Member states shy away from renewables target

EU governments are backing away from setting a legally binding target to get 20% of their energy from renewable sources.

Energy ministers are to meet next Thursday (15 February) to discuss the energy package published in January by the European Commission.

But at a meeting of member states’ ambassadors yesterday (7 February) most delegations were reluctant to agree to a binding target of 20% for renewables by 2020 and a binding target of 10% for the share of biofuels used as transport fuel by the same date.

Denmark, Sweden, Slovenia, Spain and Italy back a binding target of 20% for renewables but even the UK, which is pushing hard for ambitious measures to combat climate change, is opposing a compulsory target.

Some countries could accept 20% provided it is voluntary, arguing that peer pressure will help them hit the goal.

The issue is proving so controversial that a decision on whether the targets are binding or not could be referred to EU leaders to settle at their 8-9 March summit.

The draft conclusions agreed by ambassadors yesterday have "binding" in brackets to indicate that a decision will be taken at a higher political level.

Only Spain, Slovenia and Finland back the call for a binding 10% share for biofuels although there is wider support for the target if it is voluntary.

Many member states are insisting that the target depends on a number of conditions including production being sustainable, second generation biofuels becoming commercially available and changes in fuel quality legislation to allow for more blending.

Many are insisting on maintaining the right to set national specific targets for the proportion of biofuels which comes from different sources rather than having them determined by the Commission.

Luxembourg Green MEP and energy expert Claude Turmes criticised governments’ reluctance to sign up to binding targets. "If you really want to tackle climate change it is crystal clear that energy efficiency and renewables will deliver 80-90% of CO2 [carbon dioxide] emission reductions," he said. Turmes suggested that EU leaders might show more ambition than energy ministers, who tended to be close to the energy companies that were fighting against renewable targets. EU leaders might "better understand" that citizens were in favour of binding targets for renewables and energy efficiency, he suggested.

Separately, France seems to have lost a battle to protect energy companies against the threat of being forced to give up control of transmission networks. The European Commission said in January that the most effective way to ensure proper competition on energy markets was through ownership unbundling where energy companies were forced to sell off their transmission and distribution businesses. If this was not possible, the Commission said there should be an independent system operator (ISO) running the transmission network. While the ISO could be owned by companies with generating capacity, they would not be allowed to influence investment decisions in the grid to favour their customers. France, supported by Slovakia, Latvia and Bulgaria, wanted to introduce a third option, in which there would be no new legislation but existing measures would be implemented more thoroughly.

But this was opposed by the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia and Portugal, which favour full unbundling.

Member states are also divided over the role of nuclear power in the energy mix. France, with the support of the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Lithuania (which all have nuclear power plants) wants to emphasise the contribution of atomic energy to low carbon emissions. But the move is opposed by Austria and Ireland.

EU governments are backing away from setting a legally binding target to get 20% of their energy from renewable sources.