In focus: Europe goes all in to ensure energy security and net-zero future

In the light of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the topic of energy security has reclaimed the limelight from that of energy transition, though not completely as the two are inextricably tied and form the main pillar of sustainable future. This is most evident in Europe, which has intensified efforts on all fronts to shift away from global dominance of fossil fuels as soon as possible.

Ever since the war started, Europe and its allies – most notably the United States – have been working tirelessly to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels and find sustainable alternatives to maintain the security of energy supply.

Earlier in March, the EU member states developed an outline of a plan aimed at making them independent from Russian supplies well before 2030. Starting with gas , the plan could help reduce Europe’s demand by two-thirds before the end of the year.

The alliance is starting to bear fruit, as confirmed this Friday, when Ursula von der Leyen and Joe Biden , the leaders of the EU and the U.S. respectively, reaffirmed their joint commitment to Europe’s energy security and sustainability and global transition to clean energy.

They announced the U.S. will supply 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the EU this year , underlining their pledge to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, by promising to ensure the reduction of greenhouse gas intensity for all new LNG infrastructure by increased use of clean energy.

Another focus of the mutual initiative includes accelerating the development of renewable energy projects and strategic energy cooperation on offshore wind and other clean energy technologies, with plans to deepen collaboration on the production and use of clean and renewable hydrogen and supporting infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the transition to clean energy sources is still going full steam ahead, with the latest positive signals coming from the Netherlands where the banking and financial services corporation ING decided to step up its renewable energy efforts and restrict financing for new oil & gas fields as part of a push to facilitate the energy transition.

Energy security is underpinned by the diversification of energy supply. This means renewable energy sources will continue to play the pivotal role in the energy mix of the future, with green hydrogen taking up increasingly important role as time passes.

In that regard, Germany has taken steps to strengthen cooperation on hydrogen with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) , having signed various agreements to boost the hydrogen value chain for both German and UAE companies.

Most notably, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a memorandum of understanding and joint study agreements with German companies related to green hydrogen production and transportation projects.

At the same time, German transmission system operator OGE and compatriot utility RWE announced the national infrastructure concept called H2ercules.

The infrastructure project, predicted to cost around €3.5 billion , is aimed at connecting electrolyzers as well as storage and import facilities in the north of the country with industrial consumers in the west and south of Germany.

United Kingdom is also making great strides to diversify its own energy mix and upgrade the existing infrastructure to accommodate the increasing share of renewables and hydrogen.

Namely, a new floating wind-to-hydrogen project is being proposed for the country by Environmental Resources Management’s (ERM) ERM Dolphyn and Source Energie.

The companies have entered into a partnership to jointly develop projects in the Celtic Sea that incorporate floating wind and green hydrogen production , with an aim to participate in the coming Crown Estate’s floating wind leasing round.

Being on the forefront of tidal energy industry, the United Kingdom has this week seen a huge investment in the sector as well, made by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the Welsh Government.

The EU’s regional funding program awarded €37.6 million for the development of major tidal energy project , dubbed Morlais , and located offshore Anglesey in Wales.

The Morlais infrastructure development aims to further advance the development of tidal power generation technologies by providing them with grid connectivity .

Following the approval of funding, a North Wales-based company Jones Bros Civil Engineering was hired for the main contract in the project, worth €28.5 million.

Jones Bros will build all onshore infrastructure necessary to connect the 240MW scheme to UK’s electricity transmission network, starting from spring 2022.

Once fully operational, the Morlais tidal energy project will be able to provide clean power for over 180,000 homes.