Dutch/German transmission system operator TenneT says increased efforts on accelerating the energy transition are needed to enable the raised EU goal of 55% emission reductions by 2030.
TenneT said the agreed target is “very ambitious”, but achievable if governments, industry and society come together to deliver.
The TSO said to realise the targets the market needs a clear legislative and consistent framework prioritising a swift implementation.
The European Council today endorsed the European Commission’s proposal to increase the 2030 goal to 55% from 40% previously.
TenneT chief executive Manon van Beek said: “The new reduction target of 55% by 2030 of the European Union is very ambitious.
“It will require a multitude of very concrete and ambitious actions on all levels to create the chance to fulfil it.
“European institutions, national governments, electricity producers and consumers as well as infrastructure companies like ours will have to step up their cooperation drastically and invent new ways of promoting progress.
“As emission cuts will be linked to national GDP, this will require an extra effort for Germany and the Netherlands, both member states where TenneT operates.
“To significantly step up the European emission reduction target significantly will be a monumental task in view of the a nine-year timeframe.
“For energy infrastructure planning, 2030 is already tomorrow. We are actually already planning the grid for 2035 and the years after.
“We can’t wait until the new ambitions have been translated into legal text in Brussels and in national capitals before we go to action. It is clear that we have no time to lose. We have to act now.”
Van Beek added that within less than a decade the electrical system shall be switched from a widely fossil generation based system to one that relies on wind, sun and other renewable energies.
She said: “Moreover, the successful integration of such high amounts of offshore wind cannot take place without considering the development of (industrial) electricity demand.
“Many sectors of the economy should shift from fossil fuels to using electricity for heat, transport or industrial purposes.
“Industrial demand for green electricity is too far behind right now. Only if supply and demand are coupled, the electricity generated offshore can be integrated successfully to help decarbonise Europe’s economy.”
Van Beek highlighted the importance of offshore wind, with cables of so-called hybrid projects being used to connect offshore wind farms, while also enabling international electricity trading through links to several countries.
But, she warned, “such international projects come with a much higher regulatory complexity”.
She said that this additional complexity must not hinder the progress of such projects.
Van Beek added: “Everybody including the European Commission should be interested in a package that works for all investors.
“We need a clear and consistent framework for everybody, also for offshore wind park investors. And my impression is that here there is still a way to go.
“And we will have to expedite cooperation in this field. We do not have years to sort this out.”