Discussions on Ukraine naturally dominated the Council’s agenda and a decision on climate targets is now delayed until October.
Speaking after the release of the Council conclusions, ZEP Chairman Dr. Graeme Sweeney commented: “ZEP recognises the importance of tackling energy security and is therefore disappointed that the Council conclusions fail to mention CCS, despite the technology being essential to a balanced energy system and for achieving European climate change mitigation objectives.
“We now have six months to get this right. We urge Member States to embed CCS in their discussions on the EU 2030 Climate and Energy framework. CCS is imperative to the mitigation of CO2 emissions as well as to maintaining jobs and preserving the EU’s industrial base. ZEP has calculated that CCS could cost-effectively deliver at least 4% GHG reductions in the EU by 2030. This equals a reduction of around 222 Mt CO2 in 2030 – shared ¾ by the power sector (around 40 GW) and ¼ by energy-intensive industries. If CCS is not included in Council discussions, the EU risks failing to create the necessary environment for the deployment of this crucial technology by 2030.”