Denk mee over LNG!

11 augustus 2015 – De Europese Commissie vraagt iedereen die dat wil mee te denken over het Europese LNG-beleid en de opslag van gas.

Vóór 30 september moeten ideeën binnen zijn. De ideeën kunnen komen van bedrijven, instellingen en zelfs individuele burgers. De vraag van de Europese Commissie is vooral gericht op een veel grotere inzet van LNG, onder andere om de afhankelijkheid van Russisch gas sterk te verminderen.

Oproep Europese Commissie
‘What do you see as the challenges and opportunities for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and gas storage in the EU? The European Commission is seeking your views in order to help it develop a strategy to explore the full potential of LNG and gas storage in the mid to long-term.
LNG and gas storage help the EU boost the security and competitiveness of its energy supply, in particular through the diversification of supply sources. That is why the Commission identified the need for an EU strategy for LNG and gas storage in its plans for an Energy Union launched earlier this year.
This consultation, open until 30 September 2015, is a first step in developing that strategy.
Gas plays a key role in the EU energy system, accounting for around a quarter of energy consumption. However, some EU countries are reliant on just one gas supplier, meaning, for example, that a disruption in Russian gas supplies could heavily impact the Baltics and South-Eastern EU countries.
LNG – currently sourced by the EU mainly from Qatar, Algeria and Nigeria – is already used in the EU energy system, in particular in Spain, Portugal, France and the UK. But developments in the EU and elsewhere mean that the EU could widen its range of suppliers to countries such as the US, Canada and Australia. LNG could also help drive down energy prices by boosting competition on EU markets.
Meanwhile, levels of gas storage have risen over the last 10 years in the EU, helping to balance the fluctuation in seasonal demand. Furthermore, storage has a key role to play in a crisis situation: It can react fast to sudden peaks of demand and supply disruptions since stored gas is often close to demand or can be easily transported via the pipeline system to places where needed. However, the Commission is keen to explore whether and how gas storage can be improved to boost security of supply.’

Bronnen
Europese Commissie, 6 augustus 2015: LNG and gas storage in the EU: share your views!
Europese Commissie, 6 augustus 2015: How to submit your contribution