The European Commission has backed low carbon gases such as biomethane and hydrogen to decarbonise the EU gas market.

Last week the Commission adopted a set of legislative proposals aimed at shifting from fossil natural gas to renewable and low-carbon gases, in particular biomethane and hydrogen, and strengthen the resilience of the gas system.

Biomethane is produced from anaerobic digestion (AD), much of which will be produced from agricultural based plants.

AD is in its infancy in Ireland but has recently been backed as a decarbonisation opportunity by the Irish Government.

The European Union needs to decarbonise the energy it consumes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and become climate-neutral by 2050.

Grid entry

The new rules will make it easier for renewable and low-carbon gases to access the existing gas grid, by removing tariffs for cross-border interconnections and lowering tariffs at injection points.

The proposals also create a certification system for low-carbon gases to ensure a level playing field when assessing the full greenhouse gas emissions footprint of different gases and allow Member States to compare and consider them in their energy mix.

End of contracts

In order to avoid locking Europe in with fossil natural gas and to make more space for clean gases in the European gas market, the Commission proposes that long-term contracts for unabated fossil natural gas should not be extended beyond 2049.

Market for hydrogen

One of the main aims is to establish a market for hydrogen, create the right environment for investment, and enable the development of dedicated infrastructure, including for trade with third countries.

The market rules and new governance structure cover areas such as access to hydrogen infrastructures, separation of hydrogen production and transport activities, tariff setting, cross-border coordination and interconnector network construction.

Gas network operators have to include information on infrastructure that can be decommissioned or repurposed, and there will be separate hydrogen network development reporting to ensure that the construction of the hydrogen system is based on a realistic demand projection.

Gas storage

Finally, the proposals will set out a strategic approach to gas storage enabling voluntary joint procurement by Member States to have strategic stocks, in line with the EU competition rules.

Speaking on the proposals, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal, Frans Timmermans, said: “Europe needs to turn the page on fossil fuels and move to cleaner energy sources. This includes replacing fossil gas with renewable and low carbon gases.”