P6_TA(2007)0468
Conventional energy sources and energy technology
European Parliament resolution of 24 October 2007 on Conventional energy sources and energy
technology (2007/2091(INI))
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘An Energy Policy For Europe ’
(COM(2007)0001),
— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Sustainable power generation from fossil
fuels: aiming for near-zero emissions from coal after 2020 ’(COM(2006)0843),
— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Nuclear Illustrative Programme Presented
under Article 40 of the Euratom Treaty for the opinion of the European Economic and SocialCommittee ’(COM(2006)0844),
— having regard to the Commission Communication entitled ‘Towards a European Strategic Energy Tech-
nology Plan ’(COM(2006)0847),
— having regard to its resolution of 10 May 2007 on Assessing Euratom —50 Years of European nuclear
energy policy (
1),
— having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2006 on A European strategy for sustainable, compe-
titive and secure energy −Green paper (2),
— having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on Energy efficiency or doing more with less −Green
Paper (3),
— having regard to its resolution of 23 March 2006 on security of energy supply in the European
Union (4),
— having regard to the conclusions of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council of
23 November 2006 on an ‘Action Plan for Energy Efficiency ’,
— having regard to the Presidency Conclusions of the European Council of 8-9 March 2007 on the
adoption of the European Council Action Plan for the period 2007-2009 ‘An Energy Policy for Europe ’,
— having regard to the motion for a Resolution on clean technology for coal by Salvador Garriga Polledo,
pursuant to rule 113 of the Rules of Procedure (B6-0143/2007),
— having regard to Rule 45 of its Rules of Procedure,
— having regard to the report of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy and the opinions of the
Committee on Development, the Committee on International Trade, the Committee on the Environ-ment, Public Health and Food Safety and the Committee on Regional Development (A6-0348/2007),
(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0181.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0603.
(3) OJ C 298 E, 8.12.2006, p. 273.
(4) OJ C 292 E, 1.12.2006, p. 112.C 263 E/424 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
A. whereas the EU's high level of dependency on energy imports means that energy policy is becoming
increasingly centred on issues relating to security of supply, renewable energy sources, energy saving,energy efficiency and diversification of the energy supply,
B. whereas conventional energy sources, namely coal, oil, gas, and nuclear energy, will continue to play an
important role in energy supply,
C. whereas, unless preventive measures are taken, the EU's dependency on imports of fossil fuels will
increase to 65 % of total consumption by 2030, and whereas gas and oil supplies are dogged byuncertainty due to geopolitical risks and growing competition in terms of demand,
D. whereas the conversion of the coal sector is having significant economic and social effects in regions
that have few alternatives in terms of the diversification of economic activity and job creation,
E. whereas cars with an electric drive-train offer the potential for significant improvements in efficiency
when charged with electricity from a low carbon source,
F. whereas dependency on oil could be reduced incidentally as a result of the adoption of measures to
tackle the significant greenhouse gas emissions of cars,
G. whereas gross power production in the EU is derived from the various energy sources as follows:
nuclear energy 31 %, coal 29 %, gas 19 %, renewables 14 % and oil 5 %,
H. whereas the continued use of fossil fuels requires further efforts to be made in combating climate
change,
I. whereas the EU has set ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets as a key part of its policy to combat
climate change,
J. whereas conventional sources of energy can be used to produce fuels,
K. whereas, in the context of the restructuring of hard coal mining in the EU, it makes sense, even from
the point of view of security of supply, to maintain the present level of access to the substantialdomestic reserves that exist,
L. whereas Community legislation such as Directive 2001/77/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 27 September 2001 on the promotion of electricity produced from renewable energysources in the internal electricity market (
1) has been instrumental in spurring technological develop-
ment and private sector R&D investment,
Overview
1. Welcomes the Commission's abovementioned communications on sustainable power production from
fossil fuels, on the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan and on the Nuclear Illustrative Programme;
2. Stresses that improving energy efficiency makes a major contribution to sustainability and security of
supply, while at the same time improving export opportunities for EU producers;
3. Considers it important, in view of the increasing scarcity of resources, to diversify energy sources; also
notes the importance for security of supply of nuclear fission and the possible future importance, for somecountries, of nuclear fusion; draws attention to the importance for security of supply of regional resourceuse;
(1) OJ L 283, 27.10.2001, p. 33.16.10.2008 EN C 263 E/425 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
4. Believes that further improvements in the efficiency of fossil fuel power plant technology are essential,
as are further improvements in the safety standards of nuclear power plants, the rapid development ofnuclear fusion technology and corresponding increases in research funding;
5. Calls on the Member States and regional and local authorities to diversify and decentralise energy
generation using the most appropriate resources in all the various regions of the EU and taking accountof specific regional characteristics;
6. Notes that increased access to sustainable energy is key to the ability of developing countries to
achieve their Millennium Development Goals and that an estimated two billion people currently sufferfrom energy constraints that limit their opportunities for economic development and a better standard ofliving;
7. Emphasises that market distortions will continue to be seen in the internal energy market until the
polluter-pays principle laid down in Article 174(2) of the EC Treaty is applied to energy policy; urges theMember States once again, therefore, to internalise within energy prices all external costs, including allenvironmental and follow-up costs;
8. Points out that energy prices must take into account the real external costs of energy production,
including those relating to environmental protection;
9. Considers that the successful reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector can only
be achieved on the basis of increased use of low carbon technologies such as nuclear energy, clean coal andrenewables;
Energy technology
10. Insists that sustainable energy supplies to the EU can only be achieved with significant research
efforts and changes in consumer behaviour;
11. Welcomes the EU-US Transatlantic Economic Council, part of the EU-US Transatlantic Economic
Partnership signed in Washington DC on 30 April 2007, which will help to build greater transatlanticunderstanding in relation to energy related topics; highlights the need to strengthen relations with regardto energy-related subjects, something which must also involve legislative aspects;
12. Notes that Europe leads the world in R&D in innovative energy technologies, including energy effi-
ciency and renewables, and is, in particular, a leader in the area of nuclear fusion technologies;
13. Urges the Commission, the Member States, the regions, and other stakeholders to utilise the oppor-
tunities offered by cohesion policy and to invest in new energy technologies, both in renewable energysources and in sustainable fossil fuel technologies ( ‘low-emission power plants ’);
14. Urges the Member States and regional authorities to take measures to improve energy security by
means of enhanced direct cooperation in the energy sector, particularly in border regions;
15. Recommends strong investment in innovation and applied research and capital investment in intelli-
gent energy networks and smart grid technologies;
16. Notes that states and regions outside the EU are currently making massive investments in R&D
which might threaten Europe's leading position in technology in the medium term, but that over-concentra-tion of funding in any one field should be avoided; given the global responsibility to combat climate change,stresses that it would be undesirable for developing countries to lag behind in the deployment of carboncapture and storage (CCS) and emphasises the overriding importance of close cooperation with China andIndia in this regard;C 263 E/426 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
17. Stresses that the EU's lead in the field of technology, stemming from the research efforts made by the
EU and the Member States, strengthens the competitiveness of its industry and creates jobs in the EU;
18. Calls on the EU, the Member States and businesses, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, to
redouble their efforts in R&D in the field of energy, particularly with a view to enhancing the efficiency ofenergy production and supply, reducing environmental consequences, improving the safety of existing tech-nologies, developing storage techniques for renewables and developing new generations of nuclear reactorsand new energy technologies, including nuclear fusion;
19. Recommends that, as regards resources that are in limited supply and that will remain critical for the
energy safety and independence of Member States over the coming years, the forthcoming European Stra-tegic Energy Technology Plan should favour technological developments that optimally exploit their poten-
tial in order to reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions;
20. Notes that the targets for 2020 of a minimum of 20 % renewable energy in the EU's energy con-
sumption and a 20 % improvement in energy efficiency put Europe on a course towards achieving muchhigher penetrations of renewables and greater deployment of energy-efficient technology in the longer term;considers it vital that the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan take full account of this long-termshift towards the use of renewable energy technology and improved energy performance in all sectors of theeconomy;
21. Welcomes the Commission's announcement that it intends to submit the European Strategic Energy
Technology Plan to the 2008 Spring European Council; however, questions where the funding for the Planwill come from;
22. Calls on the Commission to support synthetic fuels technology, in view of its potential to reinforce
security of energy supply and reduce emissions from the road transport sector in the EU;
23. Notes that public funding to support start-ups for new energy technologies should be appropriate in
amount, should take into account their level of commercial viability and should end at the latest once the
new technologies thus supported have become competitive;
24. Draws attention to the need, highlighted by the Council, to ensure that the most efficient available
technology is used when new capacity is built and that greater use is made of combined heat and power(CHP), district heating and cooling and industrial residual heat;
25. Stresses that it would be in the interests of combating climate change to meet, as a minimum
requirement, the Lisbon objectives and to propose an internationally agreed minimum percentage of budgetrevenue to be earmarked for research;
Fossil Fuels
26. Emphasises that fossil fuels will remain highly important to ensuring the EU's security of energy
supply and stresses the value of natural gas as the fossil fuel with the lowest carbon content;
27. Stresses that fossil fuels will have to be used in the long term for electricity production until basic
needs can be met from renewables;
28. Stresses the contribution which can be made to security of supply by indigenous energy sources,
particularly the large coal reserves and the substantial untapped oil and gas reserves in some Member Statesand Norway; recommends that future energy generation sites be fitted with CCS technology where techni-cally possible; believes that applicable legal and administrative rules should be commensurate with optimumproduction conditions;16.10.2008 EN C 263 E/427 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
29. Considers that greater efforts must be made to curb emissions from fossil fuel power production and
to increase its efficiency, inter alia, by supporting the development of CHP; notes, nevertheless, that someEuropean power stations are already among the most efficient in the world;
30. Calls on the Commission to encourage investments in combined heat and power production; notes
that highly efficient CHP can achieve double the efficiency of a normal coal-fired condensing plant;
31. Regards it as unwise, from the point of view of security of supply and cost-efficiency, to hamper the
construction of the most modern and efficient coal-fired power stations by giving the wrong market incen-tives;
32. Calls on the Commission to ensure that the emissions trading system does not prevent the replace-
ment of existing plants with modern plants −including nuclear power stations −that have a lesser impact
on the climate;
33. Calls for further improvements to be made to the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism so
that it can fulfil its purpose of enabling the transfer of efficient, clean and appropriate energy technologiesto developing countries;
34. Calls on the Commission, when checking the operation of the emissions trading system, to ensure
that proper account is taken of the specific problem of the heat generation market, which largely consists ofindividual burners (boilers) fired by fossil fuels and which, given the small size of the burners, is not coveredby the emissions trading system;
35. Calls for existing fossil fuel-fired power plants to improve their energy efficiency and environmental
performance;
36. Notes that CCS technology is linked to losses of efficiency in power stations and that technical,
environmental and legal issues relating to the storage of CO
2represent challenges which can only be met
by means of research and political initiatives; believes, however, that it is important that CCS technologydevices should be fitted to fossil fuel plants at the earliest practical opportunity;
37. Is convinced that the most effective way of ensuring that greenhouse gases do not have an impact on
climate change is to bring about a swift, substantial reduction in the production of such gases; in thatconnection, believes that CCS technology represents only one of the means which could be used to addressthe issue of climate change;
38. Notes that CCS is not necessarily a viable option for small power stations, which generate only
relatively small amounts of energy and exist mainly for security of supply purposes;
39. In connection with CCS technology, calls for research also to be carried out in order to minimise
efficiency losses, to promote safe CO
2storage and to clarify chemical and biological processes for CO 2
capture;
40. Urges the commissioning of comprehensive geological mapping in order to identify the potential for
safe CO2storage and the most appropriate sites;
41. Stresses that, while CCS is partly based on tried and tested individual technological components, it is
not underpinned by an overall plan that is proven on an industrial scale;
42. Points to the lack of adequate information on the effects of CO2storage on geological strata,C 263 E/428 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
43. Regards it as unhelpful to impose mandatory requirements for CO 2-free power production in all
power stations since, by the time the technology is developed and ready to be used, the EU emissionstrading system will steer the deployment of CCS technology; nevertheless encourages industry to bear inmind the concept of ‘capture ready ’when developing new fossil fuel power plants;
44. Calls on the Commission rapidly to submit a proposal for legislation on CCS so as to respond to the
legal issues surrounding the storage and transportation of CO
2and thus establish the basis for investment
security in connection with such projects;
45. Calls on the Commission to assess the potential risks from CCS and lay down requirements for the
licensing of CCS activities and for adequately managing the risks and consequences identified;
46. Insists that, while the possibilities for geological storage as part of CCS technology are being studied,
it must be ensured that CO2is stored safely and permanently in locations that do not allow leakages of
carbon back into the atmosphere;
47. Takes the view that demonstration projects relating to clean-coal technologies must be carried out in
areas where there is a tradition of coal mining and which are suffering the consequences of conversion plansand have been affected by the financial framework 2007-2013;
48. Calls on the Commission to lay down as soon as possible clear political guidelines for the further
promotion of research into CCS technology, to explore ways in which CCS can be used in connection withcommercial electricity generation and to submit proposals for avoiding inconsistencies between the applica-tion of CCS procedures and the emissions trading system, while at the same time ensuring that these guide-
lines and proposals do not hamper the development of renewable energies or efforts to increase energy
efficiency;
49. Stresses the importance of informing residents in areas with coal-fired plants of their inherent dan-
gers and points out the value of publishing plans to modernise existing power plants and reduce theirenvironmental impact;
50. Recognises the fact that, at the current stage of technological progress, it is estimated that electricity
from CCS solutions will be as expensive as electricity from renewable sources;
51. Stresses the importance of closer cooperation between the Commission and the private sector in
making clean coal technology more feasible;
52. Stresses that, while greater R&D funding for CCS is needed, this must not be at the expense of
funding for research into renewable energy;
53. Urges the Commission and the Member States to launch information campaigns on CCS technologies
involving stakeholders and policy makers;
54. Warns against unilateral dependence on particular gas suppliers or supply routes, and stresses the
importance of liquefied natural gas in the context of the diversification of gas imports;
55. Urges the Commission to carry out more extensive geological research aimed at finding new deposits
of fossil fuels within the territory of the Member States;
56. Regrets that the Commission did not discuss in more detail security of oil supply in the context of
the energy package, and calls on it to issue a communication on this topic;16.10.2008 EN C 263 E/429 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
57. Points out that fossil fuels represent an important substratum which could be the basis for the large-
scale production of hydrogen, both as an energy carrier and as a fuel;
58. Is concerned by the extensive construction of coal-fired power stations in China and India (which, as
developing countries, are not bound by the Kyoto Protocol), stressing that China is expected to exceed theUnited States' CO
2emissions during 2007; notes, however, that China and India are seeking to diversify
energy sources; emphasises the export potential for EU clean-energy technologies; stresses that, in order toencourage reduced carbon emissions, whilst sustaining economic growth, clean-energy technology, accom-panied by capacity building, must be a priority of EU infrastructure investment in the developing world;
59. Supports the Commission's collaboration with China, notably the 2005 EU-China Partnership on
Climate Change and the subsequent 2006 Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Near-ZeroEmissions Power Generation Technology, which should encourage the development of clean energy technol-ogies; calls on the Commission to work with China to draw up a roadmap for clean energy technologydevelopment in China and to identify the key actions and milestones for the development and deploymentof clean energy technologies in that country; urges the Commission to establish similar relationships withother emerging economies, notably those of India and Brazil, which may also have extensive coal reserves;
60. Notes the findings of a 2005 International Energy Agency study which found that the deployment of
some technologies within non-OECD countries could prove much more cost-effective and could be particu-larly significant where there are major differences between countries' geology and natural resources; consid-ers that, where this is the case, countries could consider including financial support for developing countriesto help them meet national deployment targets; stresses that the ability to trade deployment instrumentsacross borders would therefore improve efficiency, ensuring that deployment takes place where it is mostcost-effective;
61. Calls on the Commission to support the World Bank's and the Regional Development Banks' efforts
to create an energy investment framework, addressing cost, risk and the institutional and informationalbarriers to scaling up public-private-partnerships supporting low carbon and carbon free technology; callson the Commission to evaluate the various mechanisms designed to facilitate research and developmentcollaboration, such as the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate and the CarbonSequestration Leadership Forum and other technology transfer objectives; calls on the Commission todevelop assessment criteria for international financing, information sharing and research and developmentmechanisms based on their ability to contribute to long-term, low-carbon and carbon free technologicaldevelopment;
62. Urges the Commission to gauge the territorial impact of its energy policy proposals and to pass on
its findings to the Member States;
63. Given the urgency of the situation, calls for an immediate increase in support to developing countries
for the use of clean coal technologies that have been proven to be viable and effective;
64. Supports the promotion of projects and technologies that improve energy efficiency and energy
security in developing countries and that are adjusted specifically to needs and conditions in those countries,such as teaching people how to produce their own energy-efficient stoves, which can help both to createemployment and to combat further desertification and climate change and can also improve health;
Nuclear Energy
65. Welcomes the Illustrative Nuclear Programme for the Community, which forms the basis for a com-
prehensive discussion of the nuclear option for Europe;
66. Emphasises that nuclear energy is indispensable if basic energy needs are to be met in Europe in the
medium term;C 263 E/430 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
67. Supports the proposal of the March 2007 European Council for an unbiased debate on the oppor-
tunities and risks presented by nuclear energy;
68. Points out that research funding in the nuclear energy sphere today is largely concentrated in the area
of safety-related technology;
69. Acknowledges the fact that nuclear energy is an important component of power supply in 15 of the
27 Member States, and thus for the Union as whole, providing one third of the total EU electricity supply;
70. Notes that, in the EU, nuclear energy generation has been developed industrially on a large scale over
the last four decades, with ever-improving levels of reliability and safety;
71. Notes that Finland, France, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Lithuania (with the collaboration of Latvia
and Estonia), the United Kingdom, Poland and the Czech Republic are building new nuclear power plants orare planning to build them or are investigating such a possibility;
72. Notes that nuclear energy is currently the largest low-carbon energy source in Europe and stresses its
potential role in combating climate change;
73. Refers to the 3rd IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report which listed nuclear
energy as one way of reducing climate change;
74. Notes that the decision of each Member State for or against nuclear energy remains in its exclusive
competence, but may have an impact on electricity price trends in other Member States;
75. Calls on the Commission to propose measures designed to maintain in the EU the high level of skills
required if the nuclear energy option is to remain a viable one;
76. Notes that short and medium term decisions on the use of nuclear power will also directly affect the
climatic goals that the EU might realistically set; notes that abandoning nuclear power will make it impos-sible to achieve the objectives set regarding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and the combating ofclimate change;
77. Recalls that the Member States which use nuclear energy have committed themselves to complying
with international security and non-proliferation standards, and acknowledges in this connection the par-
ticular importance of the Euratom Treaty;
78. Welcomes the establishment of a high-level group on Nuclear Safety and Waste Management and
views the founding of the European Nuclear Energy Forum as an important stakeholder platform for dis-cussing a roadmap for nuclear investment which will foster transparent, properly documented and balanceddialogue on all the issues relating to the use and deployment of that form of energy;
79. Welcomes the Commission's call for the imposition in the EU of common reference levels for
nuclear safety; in that connection, urges that, on the basis of a best practice peer review, these referencelevels should reflect the highest possible safety standards;
80. Emphasises the importance of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform launched in Sep-
tember 2007 in establishing a strategic European research agenda for nuclear fission;
81. Stresses that known global uranium reserves are estimated to be sufficient for more than 200 years,
and that these reserves make feasible some future options to diversify political risks to security of supply ormake it possible to reach compromises between risk, price and location in selecting sources of nuclear fuels;16.10.2008 EN C 263 E/431 Official Journal of the European Union
Wednesday 24 October 2007
82. Stresses that the developments envisaged in the framework of the Generation IV International Forum,
of which the European Atomic Energy Community is a member, suggest that nuclear energy has a long-term future thanks to the fact that it relies extensively on a use of resources which allows the timescale fordeveloping the potential applications of nuclear energy to extend over thousands of years and which willvery significantly reduce the volume and radioactivity of the waste ultimately produced;
83. Endorses the Commission's statements on the competitiveness of nuclear energy and notes that a
majority of the Community funding under the Seventh Euratom Research Framework Programme is allo-cated to safety and nuclear fusion; points out that, in order to best meet the EU's strategic criteria, Com-munity efforts should be combined with research designed to develop a new generation of sustainablenuclear technology;
84. Points out that nuclear energy generation will be largely unaffected by any fluctuations in the price of
uranium, since the cost of that fuel has little impact on the price of electricity;
85. In view of the long investment lead times, stresses the need for a stable legal and political framework;
86. Refers to the 2006 Eurobarometer survey which indicated that the level of people's knowledge has a
major influence on their attitude to nuclear energy; stresses therefore the importance of an open public
dialogue on nuclear energy in every Member State in order to stimulate public awareness of the positive
and negative effects of nuclear power before any political decisions are taken;
87. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to finally make progress on the issue of final
disposal in order to bring an end to the interim storage of waste close to the earth's surface;
88. Recalls that generation IV reactors are expected to improve the efficient use of fuel and reduce the
quantity of waste; calls therefore on the Commission and the Member States to focus on the development ofstructural materials and on optimising the use of nuclear fuel, as well as to support projects aimed atdeveloping prototypes of generation IV reactors;
89. Notes that the use of nuclear energy can create synergies with renewables, for example by providing
original methods for the effective and economic production of hydrogen or biofuels;
90. Recalls that dozens of nuclear power plants are planned or being built worldwide, and that it is vital
for European companies to be involved in their construction, both from the point of view of industrialstrategy and in order to promote the most stringent possible safety principles throughout the world;
91. Notes, finally, the role of the Euratom Loans and calls on the Member States to continue to permit
the use of this important instrument in the future;
*
**
92. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission.C 263 E/432 EN 16.10.2008 Official Journal of the European Union
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