Powering Up for Change17 August 2007 Mitch Beedie Mitch Beedie
takes a look at the EU's green paper on energy change and what
it promises the future energy industry. Europe is the world's
second-largest energy market, with nearly 500 million consumers
all requiring power. So heavy is the demand by its inhabitants,
that Europe actually has to import more than half its energy,
and this figure is rising. It is actually predicted that without
action to reduce energy use, this figure could become nearly
three-quarters in 20 to 30 years, and even higher for gas
imports. Changing this means changing the whole European energy
infrastructure. But while Europe is not made up of one voice
there is one common factor overall – each country in the EU
could do better. Aging infrastructure should be replaced, and
new technologies brought online, but even if the estimated
€1,000bn was supplied to do this, an outcome would still take
years. Last year a document was drawn up that looks to enact
this change – the EU's March 2006