Towards a new European Energy strategy

The strategy and all these measures have the aim to push the EU to reach its 2020 targets on renewables, emission reduction and energy efficiency. Finally, the new Energy Strategy is also a way to coordinate the different measures to avoid overlapping and conflicting policies. The Commission’s consultation allows stakeholders to comment, present their view and highlight their priorities.

Energy Norway took the opportunity to point out what we see are the most important challenges that Europe has to meet in order to integrate renewables, reduce energy consumption and reduce emissions:

·         Integration of wholesale markets to facilitate the integration of growing amounts of renewables

·         Creation of markets for balancing and system services and investment in new reserve capacity again to integrate intermittent renewable into the power system

·         A priority to invest in the electricity grid, both internal and cross-border connections, new interconnections between Norway and the continent to allow export of flexibility and balancing power

·         Modernising the grid to make it “smart”, to allow consumers and producers flexibility, creation of functioning retail markets

·         Decarbonization of the economy by increasing energy efficiency and substituting high carbon energy sources with low carbon electricity for example in transport

With comments from Energy Norway as well as the entire Nordic region, the European Parliament and others, Energy Norway is looking forward to seeing the Commission’s final version of the New Energy Strategy.

Energy Norway's response.