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

This document provides IOGP’s response to the Inception Impact Assessment (IIA) on the revision of the Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy (EEAG) 2014-2020.

IOGP believes that the EEAG should facilitate investments in promising, innovative and scalable technologies that facilitate large-scale carbon emission reduction and management projects while maintaining the functioning of the Internal Energy Market. They should be aimed at allowing for European industries to deliver the scale of projects required to meet the EU’s climate objectives, while, as a priority, maintaining competitiveness, keeping existing and creating new jobs.

• The EEAG should ensure that the future contributions of carbon capture and utilisation or storage (CCU and CCS) and low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas with CCS to the achievement of the EU climate neutrality objective by 2050 are adequately included
• The EEAG should facilitate the safe, responsible and sustainable production of oil and gas in Europe, including allowing for support for emission reduction technologies

This paper includes IOGP’s recommendations for:

• Adapting the EEAG to new developments in CCU and CCS
• Incorporating low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas with CCS in the EEAG
• Adapting the EEAG to facilitate the safe, responsible and sustainable production of oil and gas in Europe
• Ensuring the eligibility of measures to reduce emissions from the production and use of oil and gas
• Defining positive environmental benefits