In this podcast we explore the potential ecological benefits of increasing our capacity to store energy, especially from renewable sources. As the availability of some renewable energy sources is variable and intermittent, devising new energy storage capacities could ensure energy security and reliability and help the EU in its efforts to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

EPRS Science and Technology Podcast - What if increased energy storage could help fix climate change?

The European Commission outlined various approaches to capture and store or isolate carbon dioxide emissions, or capture already released carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere to reduce the concentration and thereby its warming effect. Various solutions, both technology- and nature-based, are being brought forward to this end. A key challenge will be to ensure permanence of carbon dioxide removals, whether in underground geological storage or through actively managed natural processes, such as carbon farming and management practices in the land use, land-use change and forestry sectors.

EPRS policy podcast - Sustainable carbon cycles: Promoting removal, storage and recycling

Worldwide, forests are being lost at the alarming rate of 800 football fields per hour. With deforestation being a critical contributor to climate change and a leading cause of biodiversity loss, it is becoming increasingly clear that a sustainable future cannot be achieved without tackling deforestation and taking measures to protect- and sustainably manage forests.&nbsp; The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)&nbsp;estimates&nbsp;that 420 million hectares of forest — an area larger than the EU — were lost to deforestation between 1990 and 2020. It is estimated that&nbsp;EU consumption represents around 10% of global deforestation.

&nbsp;In October 2020, Parliament made use of its&nbsp;prerogative in the Treaty&nbsp;to ask the Commission to&nbsp;come forward with legislation to halt EU-driven global deforestation.

MEPs have already called for strengthening the overall climate benefits from forests and the forest-based value chain, namely CO2 absorption and carbon storage in wood-based products. Parliament also emphasises the need to increase funding for research into the substitution of fossil fuels and fossil-fuel materials. Forests and the entire forest-based value chain are fundamental to further develop of the circular bio-economy, which delivers important climate change mitigation and adaptation services.Parliament wants binding targets to protect and restore forest ecosystems, especially primary forests (those that have not been been affected by people's actions in recent times).

Forest protection

In June 2023 Parliament adopted its position for negotiations with member states on rules to integrate human rights and environmental impact into companies’ governance. Companies will be required to identify, and where necessary prevent, end or mitigate the negative impact of their activities on human rights and the environment such as on child labour, slavery, labour exploitation, pollution, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss.

They will also have to monitor and assess the impact of their value-chain partners including not only suppliers but also sale, distribution, transport, storage, waste-management and other areas.

The European Parliament has consistently called for more corporate accountability and mandatory due diligence legislation. The European Commission proposal was introduced on 23 February 2022. It complements other existing and upcoming legislative acts, such as the deforestation regulation, conflict minerals regulation and draft regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour.

Corporate Responsibility

EP Plenary session - Energy storage

Opening of the sitting

The need for a coherent strategy for EU-China Relations (debate)

Resumption of the sitting

Voting time

Energy storage (debate)

Safeguarding labour mobility and social rights of striking lorry drivers from third countries (debate)

Announcement by the President

Approval of the minutes of the previous sitting

Adoption of the Cyber package proposals (debate)

Question Time (Commission) - Legacy of the European Year of Youth

Situation in Peru (debate)

Guidelines for the 2024 budget - Section III (debate)

The need for European solidarity in saving lives in the Mediterranean, in particular in Italy (debate)

EU relations with Iraq (debate)

EU Rapid Deployment Capacity, EU Battlegroups and Article 44 TEU: the way forward (debate)

Explanations of vote

Agenda of the next sitting

Approval of the minutes of the sitting

Closure of the sitting

Plenary session

Gas storage (debate)

National vetoes to undermine the global tax deal (debate)

Composition of committees and delegations

Address by Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia

Composition of Parliament

Approval of the minutes of the part-session and forwarding of texts adopted

Adjournment of the session

Press conference by Cristian BUŞOI, rapporteur and Jerzy BUZEK head of the EP negotiation team on the trilogue agreement on gas storage

VodDebate: Petition 0907/2009 by Javier Castroviejo, on behalf of Club de Doñana (Spanish), on the deterioration of conditions in the Doñana National Park Petition 260/2018 by S.F.C. (Spanish) on the situation of aquifers in Doñana National Park Petition 0051/2013 by Pedro Jiménez San José (Spanish), on behalf of Izquierda Unida de Huelva, , on the approval of projects involving the extraction, storage and transport of natural gas in Doñana (Huelva), a Natura2000 network area (In the presence of the petitioners by remote connection) Petition 0085/2013 by Aurelio González Peris (Spanish), on behalf of Asociación Mesa de la Ría de Huelva,concerning projects involving the extraction, storage and transport of natural gas in Doñana (Huelva), a Natura2000 network area Petition 0257/2013 by A.P.P. (Spanish), bearing 2 signatures, on the approval of projects involving the extraction, storage and transport of natural gas in Doñana (Huelva), a Natura2000 network area

Committee on Petitions

PETI

VodDebate: Petition 0737/2021 by.A.E.T. (Spanish) on balanced rules for the management and cancellation of digital services accounts (Possibly in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

VodDebate: Chair's announcements concerning Coordinators' decisions

VodDebate: Petition No 0143/2019 by Alejandro Blasco Sánchez (Spanish), on behalf of the municipal council of Real, on the sealing-off and environmental rehabilitation of disused landfill sites in the municipality of Real, Valencia (In the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

VodDebate: Petition 0648/2020 by J.M. (German) on the storage and disclosure of private data (Possibly in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

VodDebate: Petition0622/2018by M.L. (Hungarian) on noise pollution in the vicinity of airports (In the presence of the petitioner by remote connection) Petition No 1067/2019 by M.P. (Hungarian) on alleged heavy noise pollution generated by the Budapest airport in Hungary (Possibly in the presence of the petitioner by remote connection)

EU strategy for liquefied natural gas and gas storage (debate)

Carbon capture and storage technology (debate)

Geological storage of carbon dioxide (debate)

EP plenary session - Gas storage

Press conference on the trilogue agreement on gas storage

ITRE Committee - Public Hearing ' The role of Energie Storage in the EU's future energy system '

EP paper archives stocked in a storage hall in Brussels

GASNATURALLY Workshop - Reducing emissions with natural gas and carbon capture and storage

Hearing  Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) - An essential part of Europe's industrial growth equation

A digger puts corn silage to the storage place at the bio gas factory in Graden southern Germany, on March 5, 2013.

Storage and processing of domestic waste in Naples and the Campania region in Italy.

Valorest Factory: Waste recycling

Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) - ECO TIP container

Press conference on Emission trading, effort sharing and geological storage of CO2.

Recycling industry and waste processing in Strasbourg.

French meat in a cold storage room

How can the EU reform its economic model to benefit consumers and the planet? Aimilios in Belgium and Laetitia in France have (part of) the answer!

Aimilios and his Watt4Ever team recondition old electric car batteries to make new energy storage systems, effectively giving batteries a second life and saving precious raw materials and energy while avoiding additional pollution.

Laetitia and “Halte à l'Obsolescence Programmée”, or HOP (“Stop Planned Obsolescence”), campaign for everyday products to last longer and be more repairable.

The European Parliament backs EU-wide measures to promote a circular economy, a right to repair and better recycling of raw materials, to avoid polluting the planet and to benefit your wallet.

EU programmes such as Horizon Europe plus rural and regional development funds make sure such projects get the resources they need.

Making the economy work for you and the planet: meet Aimilios and Laetitia - 9:16 EE24

Making the economy work for you and the planet: meet Aimilios and Laetitia - EE24

The "Energy Cells" is a project that consists of a system of four energy storage devices (batteries) with a total capacity of 200 megawatts (MW) and 200 megawatt-hours (MWh) into Lithuania’s energy system. Energy Cells has four 50 MW and 50 MWh energy storage facilities at transformer substations in Vilnius, Šiauliai, Alytus, and Utena. It is currently the largest project in the Baltics and one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Energy Cells received 87.6 million euros from the NextGenerationEU, the Recovery and Resilience Facility under the “New Generation Lithuania” plan for the installation of the energy storage system. The total value of the project, which will provide Lithuania with the instantaneous power reserve and the possibility to operate autonomously in isolated mode, is of 109 million euros.

Infoclip: Integrated system for batteries "Energy Cells" - Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) - Vilnius (Lithuania)

The proposed reform foresees revisions to several pieces of EU legislation – notably the Electricity Regulation, the Electricity Directive, and the REMIT Regulation. It introduces measures that incentivise longer term contracts with non-fossil power production and bring more clean flexible solutions into the system to compete with gas, such as demand response and storage. This will decrease the impact of fossil fuels on the consumer electricity bills, as well as ensure that the lower cost of renewables gets reflected in there. Nicolás GONZÁLEZ CASARES (S&D, ES) holds a press conference on the reform of the electricity market design. The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery.

Press conference by Nicolás GONZÁLEZ CASARES (S&D, ES), rapporteur on the reform of the electricity market design

MEPs debate with the Commission the energy situation in the EU and preparations to refill gas reserves ahead of next winter. Closing statement by Kadri SIMSON, European Commissioner for Energy.

Energy storage: closing statement by Kadri SIMSON, European Commissioner for Energy

MEPs debate with the Commission the energy situation in the EU and preparations to refill gas reserves ahead of next winter. First part of MEPs debate.

Energy storage: MEPs debate (part 2)

Energy storage: MEPs debate (part 1)

MEPs debate with the Commission the energy situation in the EU and preparations to refill gas reserves ahead of next winter. Opening statement by Kadri SIMSON, European Commissioner for Energy. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery.

Energy storage: opening statement by Kadri SIMSON, European Commissioner for Energy

This infoclip illustrates the medication delivery process and drugs storage in pharmacies in Belgium, in the context of a surge of respiratory infections and the shortage of medication in Europe.

Infoclip: Drugs shortage in pharmacies

In a debate with Presidents Charles MICHEL and Ursula von der LEYEN, MEPs assess the outcomes of the European Council meeting of 20 and 21 October. MEPs call on the Council and Commission fore more urgent measures, as families and companies are facing the energy and economic crisis and more investments on renewable energies. Ursula von der LEYEN warns that even if EU will have enough gas for winter, the EU risks falling short of some 30 billion cubic metres of gaz during the next storage filling season in 2023.

Conclusions of the European Council meeting of 20-21 October 2022: extracts from the debate

Plans to refill Europe’s gas reserves more quickly to ensure supply during the cold season will be voted on by MEPs, in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.The new regulation, already agreed upon with EU ministers, sets a mandatory minimum level of gas in storage facilities of 80% by 1 November 2022, but member states and operators should strive to reach 85%. Closing statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, and by Frans TIMMERMANS, vicepresident of the European Commission in charge of the Green Deal.

Gas storage: closing statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, and by Frans TIMMERMANS, vicepresident of the European Commission in charge of the Green Deal

Plans to refill Europe’s gas reserves more quickly to ensure supply during the cold season will be voted on by MEPs, in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.The new regulation, already agreed upon with EU ministers, sets a mandatory minimum level of gas in storage facilities of 80% by 1 November 2022, but member states and operators should strive to reach 85%.

Gas storage: MEPs debate

Plans to refill Europe’s gas reserves more quickly to ensure supply during the cold season will be voted on by MEPs, in the wake of Russia’s war against Ukraine.The new regulation, already agreed upon with EU ministers, sets a mandatory minimum level of gas in storage facilities of 80% by 1 November 2022, but member states and operators should strive to reach 85%. Opening statements by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, vicepresident of the European Commission in charge of the Green Deal.

Gas storage: opening statements by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, and by Frans TIMMERMANS, vicepresident of the European Commission in charge of the Green Deal

The new regulation, already agreed upon with EU ministers, sets a mandatory minimum level of gas in storage facilities of 80% by 1 November 2022, but member states and operators should strive to reach 85%. The target will rise to 90% in subsequent years, to protect Europeans from possible supply shocks. The text urges EU countries to diversify gas supply sources and boost energy efficiency. Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), rapporteur and Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL), Lead negotiator explain the new regulation on gas storage.

Gas storage: statement by Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI (EPP, RO), rapporteur and Jerzy BUZEK (EPP, PL), Lead negotiator

The draft law, already agreed with EU Ministers, is debated and put to the vote in plenary. It sets the criteria and the methodology for selecting energy projects of common interest (PCIs), such as high-voltage transmission lines, pipelines, energy storage facilities or smart grids, which would benefit from fast-track administrative procedures and be eligible to receive EU funds. Closing statements by Jutta URPILAINEN, Commissioner for International Partnerships and by Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI (ECR,PL), rapporteur.

Trans-European energy infrastructure: closing statements by Jutta URPILAINEN, Commissioner for International Partnerships and by Zdzisław KRASNODĘBSKI (ECR, PL), rapporteur

The draft law, already agreed with EU Ministers, is debated and put to the vote in plenary. It sets the criteria and the methodology for selecting energy projects of common interest (PCIs), such as high-voltage transmission lines, pipelines, energy storage facilities or smart grids, which would benefit from fast-track administrative procedures and be eligible to receive EU funds. Second part of the debate.

Trans-European energy infrastructure: MEPs debate (part 2/2)

The draft law, already agreed with EU Ministers, is debated and put to the vote in plenary. It sets the criteria and the methodology for selecting energy projects of common interest (PCIs), such as high-voltage transmission lines, pipelines, energy storage facilities or smart grids, which would benefit from fast-track administrative procedures and be eligible to receive EU funds. First part of the debate.

Trans-European energy infrastructure: MEPs debate (part 1/2)

Plenary debates and votes in Strasbourg on new guidelines for selecting energy projects for EU funding in order to better align them with the EU’s Green Deal objectives. MEPs also decide whether to apply the urgent procedure process to a recent proposal by the Commission setting an obligatory 80% gas storage level ahead of next winter to ensure security of supply.

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