23 Amendments of Bart GROOTHUIS related to 2021/0425(COD)
Amendment 124 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 8
Recital 8
(8) In line withWhile the EU Hydrogen Strategy, renewable supports the use of renewable hydrogen to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, low- carbon hydrogen is expected to be deployed alongside it on a large-scale from 2030 onwards for the purpose of decarbonising certain sectors, ranging from aviation and shipping to hard-to- decarbonise industrial sectors. All final customers connected to hydrogen systems will benefit from basic consumer rights applicable to final customers connected to the natural gas system such as the right to switch supplier and accurate billing information. In those instances where customers are connected to the hydrogen network, e.g. industrial customers, they will benefit from the same consumer protection rights applicable to natural gas customers. However, consumer provisions designed to encourage household participation on the market such as price comparison tools, active customers and citizen energy communities do not apply to the hydrogen system.
Amendment 131 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In line with the EU Hydrogen Strategy, the priority for the EU is to develop renewable hydrogen produced using mainly wind and solar energy. Renewable hydrogen is the most compatible option with the EU’s climate neutrality and zero pollution goal in the long term and the most coherent with an integrated energy system. However, low- carbon fuels (LCFs) such as low-carbon hydrogen (LCH) maywill play a role in the energy transition, particularly in the short and medium term in line with the Union climate targets, to rapidly reduce emissions of existing fuels, and support the uptake of renewable fuels such as renewable hydrogen. In order to support the transition, it is necessary to adopt a technology-neutral approach and to establish a threshold for greenhouse gas emission reductions for low-carbon hydrogen and synthetic gaseous fuels. Such threshold should become more stringent for hydrogen produced in installations starting operations from 1 January 2031 to take into account technological developments and better stimulate the dynamic progress towards the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from hydrogen production. The EU Energy System Integration strategy highlighted the need to deploy an EU–wide certification system to also cover low- carbon fuels with the aim to enable Member States to compare them with other decarbonisation options and consider them in their energy mix as a viable solution. In order to ensure that LCF have the same decarbonisation impact as compared to other renewable alternatives it is important that they are certified by applying a similar methodological approach based on a life cycle assessment of their total greenhouse gas (‘GHG’) emissions. This would allow deploying a comprehensive EU-wide certification system, covering the whole Union energy mix. Taking into consideration that LCF and LCH are not renewable fuels, their terminology and certification could not be included in the proposal for the revision of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council8 . Therefore, their inclusion in this Directive fills in this gap. _________________ 8 Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2018 on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (OJ L 328, 21.12.2018, p. 82).
Amendment 158 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 20
Recital 20
(20) Natural gas still plays a key role in energy supply, as household energy consumption from natural gas is still higher than from electricity. Although electrification is a key element of the green transition, in the future there will still be household natural gas consumption including increasing volumes of renewable gand low-carbon gases.
Amendment 170 #
Proposal for a directive
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) The switch from fossil gas to renewable and low-carbon alternatives will concretise if energy from renewable and low-carbon sources becomes an attractive, non-discriminatory choice for consumers based on truly transparent information where the transition costs are fairly distributed among different groups of consumers and market players.
Amendment 372 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 48
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 48
(48) ‘security’ means both security of supply of natural gases and technical safety;
Amendment 386 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 70 – point c
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 70 – point c
(c) engages in production, distribution, supply, consumption, or storage of renewable or low-carbon gas in the natural gas or hydrogen system, or provides energy efficiency services or maintenance services to its members or shareholders;
Amendment 390 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 71
Article 2 – paragraph 1 – point 71
(71) ‘active customer’ means a final natural gas customercustomer of gases, or a group of jointly acting final natural gas customercustomers of gases, who consumes or stores renewable or low- carbon gas, produced within its premises located within confined boundaries or, where permitted by a Member State, within other premises, or who sells self-produced renewable or low-carbon gas using the natural gas or hydrogen system, or participates in energy efficiency schemes, provided that those activities do not constitute its primary commercial or professional activity;
Amendment 431 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 4 – paragraph 3
Article 4 – paragraph 3
3. By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, Member States may apply public interventions in the price setting for the supply of natural gases to energy poor or vulnerable household customers. Such public interventions shall be subject to the conditions set out in paragraphs 4 and 5.
Amendment 470 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 1
Article 7 – paragraph 1
1. In circumstances where an authorisation (for example, a licence, permission, concession, consent or approval) is required for the construction or operation of natural gas facilities , hydrogenrenewable and low-carbon gas production facilities and hydrogen system infrastructure for gases , the Member States or any competent authority they designate shall grant authorisations to build and/or operate such facilities, infrastructure, pipelines and associated equipment on their territory, in accordance with paragraphs 2 to 11. Member States or any competent authority they designate may also grant authorisations on the same basis for the supply of gases and for wholesale customers.
Amendment 475 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 7 – paragraph 2
Article 7 – paragraph 2
2. Where Member States have a system of authorisation, they shall lay down objective and non-discriminatory criteria which shall be met by an undertaking applying for an authorisation to supply gases or to construct and/or operate natural gas facilities , hydrogen, renewable and low-carbon gas production facilities or hydrogen system infrastructure for gases . The non- discriminatory criteria and procedures for the granting of authorisations shall be made public. Member States shall ensure that authorisation procedures for such facilities, infrastructure, pipelines and associated equipment take into account the importance of the project for the internal market for gases where appropriate.
Amendment 537 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 10 – paragraph 10
Article 10 – paragraph 10
10. Suppliers shall provide natural gases household customers with adequate information on alternative measures to disconnection sufficiently in advance of any planned disconnection. Such alternative measures may incluse information about sources of support to avoid disconnection, prepayment systems, energy audits, energy consultancy services, alternative payment plans, debt management advice or disconnection moratoria and shall not entail an extra cost to the customers facing disconnection.
Amendment 543 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 12 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
1. Member States shall ensure that at least natural gases household customers, and microenterprises, have access, free of charge, to at least one tool comparing the offers of suppliers, including bundled offers. Customers shall be informed of the availability of such tools in or together with their bills or by other means. The tools shall meet at least the following requirements:
Amendment 550 #
(b) entitled to sell self-produced renewable natural gases using the natural gas and hydrogen system,
Amendment 556 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point f
Article 13 – paragraph 2 – point f
(f) are financially responsible for the imbalances they cause in the natural gas or the hydrogen system or shall delegate their balancing responsibility in accordance with Article 3 (e) of [recast Gas Regulation as proposed in COM(2021) xxx].
Amendment 558 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – introductory part
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – introductory part
4. Member States shall ensure that active customers that own facilities that produce or store renewable gas:
Amendment 577 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 14 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) subject to fair compensation as assessed by the regulatory authority, relevant distribution system operators cooperate with citizen energy communities to facilitate transfers of renewable natural gases within citizen energy communities;
Amendment 579 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 1 – point e
Article 14 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) citizen energy communities are subject to non-discriminatory, fair, proportionate and transparent procedures and charges, including with respect to grid connection, registration and licensing, and to transparent, non-discriminatory and cost-reflective network charges, ensuring that they contribute in an adequate and balanced way to the overall cost sharing of the natural gas and hydrogen system.
Amendment 593 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) are able to access all natural gas and hydrogen markets in a non- discriminatory manner;
Amendment 597 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point c
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point c
(c) are financially responsible for the imbalances they cause in the natural gas and hydrogen system or shall delegate their balancing responsibility in line with Article 3 (e) of [recast Gas Regulation as proposed in COM(2021) xxx];
Amendment 600 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point e
Article 14 – paragraph 3 – point e
(e) are entitled to arrange within the citizen energy community the sharing of renewable gaor low-carbon gases that are produced by the production units owned by the community, subject to other requirements laid down in this Article and subject to the community members retaining their rights and obligations as final customers.
Amendment 629 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 22 – paragraph 1
Article 22 – paragraph 1
1. In order to promote competition in the natural gas and hydrogen retail market and to avoid excessive administrative costs for the eligible parties, Member States shall facilitate the full interoperability of energy services within the Union.
Amendment 657 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 30 – title
Article 30 – title
30 Direct lines for natural gases
Amendment 658 #
Proposal for a directive
Article 30 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 30 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) any such customer within their territory to be supplied through a direct line by natural gas undertakings.