Council Resolution of 18 December 1997 on a Community strategy to promote combined heat and power
Date: 1997-12-18
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: electrical energy, energy production, energy technology, heating, intermediate technology, thermal energy

8.  1.  98

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

C  4/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL  RESOLUTION

of  18  December  1997

on  a  Community  strategy  to  promote  combined  heat  and  power

(98/C  4/01)

THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  UNION,

negotiating  position  taken  by  the  European  Communities
in  this  context,

Having  regard  to  the  Council  Resolution  of  8  July  1996
on  the  White  Paper  "An  energy  policy  for  the  European
Union’(cid:216)(˛),  which  considers  that  energy  efficiency  can
make  a  valuable  contribution  to  a  safer  and  healthier
energy
environment 
dependency  on  external 
to
economic  growth  and  employment,

sources  and  contribute 

the  Comunity’s 

reduce 

and 

regard 

the  Council  conclusions  of  3
Having 
to 
December  1996  on 
"Climate  Change  -  the  energy
dimension’,  which  state  that  energy  policy  needs  to  make
an  active  contribution  to  the  work  on  climate  change,
and  that  the  energy  sector  should  engage  in  active  and
early  participation 
relevant  policy  development
including  initiatives  on  energy  efficiency,

in 

Having  regard  to  the  Council  conclusions  of  27  May
to  prepare  a
1997,  which 
Community  strategy  for  the  promotion  of  combined  heat
and  power,

the  Commission 

invited 

it 

Having  regard  to  the  White  Paper  on  Growth,  Competi(cid:220)
tiveness  and  Employment,  which  demonstrates  that  clean
technologies  are  a  key  to  future  economic  prosperity  and
important  to  use  economic  measures  and
that 
incentives  and/or  fiscal  instruments,  if  appropriate,  to
take 
into  account  external  costs  and  environmental
benefits,  and  thus  improve  the  competitive  situation  of
energy  efficient  concepts,

is 

Having  regard  to  the  proposal  for  an  energy  framework
programme  for  actions  undertaken  by  the  European
Communities  in  the  energy  sector,  and  considering  that
the  Commission’s  proposal  to  double  the  overall  share  of
combined  heat  and  power  concerns  the  Community  as  a
whole,

1. WELCOMES  the  presentation  by  the  Commission  of
the  Communication  on  a  Community  strategy  to
promote  combined  heat  and  power  (CHP)  and  to
dismantle  barriers  to  its  development;

2. EMPHASIZES 

that  combined  heat  and  power
constitutes  an  efficient  use  of  energy  resources  and
thereby  can  be  a  significant  contributor  in  reducing
CO2 (cid:216)emissions;

3. NOTES  that  energy  production  and  use,  in  the  light
of  the  Third  Conference  of  the  Parties 
in  the
Framework  Convention  of  the  United  Nations  on
Climate  Change  in  Kyoto  in  December  1997,  will
in  order  to  reduce  the
play  an 
principal  greenhouse  gases  such  as  CO2;

important  role 

4. CONSIDERS  that  the  efficient  use  of  energy  from
combined  heat  and  power  can  contribute  positively
not  only 
the
European  Union,  but  also 
the  competitive
situation  of  the  Union  and  its  Member  States  and  to
security  of  supply;

the  environmental  policies  of 

to 

to 

Having  regard 
the  Third
Conference  of  the  Parties  in  the  Framework  Convention
of  the  United  Nations  on  Climate  Change  and  the

the  negotiations  on 

to 

(˛)(cid:217)OJ  C  224,  1.  8.  1996,  p.  1.

5. NOTES  that,  at  present,  the  penetration  of  combined
heat  and  power  varies  significantly  between  Member
States  and  that  regard  must  be  had  to  these  different
situations,  including  as  concerns  the  use  of  CHP  for
district  heating  and/or  CHP  for  industry  purposes;

C  4/2

EN

Official  Journal  of  the  European  Communities

8.  1.  98

assessment  of  country  situations  must  be  based  on
relevant  data  on  fuel  efficiency;  and  notes  the
economic  differences  between  various  combined  heat
and  power  technologies;

to 

that  would 

situation  of 

6. CONFIRMS  that  the  aim  should  be  to  establish  a
strategy 
improved  use  of
lead 
combined  heat  and  power,  taking  into  account  the
the  Member  States.  The
varying 
indicative  target  to  double  the  overall  share  of
combined  heat  and  power  in  the  Community  as  a
whole  by  the  year  2010,  as  mentioned 
in  the
Commission’s  communication,  could  give  useful
guidance  for  increased  efforts  at  all  levels;

7. STRESSES  that,  while  there  is  scope  for  action  at
Community 
for
the  main 
promoting  combined  heat  and  power  lies  with  the
Member  States;

responsibility 

level, 

8. UNDERLINES 

that  the  Member  States  and  the
their  respective  competences,
Community,  within 
need  to  actively  promote  the  use  of  combined  heat
and  power,  by  stimulating,  where  appropriate,  the
market 
for  combined  heat  and  power  and  by
removing  the  barriers  to  this  market;

9. CONSIDERS  that  such  measures  to  promote  the  use
of  combined  heat  and  power  could  include,  among
other  things;

-(cid:217)encouraging  negotiated  agreements  with  industry

and  in  the  service  sector,

-(cid:217)internalization  of  external  costs  and  environ(cid:220)

mental  benefits,

-(cid:217)financial  and/or  fiscal 

instruments, 

if  appro(cid:220)

priate,

-(cid:217)monitoring  the  impact  of  the  liberalization  of  the

Community’s  energy  markets,

-(cid:217)measures  encouraging  market  participants  to  buy
energy  produced  from  combined  heat  and  power
plants,

-(cid:217)arrangements  to  promote  district  heating  and

cooling  schemes,

-(cid:217)measures  to  support  research  and  technological

development;

10. BELIEVES 

the 

that 

liberalization  of 

the  energy
markets  and  the  internalization  of  external  costs  and
environmental  benefits  should  take  into  account  the
development  of  combined  heat  and  power  under  fair
market  conditions,  but  that  measures  might  still  be
support  combined  heat  and  power,
needed 
including  district  and  industrial  heating  and  cooling,
and  to  make  sure  that  it  is  not  discriminated  against;

to 

-(cid:217)increased 

use 

of 

existing 

Community

programmes  within  the  budgetary  limits,

11. INVITES  the  Commission,  to  continue  its  work  for
the  promotion  of  combined  heat  and  power  on  the
basis  of  the  principles  outlined  above.