European Gas TSOs Seek Carbon Cuts
The CEOs of the seven gas transmission system operators (TSOs) that comprise the Green Gas Initiative (GGI) have initiated a regional study on the value of the transmissions systems in the green transition, they said June 19.
Decarbonising gas is considered key to their companies' future, as their pipeline assets still have decades of working life ahead of them but the European Union's aspiration is a renewable and zero-carbon fossil fuel future.
At the annual Gas Infrastructure Europe meeting in Bucharest mid-June they began a study to analyse the value of the gas system in the green transition, calling it an "an ambitious step in unlocking the potential for the European gas system to help achieve the Paris agreement."
The study will consider what makes some countries more successful than others such as gas market policies and the direction of infrastructure development. The study is to be executed by Frontier Economics and results will be presented in October.
Greenhouse gas emissions are a challenge acknowledged by the GGI and its members have established a working group with the aim to reduce the emissions from operating the gas system such as leaks and compressor stations.
“As TSOs we transport substantial amounts of gas. We must therefore also be critical towards emissions from operating the system. That is why we have launched a working group, which cooperates with other organisations and exchange experiences as well as standardise methods for quantification of the emissions. These actions are another important step towards our goal of carbon neutral grids in 2050”, says Energinet Gas CEO Torben Brabo who currently chairs GGI.
The Carbon Footprint working group will complement the existing GGI working groups on biomethane, mobility and hydrogen. The Hydrogen working group is the continuation of the Power To Gas working group. Its scope has been expanded to include the consequences of the use of hydrogen or hydrogen blends in existing natural gas infrastructure, to share practical experience of GGI members on their hydrogen projects, and to develop a shared vision on the role of hydrogen in the European energy system.
GGI comprises seven independent gas infrastructure companies who committed to achieve a 100% carbon-neutral gas supply in their transport infrastructure by 2050: Energinet (Denmark), Fluxys (Belgium), Gaznat (Switzerland), Gasunie (the Netherlands), GRTgaz (France), Ontras Gastransport (Germany) and Swedegas (Sweden).