(Montel) The plan of some European countries to commission new gas plants with a total capacity of 80 GW by 2035 poses a risk to the continent's climate commitments, according to a study by the NGO Beyond Fossil Fuels published Friday.
Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom alone plan to install 40.5 GW of new capacity by 2035, or 32% of the 80 GW planned, according to the organization which was not immediately available to answer Montel's questions on the planned commissioning dates.
The three countries already represent 45% of gas electricity production capacity in Europe, we can read in the study. But no country has, however, a concrete plan for a gradual phase-out of gas in the electricity sector, according to Beyond Fossil Fuels.
The organization advocates for a transition to a decarbonized European electricity system, entirely based on renewable energies by 2035.
Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, which have already fallen behind on their coal exit plans, plan to increase their combined gas-fired power generation capacity from the current 9 GW to 24 GW in here the middle of the next decade, specifies the study.
Call to redirect subsidies
The study recommends a reorientation of public subsidies, in particular through capacity mechanisms, to further encourage the integration of renewables into networks, increase storage capacities and promote other forms of clean energy flexibility.
Only four of Europe's 855 gas plants have been shut down since 2023, the report said, with just seven more closures planned until the end of 2035.
Earlier this year, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) think tank warned Italy of the risk of too much reliance on gas-generated electricity which could hamper its transition to renewable energies and prevent it from achieving its climate objectives.
The EU aims to reduce its carbon emissions by 55% compared to 1990 levels by 2030 to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
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