EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S STATE OF THE ENERGY UNION REPORT: SOMETHING TO CHEER!

Leading independent renewables development company DP Energy has welcomed the European Commission’s latest State of the Energy Union commitment to deliver on the EU’s collective 2030 targets. These include a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels and sourcing at least 27% of energy from renewables.

Simon De Pietro, managing director of Cork-based DP Energy, says he is pleased that the European Commission has specified that all EU countries should have a least 10% interconnection capacity by 2020, increasing to 15% by 2030.

“This is an encouraging report from the commission. The pursuit of various goals including interconnection capacity and energy market design to boost cross-border power trade and integration of renewables into the system amounts to a distinctive and urgent call for action,” says Mr De Pietro.

“Energy Union’s vice president Maroš Šefčovič says 2016 will be a year of delivery during which we will see greater moves towards a low-carbon economy which is socially fair and consumer-centred. This chimes very well with DP Energy’s aims and ambitions as a developer of renewable energy projects across the world” he says.

DP Energy’s portfolio of renewable energy projects includes tidal projects off the coasts of Canada, Scotland and Northern Ireland, wind and solar developments in Ireland, and a recently submitted development application for a 375MW hybrid wind/solar development in South Australia.

“It is critical for any renewables energy developer to be able to invest in a stable legislative environment” says Mr De Pietro.