Abstract:

The European Union aims to scale up low-carbon gas and renewable gas to decarbonize the gas sector. However, low-carbon and renewable gas are not clearly defined. A lack of clear definitions can bring the risks of supporting gases that lead to high greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Key recommendations of the study while crafting policy support for low-carbon gas and renewable gas are: Require low-carbon gas and renewable gas to meet a GHG reduction requirement based on their life-cycle GHG emissions, by amending Article 2 of the proposed gas Directive. Define low-carbon gas and renewable gas as those meeting an 80% life-cycle GHG reduction threshold with a specific comparator, by amending Article 2 of the proposed gas Directive. Set thresholds for the key factors that impact a gas’s life-cycle GHG emissions to ensure that the gas actually meets the GHG reduction requirement, by amending Article 2 of the proposed gas Directive or by adding an Annex to the proposed gas Directive and any hydrogen produced from fossil fuels cannot be considered zero-GHG and can only be defined as low-carbon gas under exceptional circumstances.