JAKARTA: The Chief of the European Union Climate Change Policy said that it returned to using gross energy from coal during the current energy crisis was “not a smart step” and the market must take advantage of the opportunity to transition.
The recovery of the collective industry this year after the Pandemic Coronavirus crisis has led to a surge in demand and energy prices everywhere.
In Europe, the soaring wholesale gas prices have encouraged more utilities to switch to coal to produce electricity such as those carried out by the region to wean fuel from high pollution fuel.
In Asia, coal requests from giant markets such as China and India have soared when their economy began again after the main pandemic slump.
“This will be a tragedy if in this crisis we will begin investing in coal, which is an energy that does not have the future and is very polluting,” European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans told Reuters on Monday during a meeting in Indonesia.
“What to do is, during this energy crisis, to reduce as soon as possible your dependence on fossil fuels,” he added, noted that the price of renewable energy remained consistently cheap while coal prices had soared.
The price of global coal has surged to a record high and exporter of thermal coal over Indonesia has increased the 2021 output target to meet demand because mining operations were disturbed by heavy rain.
Coal is part of a discussion of Timmermans with Indonesian officials during his visit ahead of the COP26 climate change talks in Glasgow, Scotland next month.
Indonesia, eight largest greenhouse gas emitors in the world, aim to achieve clean carbon zero emissions in 2060 or before, which include plans to remove the use of coal grilled plants.
Coal currently forms around 60% of Indonesian power plants and contributes around 35% of its emissions.
Timmermans said Indonesia’s plan to increase the renewable portion in its energetic mixture “was commendable and ambitious” and the EU wanted to increase cooperation in the sector.
“We want to work with Indonesia, to ensure we can invest and have technology transfers, bring some ideas to markets for offshore winds, or solar, or geothermal,” said Timmermans.
Indonesia needs to invest $ 150 billion to $ 200 billion per year in a low carbon program for the next nine years to fulfill its purpose to achieve net carbon zero emissions in 2060 or faster, a government study shows