Greenpeace activists are warning that Europe’s new liquefied natural gas infrastructure — built in record time to ease the energy crisis — could pose a disaster for the region’s climate ambitions.
(Bloomberg) — Greenpeace activists are warning that Europe’s new liquefied natural gas infrastructure — built in record time to ease the energy crisis — could pose a disaster for the region’s climate ambitions.
Eight new LNG import terminals have been approved in the European Union, with 38 more in the pipeline, allowing for 950 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, according to a report by the environmental organization. That’s equivalent to a third of the bloc’s total emissions in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic triggered an economic slowdown.
While a proportion of those emissions would have been discharged into the atmosphere anyway if the EU were still using Russian pipeline gas, the risk is that new infrastructure creates a “structural oversupply” as countries rush to secure new long-term contracts, Greenpeace said. It could also result in billions of euros worth of stranded assets in both Europe and supplier countries, like the US.
“This infrastructure buildout is irrational,” the report said. “The LNG boom replacing pipelined gas raises grave concerns about the EU energy transition away from fossil fuels, and the energy future of the continent.”
Despite the fear that Europe’s emissions would increase in the wake of the energy crisis due to more burning of fossil fuels, the EU bucked a trend of rising global emissions last year. Officials argue that fossil fuel infrastructure is temporary, while a rollout of renewables is being accelerated.
“Despite this crisis, we managed to keep the economy growing on the one hand, but on the other hand we were able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the North Sea Summit earlier this week. “Renewables are crucial for us to reach our goals in 2050. It is all about speeding up.”
Germany — which relied on Russian pipeline gas for 55% of its imports before Moscow’s attack on Ukraine — fast-tracked the installation of new LNG import terminals last year. Three facilities have already opened this winter, with more including land-based ones yet to launch.
Read more: Most German Gas Plants Could be Stranded Assets in a Decade
The government has argued that the altogether nine terminals are required to replace Russian imports by 2030, and Germany’s storage operators said any new capacity would be welcome to avoid a shortage next winter. While the population has been largely supportive, plans for a terminal outside the Baltic island Ruegen are facing mounting opposition amid concerns over effects on the environment and tourism.
“The fossil fuel industry has cynically capitalized on the invasion of Ukraine,” said Silvia Pastorelli, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace EU. “Governments must lead in the climate fight, not be puppeteered by gas operators.”
–With assistance from Petra Sorge.
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