The European Green Deal

It is "a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use."

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“This is Europe's ‘man on the moon' moment”

Ursula von der Leyen, referring to the Green Deal

KEY TAKEAWAYS

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Liquified natural gas

Natural gas is an odourless, colourless gas, largely formed over millions of years underground. It consists of a variety of compounds (see the gallery), but methane is by far the most significant one.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel releasing greenhouse gases when burnt – but is less climate-polluting than coal and other fossil fuels.

In order to feed the global demand for natural gas, the latter needs to be transported from where it is produced to where it is going to be consumed. In order to make the process of gas transportation easier, LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) is created by cooling natural gas to -160 ºC liquid which takes 600 times less space than natural gas. Once it reaches its destination, it is turned back into gas at regasification plants. The liquid is heated, and the gas is then piped to homes, business, and industries where it is burnt for heat or to generate electricity.

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LNG within the green deal framework

The role of LNG in decarbonization and combating climate change had been acknowledged in the EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage of 2016. In the aforementioned document it was recommended by the European Commission to financially support development of LNG as a valuable alternative to more polluting fossil fuels which was able to contribute to the global goals of climate sustainability and security of energy supply in the EU.

The European Green Deal adopted in 2019 does not contain any direct mentions of LNG, but after a thorough analysis it is possible to find in the document some implications of the possible usage of potential possessed by LNG in the context of the major goal to make Europe carbon neutral by 2050. An important example of indirect support of LNG can be found in the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions which was presented in October 2020. In particular, the document offers an opportunity to use the existing LNG infrastructure for storage and production of biomethane and other renewable fuels, and therefore reduce carbon emissions in the future. Since the EU strategy to reduce methane emissions is related to the Green Deal framework, it may be assumed that in spite of lack of direct connections between LNG and the European Green Deal, the support for LNG may significantly increase in the following decades.