in the upcoming years is expected to grow and in certain Member States has already reached 100 % in cases where there are no or limited numbers of alternative suppliers or supply routand boosting renewable energy and improving energy efficiency represent an opportunity to reduce gas demand in these countries;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas liquefied natural gas (LNG) presents an opportunity for Europe both in terms of increasing competitiveness by exerting downward pressure on natural gas prices and increasing supply security; whereas natural gas is also a flexible backup to renewables in electricity productioncan complement and support renewables for a period of time up to 2050;
Amendment 39 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the need for impact assessments to be made to ascertain the added value of constructing new LNG transport and storage infrastructure to avoid stranded assets, and the need to focus new investments on areas with poor interconnection, or to supply the most vulnerable Member States;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that LNG and gas storage are an important part of the Energy Union and should contribute towards ending any kind of energy isolation of the EU Member States and regions; highlights the need to support the most vulnerable countries in order to diversify their sources and routes of supply, and to strengthen their energy security by reducing demand through efficiency measures; recalls that promoting LNG would push Member States to be more reliant on gas imports while for every 1% improvement in energy efficiency, EU gas imports fall by 2.6%;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU, as the second largest LNG importer in the world, should exploit more opportunities in the international energy diplomacy arena to require from LNG producing countries to comply with high environmental standards in all stages of the gas life-cycle to avoid harmful methane leakage;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the EU is still not able to fully exploit the benefits of an integrated internal energy market due to a lack of key gas infrastructure that would properly connect the marketsufficient interconnections and due to incomplete implementation of the Third Energy Package;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas gas consumption forecasts in the past have been overestimated;
Amendment 51 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the current LNG infrastructure in Europe works at 25% of its capacity, according to the 2016 LNG report by IGU, and in some Member States there is infrastructure that has not been used since its construction;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication entitled ‘'An EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage’'; belieobserves that gas demand internal energy market which fully integrates LNG and gas storage will play a significant role in achieving the ultimate objective of a resilient Energy Union Europe has decreased by 14% between 2000 and 2014 and by 23% between 2010 and 2014, partly because of the economic crisis but also thanks to the implementation of energy efficiency policies; believes that this trend is likely to continue with the EU 2030 Energy Strategy;
Amendment 75 #
3. Acknowledges that the availability of LNG, including supporting pipeline infrastructure, in these Member States could significantly improve the current supply security situation not only in physical but also in economic terms, contributing to more competitive energy prices, during the transition to renewables;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that even though the EU as a whole is sufficiently supplied with LNG regasification terminals and that in recent years a low utilisation rate has characterised the terminals as a result of recent market trends, and non-optimal distribution of LNG terminals presents a challenge, and access to LNG in the most vulnerable Member States should be supported;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Urges the Commission to make forecasts of gas consumption based on real demand data that incorporate energy efficiency targets, renewables, changes in industrial demand and falling energy consumption to avoid inflated projections of consumption that will lead to fossil fuel lock-in;
Amendment 111 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that in order to avoid stranded assets, a careful analysis of LNG supply alternatives and options, including renewables and energy efficiency, in a regional perspective should be carried out before deciding about new infrastructure in order to guarantee the most efficient use of existing infrastructure;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of regional cooperation when building new LNG terminals and interconnections and underlines that Member States with access to the sea should cooperate closely with landlocked countries to avoid over- investment in unnecessary or uneconomic projects;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the Commission and the Member States to fully implement key projects of common interest (PCIs), that will contribute to improving energy efficiency and ensuring security of supply, and to assign high priority to projects identified by the three regional high-level groups; stresses that building new LNG terminals is not sufficient – supporting pipeline infrastructure with appropriate tariffs is indispensable for the benefitsshould only be done if renewables, coupled with energy efficiency measures, cannot meet the same objective and that their construction should respond to be realised outside the receiving countrie demand or to well justified geo-strategic reasons;
Amendment 135 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Reminds that significant seismic activity resulting from the injection of gas in the ground has rendered some gas storage facilities unusable in certain Member States; calls on the Member States to ensure that independent geological and geotechnical studies are conducted prior to the construction of gas storage facilities to determine their geological suitability;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that finding cost efficient solutions should be a key principle in reaching the EU and regional optimum and calls on the Commission, the Member States and national regulatory authorities to allocate the limited available resources to the development of critical infrastructure that corresponds to real demand, as established by independent forecasts, or to well-justified geo-strategic reasons;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the important role that liquid gas hubs play on the gas markets, as well as their role in facilitating the decrease in gas demand in the coming decades;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Notes the emerging global trend for increasing liquefaction capacity and its expectedpotential positive effect on the European gas markets;
Amendment 237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Stresses the necessity of eliminating all barriers to global free trade of LNGapplying a system of quality control on LNG imports that guarantees the elimination of methane leakage during all stages of the gas life-cycle; uUrges, in this context, US policy makers to increase investment certainty by introducing clear criteria and deadlines in the authorisation process for gas exports to non-FTA countries; the European Commission and the External Action Service to ensure that production conditions meet the high standards required in the European Union and Members States, that the producing countries, many of them outside the OECD, are subject to independent audits and quality controls, and not to favour LNG that is not compliant with these high standards;
Amendment 242 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 a (new)
Paragraph 30 a (new)
30a. Considers that the extraction of shale gas using hydraulic fracturing does not contribute to the achievement of EU's climate objectives due to methane leaks whose greenhouse gas emissions are many times higher than from CO2 and, therefore, cannot be considered a low- carbon energy source;
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30 b (new)
Paragraph 30 b (new)
30b. Acknowledges the public concerns about hydraulic fracturing and the negative consequences this technology entails for the achievement of the EU's long term decarbonisation goals, as well as for climate, environment and public health and that these effects are transnational; Considering that the energy mix is primarily a Member State competence and that some Member States have banned fracking in their territory, urges the Commission to recommend to Member States not to import LNG originating from fracking;
Amendment 250 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Acknowledges the potential of LNG as a sustainabln alternative fuel, both in road and maritime transport; underlines that wider use of LNG in freight transport could contribute to the decrease of global CO2 emissions provided methane leaks are prevented in all stages of the gas life- cycle;
Amendment 259 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Notes that the use of small-scale LNG technology in certain areas, such as long-range transportation or industrial high performance applications, might not only contribute to climate policy objectives but could also result in significant business advantagprovided methane leaks are prevented in all stages of the gas life-cycle;