Gas market reform marks a step change in EU approach to the transition
The European Commission’s proposed gas market reform and plans for carbon management can equip the EU with a powerful set of solutions to reach climate neutrality. IOGP Europe calls on co-legislators to choose an ambitious, technology inclusive, and affordable pathway to climate neutrality by using natural gas as a transitional fuel and further incentivizing and accelerating the large-scale deployment of low-carbon hydrogen and carbon management solutions such as CCUS.
Alongside other national governments, IOGP Europe sees gas technologies are the second pillar of the transition alongside renewables. By choosing to build the framework for low carbon gases on the solid foundations and achievements of the existing internal gas market and infrastructure in the Commission, the EU can raise its chances of success while reducing the cost of transition to climate neutrality.
“We’re glad to see the Commission looks beyond electrification only and into leveraging the EU gas market it so successfully built. We still believe a stronger push on low-carbon hydrogen deployment is needed to fully exploit its potential” said François-Régis Mouton, Regional Director Europe. “2030 is practically today and 2050 is around the corner, we can no longer afford to be picky with technology deployment. If the EU is really serious about climate neutrality, we need to make the best use of natural gas as a transitional fuel and incentivize the production of all low-carbon hydrogen production methods right now. It’s in the co-legislators’ hands now” Mouton added.
IOGP Europe fully supports the need to address energy-related methane emissions considering the important role of natural gas in the transition and welcomes the proposed EU Methane Regulation.
“We agree with the Commission’s approach to establish EU-wide quantification, reporting and verification, and commend its proposal to improve availability and accuracy of international methane emissions data including the establishment of the IMEO” said Mouton. “We do however believe the Commission is overly prescriptive and not risk-based when it comes to leak detection and repair surveys and technologies. We need more flexibility to choose optimal solutions” Mouton added.
The Commission’s Communication on Carbon Cycles marks the long-awaited recognition of carbon management solutions as an integral component of climate neutrality. IOGP Europe echoes the call made by ITRE Committee Chair Cristian Bușoi and the Florence School of Regulation at the 11 October first ‘CCUS Forum’ for the launch of a dedicated CCUS Strategy in Europe in 2022.
“It’s simple: our climate won’t be neutral without Carbon Capture and Storage; experts and policymakers recognize this. It’s time to stop controversies which delay action and start putting carbon back into the ground. CCUS is a safe and proven technology, we need to begin working on deployment solutions immediately. Our industry is committed: there are over 70 existing and planned CCS facilities which could store 60 MtCO₂/year by 2030. Still, we need to deliver about 10 times that by 2030 and around 25 times that by 2050; this is why we need a European Strategy backed by all relevant stakeholders” said François-Régis Mouton.
Related IOGP Europe documents
- Gas market reform: Response to consultation on the Hydrogen and Gas Decarbonization package;
- Methane emissions: Response to consultation on legislation to measure and mitigate methane emissions in the energy sector;
- Carbon Management: Map of CCUS projects in Europe, New and old CCS projects in Europe: What’s different this time?; Feedback to Roadmap on sustainable carbon cycles
- Publications
- Press Releases
- Events

Advancing a Competitive, Resilient, and Integrated Energy Market

IOGP Europe Response to the Consultation on the Review of the Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act

Joint Statement: Reality Check for European Hydrogen Policy to Adjust the Course

The Case for a European CCS Bank

The Joint Statement on the Low-Carbon Fuels certification draft Delegated Act

IOGP response to the public consultation on the draft Methodology to determine the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings of low-carbon fuels

Joint EGEC-IOGP Europe recommendations: Accelerating the deployment of Geothermal in Europe

IOGP Europe key principles on a future regulatory framework for CO2 transport infrastructure

Joint Statement – Harnessing the IPCEI mechanism for CCS in Europe

Joint Statement on the Low-Carbon Fuels certification Delegated Act

GasNaturally Letter to Competitiveness Council 23 May 2024

IOGP Europe recommendations on the Delegated Act specifying a methodology for assessing GHG emissions savings from low-carbon fuels and low-carbon hydrogen

Rebalancing Europe’s Gas Supply Second Edition

IOGP consultation response: Rationalisation of reporting requirements

Creating a sustainable business case for CCS value chains

Map of CO2 storage Projects in Europe

IOGP Europe statement on the ECHA proposed PFAS restriction proposal related to the Carbon Capture, Transport and Storage (CCS) Technology

IOGP Europe position on the EU Industrial Carbon Management

IOGP position paper on the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU climate target for 2040

IOGP Europe feedback on Net Zero Industry Act proposal

Joint industry statement on the EU Taxonomy

IOGP response on Competitive Bidding schemes for hydrogen under the Innovation Fund

IOGP response on revamping the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan

IOGP views on the proposed Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2021/241 as regards REPowerEU chapters in Recovery and Resilience Plans

IOGP response to the consultation on certification of carbon removals – EU rules

IOGP response to the public consultation on the Hydrogen and Decarbonized Gas Market package

IOGP comments to R. W. Howarth and M. Z. Jacobson (2021): How Green is Blue Hydrogen?

Re-Stream – Study on the reuse of oil and gas infrastructure for hydrogen and CCS in Europe

IOGP response to the public consultation on the Energy Taxation Directive (ETD) proposal

IOGP response to the public consultation on the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) proposal

IOGP feedback to the European Commission’s Roadmap on restoring sustainable carbon cycles

IOGP response to the public consultation on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) proposal

IOGP position on the revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) Directive

IOGP response to the public consultation on the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) proposal

IOGP response to the public consultation on the FuelEU Maritime proposal

IOGP response to public consultation on the revised Climate, Energy and Environmental Aid Guidelines (CEEAG)

IOGP Paper on metric to use for 2030 targets

IOGP input to the consultation on the Hydrogen and Gas Market Decarbonization Package

IOGP response to the roadmap on the modification of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER)

Public consultation on the EU Action Plan “Towards a Zero Pollution Ambition for air, water and soil”

Response to consultation on updating the EU Emissions Trading System

IOGP response to consultation on the revision of the Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG)

IOGP response to the Inception Impact Assessment on the revision of the Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG) 2014-2020

IOGP views on competition policy supporting the European Green Deal

IOGP statement on the European Commission’s 2030 Climate Target Plan

What’s Right? What’s Wrong? IOGP comments on the ‘EU Strategy for Energy System Integration’ and ‘A hydrogen strategy for a climate neutral Europe’

IOGP written input to the public consultation on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

IOGP views on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG)

IOGP written input to the consultation “2030 Climate Target Plan”

IOGP response to the inception impact assessment concerning the revision of the 2018 Renewable Energy Directive (REDII)

IOGP feedback on the update of EU ETS monitoring and reporting rules (2021-30)

IOGP response to supplementary questions on the EIB Group’s Climate Bank Roadmap 2021-2025

IOGP response to consultation on the renewed Sustainable Finance strategy

Funding CCS in Europe: key investments for the recovery

IOGP response to the public consultation on the revision of Regulation (EU) 347/2013 on guidelines for TEN-E Regulation

IOGP response to targeted consultation on the revision of Regulation (EU) 347/2013 on guidelines for TEN-E Regulation

IOGP input to the Roadmap on the EU Smart System Integration

IOGP input to the Roadmap on the EU strategy on hydrogen in Europe

IOGP feedback to the Combined Evaluation Roadmap/Inception Impact Assessment on the revision of Regulation (EU) 347/2013 on guidelines for TEN-E

IOGP feedback to the roadmap for a Renovation Wave initiative for public and private buildings

IOGP input to the forthcoming EU Strategy for Energy System Integration

IOGP response to the EIB Group’s Climate Bank Roadmap 2021-2025

Input to the inception impact assessment on the FuelEU Maritime

IOGP feedback to the proposed European Climate Law

Feedback to the impact inception assessment “2030 Climate Target Plan”

New and old CCS projects in Europe: What’s different this time?

IOGP assessment of National Energy and Climate Plans

Methane Management in the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry: Policy recommendations in the context of the EU Methane Strategy

Scaling up Hydrogen in Europe

Hydrogen for Europe Pre-study – Key findings

IOGP assessment of draft National Energy and Climate Plans

Hydrogen for Europe

The potential for CCS and CCU in Europe Report to the thirty second meeting of the European Gas Regulatory Forum 5-6 June 2019

LNG – a fast lane to make Europe a leader in clean shipping

CCS: the Innovation Fund and beyond

OGP contribution to the CCS Directive evaluation

Draghi Report: a pragmatic pathway to Competitiveness, Sustainability, and Resilience

Press release: Recognition of CCS on path to 2050 marks a step change, but approach to low-carbon solutions remains too narrow.

Net-Zero Industry Act marks a step change in industrial and climate policy – EU paves way for carbon capture and storage scale-up

Europe needs a CO2 storage ambition for 2050

Balance, strength and fairness: building blocks for a stronger Union

REPowerEU Plan: domestic gas production deserves stronger role alongside imports and renewables in enhancing EU energy resilience

Re-Powering the EU by protecting well-functioning markets, enhancing strategic partnerships and boosting domestic production

Inclusion of gas in the Taxonomy Regulation supports EU ambition to reach climate neutrality by 2050

New Re-Stream study assesses the feasibility of transport of hydrogen and CO2 in European gas and oil infrastructure

More inclusion needed to be fit for 55

Council’s inclusive approach to hydrogen sends strong signal ahead of key legislative year

EU Methane Strategy sets the right sequence to tackle the challenge

EU’s hydrogen and energy system vision can only succeed with a more balanced, inclusive approach

Guidelines for Methane Emissions target setting

IOGP supports the EU’s objective of climate neutrality by 2050

CCS policy: A practical toolkit

2024 CCSA EU Conference – 3rd July

SPE Europe Energy Conference

CCS Strategy Europe Conference

Rebalancing Europe’s natural gas supplies – Learnings, future needs, and policy implications

Creating a sustainable business case for European CCS value chains

Scaling up the energy transition whilst securing a stable suppy

The Europe CCUS & Hydrogen Decarbonisation Summit

Re-Stream Study Launch Event

Hydrogen4EU Launch Event

Sustainable finance: investor, oil and gas sector and global perspectives

Carbon Management Webinars

Sustainable finance: non-financial disclosure for the oil and gas sector and EU taxonomy in practice
