Energy Community to adopt 2030 energy, climate targets in December

The contracting parties of the Energy Community, including Albania, BiH, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo*, and Serbia, will finally get the long-awaited 2030 goals for renewables, energy efficiency, and greenhouse gas emissions.

The Energy Community Ministerial Council is expected to adopt 2030 energy and climate targets at its meeting on December 15, 2022 in Vienna, under the presidency-in-office of Ukraine, the Energy Community Secretariat has announced.

Of note, the first deadline for 2030 targets was November 2019, the second by mid-2021, while the third was set at last year’s Ministerial Council meeting held in Belgrade.

The decision to be adopted in December is expected to cap the total greenhouse gas emissions for the Energy Community at 427.64 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, representing a decrease of 60.9% against 1990 levels, the Secretariat said.

The renewables target for the Energy Community should be set at 31%

On renewables, the Secretariat said that the national targets to be adopted are anticipated to result in an overall Energy Community target of 31% of energy from renewable sources in gross final energy consumption by 2030.

The EU’s renewables target for 2030 is 32%.

To boost energy efficiency and energy savings, the decision is expected to cap the amount of primary energy consumption at 129.88 million tons of oil equivalent (Mtoe) and the amount of final energy consumption at 79.06 Mtoe at the level of the Energy Community.

The adoption of the targets is essential to put the contracting parties on a path towards achieving climate neutrality of their economies by 2050 and decreasing dependence on fossil fuels in the shorter term, stressed the Secretariat.