Ms Kadri Simson
Commissioner for Energy
European Commission
Rue de la Loi 200
1049 Brussels
6 December 2019
Austatud proua volinik
Õnnitleme Teid energiavolinikuks nimetamise puhul ja soovime selles rollis Teile edu. Cefic, the voice
of the chemical industry in Europe, would like to
support you in your mission of providing EU citizens
and businesses access to affordable, secure, reliable and clean energy.
Cefic recognises the urgent need for the world to address climate change in accordance with the Paris
Agreement. Compared to 1990 levels, our sector cut emissions by 61%, while increasing production by
83%. The chemical industry will focus on reducing its carbon footprint as well its products’ total life-
cycle emissions. This will largely depend on the availability of affordable, carbon-neutral electricity
sources.
We look forward to working with you by exploring ‘Green Deal solutions’ from wind turbines, solar
panels and electric vehicles to better batteries, energy efficient buildings and chemical recycling of
plastics and waste.
Today, our sector is
Europe’s biggest industrial consumer of electricity, giving us a big stake in the
transformation of Europe’s energy systems. In this context, we would like to request a meeting for
a
delegation of our industry’s leading CEOs with you and your team to discuss potential synergies that
would help the work of you and the European Union, including:
•
The role of technologies - Chemistry is a key driver of innovation in many fields, including
energy. Through further development of green hydrogen, renewable energy can be stored and
transported in the future. Through Carbon Capture Storage and Utilisation technologies, our
industry turns CO2 into a building block for new products. We would be delighted to brief you
on the latest developments and discuss how to accelerate the commercial deployment of
these and other technologies;
•
Liquefied Natural Gas - To reach carbon-neutrality, the chemical industry will need double the
amount of Germany’s current renewables production. As for the transition, and as a feedstock,
low-carbon fuels such as LNG will be needed to maintain competitive production;
•
Our new Mid-Century Vision - Which illustrates pathways towards a cleaner, safer, more
circular and digitalised European chemicals industry in 2050. That is only two investment cycles
away for an industry that thinks in decades. As a 650 billion euros industry with trillions of
euros of potential, we must develop our
own competitive place in the global economy.
We look forward to working with you in the coming years, discussing the pathways for achieving the
transition. If we may, we will contact your office to explore possible dates.
Yours sincerely,
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