| Press Release 20-01 Regulators call for the Green Deal
to decarbonise Europe at least cost
Brussels, 23 January 2020
• Decarbonising at least cost is key to the European Green Deal
• Need for sustainability indicators and for EU law to define decarbonised gases Decarbonise Europe and do it at least cost was the strong message of the energy regulators today at the 2020 annual conference of the Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER)1. The message of the EU Energy Commissioner, Ms Kadri Simson, delivered by DG ENER Director General Ms Ditte Juul Jørgensen, at the CEER conference today, emphasised the role of energy markets in delivering the European Green Deal in the most cost-effective way:
“Ten days after taking office, the Commission launched the European Green Deal, our agenda to make Europe greener and cleaner but also with a more resilient and competitive economy. We have committed to becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. All sectors and policies will contribute to this transformation, but energy policy will have a central role. Decarbonisation of our economy does not come for free, but we need to keep costs as low as possible. Competitive and open electricity and gas markets deliver the best deal for consumers – they are the most efficient way to achieve our objectives. We will not be able to achieve our goal of a climate neutral Europe, unless we can show the tangible benefits that this creates for our consumers. Every customer - households, SMEs, or industry - should be able to benefit from affordable, secure and clean energy.”
CEER President, Annegret Groebel and European Commission’s Director-General of DG Energy. Ditte Juul Jørgensen, at the CEER Annual Conference 2020
The event speakers included MEP Krasnodębski and MEP Niinistö from the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee, and the ACER Director, Mr Zinglersen.
Decarbonising at least cost is key to the European Green Deal
CEER President, Dr Annegret Groebel, explained the focus on “least-cost” decarbonisation:
“Net-zero emissions require a massive effort across all sectors to decarbonise whilst not compromising Europe’s security of supply and a competitive internal energy market. Decarbonisation must be done at the least cost so that consumers are not paying excessively for this much needed transformation and for it to be a no-regret decision for industry to embrace decarbonisation. It means implementing an energy market design that integrates an increasing share of renewable energy, including new low-carbon gases like hydrogen, to decarbonise at least cost; optimising the benefits of sector coupling electricity and gas; and having an EU industrial strategy so that all sectors of the economy support and invest in decarbonisation. Regulators look at ensuring flexibility and encouraging consumers to participate actively in the market, benefiting consumers themselves and contributing to grid stability.” Need for sustainability indicators and for EU law to clearly define decarbonised gases Regulators outlined their specific proposals to decarbonise the gas sector and for electricity and gas sector coupling beyond 2025 in the ACER-CEER “Bridge Beyond 2025” paper2, calling, inter alia, for EU law:
• to establish clear definitions and categorisation of decarbonised gases, including carbon capture and use or storage, to facilitate the blending of decarbonised gases
• to provide for an EU-wide system of monitoring sustainability indicators Decarbonisation at least cost is one of three core areas of CEER’s Strategy (2019-2021) and features heavily in the CEER 2020 Work Programme. Ends - see Notes for Editors | 
