Activities of Zigmantas BALČYTIS related to 2016/2059(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage (A8-0278/2016 - András Gyürk) LT
Amendments (38)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 e (new)
Citation 4 e (new)
- having regard to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 15 December 2011 entitled 'Energy Roadmap 2050' (COM(2011)0885),
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
- having regard to the Commission communication of 8 March 2011 entitled 'Roadmap for moving to a competitive low-carbon economy in 2050' (COM(2011)0112),
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)
Citation 4 c (new)
- having regard to the Third Energy Package,
Amendment 15 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 d (new)
Citation 4 d (new)
- having regard to Directive 2012/27/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on energy efficiency, amending Directives 2009/125/EC and 2010/30/EU and repealing Directives 2004/8/EC and 2006/32/EC,
Amendment 18 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 f (new)
Citation 4 f (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 15 December 2016 entitled 'Towards a European Energy Union',
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas the EU has committed itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas gas is expected to continue to play an important role in the EU energy system for decades, especially in industrial production and as a source of heat in buildings, while the EU meets its ambitious targets on greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency and renewables and makes the transition to a low-decarbonized economy;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Europe has already a significant LNG import infrastructure: the EU currently has 197 bcm of LNG import capacity with a further 77 bcm of LNG import capacity under development;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the EU, as the second largest LNG importer in the world, should exploit more opportunitiesplay a more proactive role in the international energy diplomacy arena;
Amendment 49 #
E. whereas the EU is still not able to fully exploit the benefits of an integrated internal energy market due to a lack of coherence and key gas infrastructure that would properly connect the markets and due to incomplete implementation of the Third Energy Package;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas the framework strategy for a resilient Energy Union with a forward- looking climate change policy defines as a priority supply security, diversification, sustainability goals and promotes more competitive energy pricefive mutually-reinforcing and closely interrelated dimensions: Energy security, a fully integrated European energy market; Energy efficiency, decarbonisation of the economy, and Research, Innovation and Competitiveness;
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Stresses that an EU Strategy for liquefied natural gas must be consistent with the framework strategy for a resilient Energy Union so as to contribute to increased security of energy supply, decarbonisation, the long-term sustainability of the economy and the delivery of affordable and competitive energy prices;
Amendment 64 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Stress the need to make the EU gas system more diverse and flexible, thus contributing to the key Energy Union objective of a secure, resilient and competitive gas supply;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Agrees with the assessment of the Commission that Member States in the Baltic region and in central and south- eastern Europe, and Ireland – despite the huge infrastructure development efforts realised by certain Member States – are still dependeheavily reliant on a single supplier and are exposed to supply shocks and disruptions;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to develop a strategy that aims at lessening EU gas dependency in the long-term reflecting its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emission to 80-95% below 1990 levels by 2050;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Underlines that an EU 2030 target for energy efficiency, if revised upwards, would have a significant impact on energy dependency, reducing, in particular, gas imports; highlights in this regard that, according to the European Commission’s Communication on Energy Efficiency (COM(2014)520), for every 1% improvement in energy efficiency, EU gas imports falls by 2.6%; stresses in this respect, that treating energy efficiency as a ‘first fuel’ would significantly reduce EU dependency on imported fossil fuels;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Recalls, in this respect, that the Parliament has repeatedly called for binding 2030 climate and energy targets of at least a 40% domestic reduction in GHG emissions, at least 30% for renewables and 40% for energy efficiency, to be implemented by means of individual national targets;
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 d (new)
Paragraph 4 d (new)
4d. Stresses that care should be taken with regard to investment in LNG or gas infrastructure to avoid the risk of technology lock-in or stranded assets in fossil fuel infrastructures;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 e (new)
Paragraph 4 e (new)
4e. Stresses the need to promote the most efficient use of existing LNG terminals, with a cross-border perspective, before supporting new regasification terminals;
Amendment 91 #
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 in recent years a low utilisation rate has characterised the terminals as a result of recent market trends,acknowledges that, due to the past years' weak internal gas demand and a relatively high global price on LNG, several EU LNG regasification terminals are experiencing low utilization rates; Stresses that despite a non-optimal distribution of LNG terminals presents a challenge, and, access to LNG in the most vulnerable Member States shcould be supported; through further development of internal interconnections;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Underlines that priority should be given to market-based solutions and to the utilisation of existing LNG infrastructure on a regional level, as this would reduce the risk of stranded assets;
Amendment 109 #
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 in a regional perspectiveas well as from an environmentally sustainable perspective, taking into account the Union's climate and energy targets, should be carried out before deciding about new infrastructure in order to guarantee the most efficient use of existing infrastructure;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the importance of regional cooperation when building new LNG terminals and underlines that Member States with access to the sea should cooperate closely with landlocked countries; stresses that, in this regards, an optimal use of the west-east and south- north corridors with improved reverse- flow capacity, would allow the transmission of LNG in countries that don't have direct access to a regasification terminal;
Amendment 124 #
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), and to assign high priority to projects identified by the three regional high-level groups; stresses that building LNG terminals which are necessary and compatible to gas demands is not sufficient – supporting pipeline infrastructure with appropriate tariffs is indispensable for the benefits to be realised outside the receiving countries;
Amendment 136 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Recalls that the development of interconnections and the removal of internal bottlenecks will promote a better use of existing storage facilities even in the Member States that do not have sufficient storage capacity available in their territory;
Amendment 155 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Stresses the importance of finding cost efficient and environmentally sustainable energy supply options to increase supply security in the Member States on the periphery of the EU, such as Cyprus, Malta and Ireland, which are not well connected to the internal energy market;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that finding cost efficient and environmentally sustainable 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;
Amendment 171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Highlights the Commission's Communication of the 2050 Energy Roadmap, which illustrates that fossil fuels such as gas will need to be phased out by 2050; considers therefore that new gas infrastructure should only be prioritised in case of necessity and should always respond to a real gas demand, in order to avoid the creation of a new carbon lock-in and of possible stranded assets;
Amendment 181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Highlights the need to develop harmonised tariff structures across the EU and to increase transparency in tariff definition in order to reach a higher utilisation rate of existing gas storages and takes the view that the network code on rules regarding harmonised transmission tariff structures for gas should take into consideration the need for harmonisfurther approximation;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Supports the Commission’'s proposal to enable the deployment of bio- methane and other renewable gases which comply with relevant EU quality standards in gas transmission, distribution and storage; emphasises that this should not put additional burden on the industry; recommendsasks the Commission, in this respect, theo consideration of technical parameters, gas quality, cost efficiency, economies of scale and and develop harmonised technical parameters, criteria for gas quality, and to develop a strategy encouraging possible local or regional grid solutions;
Amendment 212 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Urges the Members States to fully implement the third energy package particularly in relation to the provisions on granting access to bio-methane to the grid and to storage facilities; highlights in this regard Directive 2009/73/EC, according to which Member States should ensure that, taking into account the necessary quality requirements, biogas and gas from biomass or other types of gas are granted non-discriminatory access to the gas system, provided such access is permanently compatible with the relevant technical rules and safety standards;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Highlights the role of immediate, high-flexibility services that gas storage offers and points out the different role that storage can play during a supply disruption compared to LNG where logistics in the supply chain are rather rigid on such a short-term basimight not grant the same responsiveness;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Notes the emerging global trend for increasing liquefaction capacity and its expected positive effepotential impact on the European gas markets;
Amendment 239 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30
Paragraph 30
30. Stresses the necessity of eliminating all barriers to global free trade of LNG, whose production must be sustainable; urges, 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;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31
Paragraph 31
31. Acknowledges the potential of LNG as a sustainable 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;
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31 a (new)
Paragraph 31 a (new)
31a. Underlines that EU should continue to support the growth of LNG as an alternative fuel only where it replaces more polluting conventional fuels and does not take the place of renewable energy sources, consistent with sustainability goals;