Laurence Poirier-Dietz, general director of GRDF, the leading gas distributor in France and Europe, took over as president of the GD4S union on October 9, bringing together several gas distributors on the continent. For Euractiv, it shares the association's strategy to influence future European texts.
Laurence Poirier-Dietz has been Managing Director of GRDF since 2021. She was previously Managing Director CLIMESPACE, an Engie subsidiary and world leader in urban cooling and cooling, before being Deputy Managing Director of Engie Ineo, a specialist Engie subsidiary. in electrical engineering.
GD4S currently brings together 11 major European gas distribution network operators from eight EU member states and the UK. All leaders at national level, they serve more than 47 million customers and represent 41% of the EU gas market.
As president of GD4S for the next 18 months, Laurence Poirier-Dietz will mainly insist in Brussels on taking into account the recommendations of the association's manifesto published last April.
GD4S priorities
The first objective of the deliverable is «to facilitate the production of renewable gas in Europe » to achieve the objective of 35 billion cubic meters produced in the EU each year from 2030. To do this, «we insist'on board [dans ce manifeste] on the nrequiresé that all Member States have individual objectives »in the manner of what is currently prescribed in terms of the development of renewable energies through the so-called RED directive, recalls Laurence Poirier-Dietz.
Also, that all Member States «have msupport mechanisms’aides to production and to linvestment in infrastructure and ressay », she adds. The EU, according to Laurence Poirier-Dietz, aims to «encourage recourse to certain types of mmechanisms of’aides appropriand »each country then declines according to its particularities: feed-in tariffs, electricity purchase contracts, etc.
The manager also emphasizes the need to « dto defendbalance of the systemth energyetic between gas and electricityin a technologically neutral approach ». According to her, the discussions «too often show themassive electrification as the only solution to decarbonation ».
Or, pour «achieve neutralitycarbon while ensuring rsystem resilienceth, we need a more pragmatic framework that allows better coordination between energies »the only solution for “decarbonize while remaining affordable and resilient”, she defends.
For the moment, the rate of electrification of uses is stagnating at around 23% at European level, and has been for several years.
Focus on the new Commission
Laurence Poirier-Dietz wishes to convey this message directly to the European Commission.
The college of commissioners barely validated, ” he isstill difficult to comment gIeral before the dstart of work of the new Commission »she agrees. However, she welcomes the rapprochement of the Energy and Housing portfolios, under the leadership of new Commissioner Dan Jørgensen.
«This will further promote theuse of energies ofecarboned in the bbuilding and raising citizens' awareness of European issuesagree »she thinks.
« Lcircular economy should also take a more important place »notes the president of GD4S. According to information from Euractiv, the Clean Industrial Deala sort of package of texts, expected in the first 100 days of the new European Commission, could include a regulation on the circular economy.
At first glance, Laurence Poirier-Dietz warns that “although the creation of common rules and definitions is necessary, it would be a shame if regulation were reduced to the creation of a common waste market”. It therefore calls for attention to taking into account realities and solutions « locales », like the “short circuit management of waste resources”.
Lobbying from Brussels
And if we now need to help the European authorities to better understand the local network, «as distributors, we have the vision trlocal, we are thereto to bringfield expertise »she proclaims. All the interest, according to her, of «to strenghten » the GD4S place in Brussels. “We hope that our voice as distributors anchored in the territories and carrying local realities can contribute to enriching the debate.”
For these purposes, the association now has three permanent staff in the European capital.
«We have the’ambition d'to be known and consideredworthés as the spokesperson for gas distributors and, as such, invitesaround the table to participate directly to ldevelopment of texts, particularly on the technical part and the feasibility parté in the territories in each of the Member States of the’UE ».
To strengthen its role, GD4S wishes to welcome new members, particularly from central and eastern Europe, confides its president.
The association is also preparing an event in Paris at the end of March 2025 “around green gases”, GRDF communications services tell Euractiv.
