Renewables

European Parliament votes to raise renewables 2030 target to 45%

European Parliament votes raise targets renewables energy savings

Photo: Daïna Le Lardic / EP

Published

September 16, 2022

Country

Comments

comments icon

0

Share

Published:

September 16, 2022

Country:

Comments:

comments icon

0

Share

The European Parliament backed the revisions of the Renewable Energy Directive and Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) with proposals to increase targets. Lawmakers also decided limits should be determined and phased down for woody biomass counted as a renewable energy source and called for subsidies for primary wood to be abolished.

The European Parliament wants a significant increase in the use of renewable energy by 2030, and energy consumption to be greatly reduced. It voted to raise the share of renewables in the European Union’s final energy consumption to 45% from 40%, under the revision of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) from 2018. The European Commission proposed the same target under its REPowerEU package.

In a separate vote, lawmakers backed the revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), the law that sets energy-saving targets for both primary and final energy consumption.

EU must more than double renewables share

Of note, member states endorsed an increase in the renewables target to 40% in June, in line with previous plans. The REPowerEU plan was presented in May.

If the new objective is confirmed by EU member states in upcoming talks with parliament, the EU will have to achieve a 45% share of renewables in its overall energy mix by 2030 – compared to the current rate of 22%.

The goal for the category of fuels including green hydrogen and green ammonia is 5.7%

The Greens and the Left initially urged other lawmakers to lift the goal to between 55% and 56%, so that 100% could be reached by 2040.

The legislation defines targets for a range of sectors. In transportation, renewables are planned to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 16% or three percentage points more than in the current directive. Industry should boost its use of renewables by 1.9 percentage points per year, and district heating networks by 2.3 points.

The ambition is to boost the share of Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) including green hydrogen and green ammonia to 5.7% by the end of the decade, while the target for the maritime fuel market is 1.2%. RFNBO is envisaged to reach 50% of fuel used in industrial production by 2030, and 75% by 2035.

Vague limits for woody biomass

Members of the European Parliament adopted amendments calling for phasing down the share of so-called primary wood – mostly healthy and fallen trees – counted as renewable energy. They urged for abolishing subsidies for the category and the use of biomass in power plants and for excluding palm oil and soya products from biofuels in transportation.

Lawmakers didn’t propose a timeline for the cut in the use of primary wood as biomass.

The latest legislative changes opened the way for negotiations with member states

Parliamentarians voted that the EU must collectively ensure final energy consumption is reduced by at least 40% by 2030 and 42.5% in primary energy consumption compared to 2007 projections. Member states should set binding national contributions.

The European Commission adopted the Fit-for-55 package last year with the goal to cut emissions by at least 55% in the current decade. The current version of the Renewable Energy Directive obligates the EU to achieve a 32% share of renewables in energy consumption. The Energy Efficiency Directive, which also needs to be revised, sets out the level of improvements at 32.5%.

Comments (0)

Be the first one to comment on this article.

Enter Your Comment
Please wait... Please fill in the required fields. There seems to be an error, please refresh the page and try again. Your comment has been sent.

Related Articles

Serbia EPS PPAs wind parks Alibunar 1 Alibunar 2

Serbia’s EPS signs PPAs for wind parks Alibunar 1, Alibunar 2

08 May 2025 - Serbia's state-owned Elektroprivreda Srbije will offtake electricity from future wind parks Alibunar 1 and Alibunar 2, of 168 MW in total.

Serbia’s TSO EMS signs grid connection contracts for 11 renewable power plants

08 May 2025 - TSO Elektromreža Srbije said the contracts were signed after the second interval for the preparation of grid connection studies

Europe record battery storage capacity growth 2024 expansion slows

Europe has record battery storage capacity growth in 2024 but expansion slows

08 May 2025 - The leap in new battery storage capacity in Europe last year wasn't as impressive as in the previous years

croatia hep floating solar hpp dubrava

Croatia’s HEP to install first floating PV plant on reservoir of HPP Dubrava

07 May 2025 - State-owned company Hrvatska Elektroprivreda (HEP) has already installed one photovoltaic facility near its HPP Dubrava