Executive Summary
The outlook for expanding EU gas import capacity—an increase of 35% over the current capacity—is at odds with the EU’s stated goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to a new survey of gas infrastructure by Global Energy Monitor. Building all the gas infrastructure (pipelines and LNG terminals) currently in pre-construction or construction phases would add 222 billion cubic meters per year (bcm/y) of net gas import capacity into the EU. With EU members planning steep reductions in fossil fuel use as per the Paris Agreement, these expansion plans create an €87 billion stranded asset risk and threaten to lock-in emissions well beyond 2050.
