Brussels wants to switch to green energy faster to get rid of Russian gas | right Now

EU countries should be obligated to speed up green energy generation as well as save more energy. This came in a package of measures presented by the European Commission on Wednesday to reduce dependence on Russian gas faster and reduce carbon dioxide emissions in Europe.

Last year, Brussels suggested that at least 40% of all energy in the European Union should be renewable by 2030. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that target should be raised to 45 percent. The mandatory 2030 energy savings target will be increased from 9 to 13 percent.

In addition, from 2025, the installation of solar panels should be mandatory in all new buildings for companies and public institutions. From 2029, this should also apply to new home construction. “This is ambitious, but realistic,” said von der Leyen. The number of solar panels in the European Union should already double in the next three years.

To speed up the deployment of solar panels and wind turbines, EU member states must ensure permits are granted faster. They should identify areas suitable in principle for clean energy generation, on land as well as at sea. Within these areas, permits must then be completed within a year.

It will also allocate tens of billions of dollars in subsidies for infrastructure needed to use green hydrogen, produce biogas, and launch heat pumps.

Auctioning of additional CO2 rights

Altogether, the actions from the so-called REPowerEU package will cost 300 billion euros. The majority must be financed by loans.

The rights to CO2 from the ETS “reserve” will also be auctioned off in order to raise around €20 billion. Critics say this makes additional carbon dioxide emissions possible, but European Commissioner Frans Timmermans said this would “absolutely not prevent” emissions from falling 55 per cent by 2030, as the Commission wants.

Early this year, the European Commission plans to reduce gas imports from Russia by two-thirds by joint purchase from elsewhere, including in the form of liquefied gas (LNG).