The Commission adopted on 9 February 2022 the 2022 work programme of the European Innovation Council (EIC). Launched in 2021, the EIC helps startups, SMEs and research teams to develop high-risk, high-impact breakthrough innovation. It has a budget of over €10 billion for the 2021-2027 period. Key elements are highlighted in this ZEP briefing.
On 26 January 2022, EU countries have agreed to invest € 1.037 billion in 5 cross-border infrastructure projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF). A final decision by the Commission on the CEF grants is expected before the end of February. The funding will go to a study on CO2 transport, 3 projects for
On 15 December, for the first time, the European Commission presented a Communication to support carbon dioxide removals. Key elements of the communication of relevance for CCS, CCU, and CO2 infrastructure are highlighted in this ZEP briefing.
On 15 December, the European Commission presented two legislative proposals to decarbonise the European gas market and energy system by facilitating the uptake of renewable and low-carbon gases, including hydrogen.
The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement during inter-institutional (trilogue) negotiations on the proposal for a Regulation on the Trans-European Energy Network (TEN-E) guidelines on 14 December 2021.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can enable early and cost-efficient hydrogen at scale. Low-carbon hydrogen produced from reformed natural gas with CCS can fulfil early hydrogen demand, giving more time to plan and build the infrastructure required to scale up renewable hydrogen.
The ZEP Network Technology co-chairs and further experts from the research constituency were engaged in preparing a fact-based, academic paper on low-carbon hydrogen. The ZEP paper provides a realistic picture of blue hydrogen and its role for Europe to reach climate-neutrality.
On 22 September, the Zero Emissions Platform Conference 2021 took place online, coordinated with the ZEP 68th Advisory Council meeting and as a ‘grant farewell’ for ZEP 2018-2021. The conference programme saw discussions reflect on CCS and CCU developments over the past three years, as well as highlight the main challenges going forward.
The large-scale deployment of cross-border CO2 transport and storage infrastructure is crucial for the EU to reach its 2050 climate target. To this end, all modes of CO2 transport – pipeline, ship, barge, truck, train – and CO2 storage should be included in the revised TEN-E regulation, writes Dr Graeme Sweeney.
On 21 April – just ahead of Earth Day and the United States Leaders Summit on Climate, which the European Commission and Council will attend – the European Parliament’s and Council of the European Union’s negotiators have reached a provisional agreement on the European Climate Law, which proposes a legally binding target of net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.
