EMEA News
Statoil Calls for Increased Use of Natural Gas in Europe
Europe must work to move its energy markets toward natural gas, according to Rune Bjørnson, natural gas senior vice president for Norway's Statoil.
"Our position is clear—we support a single CO2 target with at least 40% emission cuts in 2030, driven by a strengthened and more flexible CO2 emissions trading system," Bjørnson said.
"This will help drive emission reductions in the most cost-efficient way."
Bjørnson said the current European CO2 prices do not provide enough incentive for Europeans to move away from coal, something he said will be needed for the continent to reach its target of 85 to 90 percent reductions by 2050.
Norwegian gas is connected to other European nations through an extensive pipeline network, he noted.
"With this in mind, we think of Norwegian gas as part of European indigenous supply," he said.
The European Commission has called for the 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, but some prominent figures, including, as reported by EurActive.com in January, European Union (EU) Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, have questioned whether the reduction is possible.
