The Great Gas Lock-in Industry lobbying behind the EU push for new gas infrastructure Gas industry lobbying means Europe could be locked into 40-50 more years of dependency on fossil fuels. The gas industry spent more than €100m in 2016 on lobbying, while public interest groups working against an expansion of gas infrastructure spent barely three per cent of that amount. As a result the EU has bought the industry spin that gas is a ‘clean’ fuel to partner renewables. Rather than transforming the energy system towards wind, sun, and wave power and reducing energy use, the might of the gas lobby has ensured that the Commission and national governments are underwriting a veritable industry wish list of often controversial new gas infrastructure projects. In doing so it is breaking its own climate change commitments under the Paris Agreement and locking Europe and its suppliers into 40-50 more years of pipelines and other gas infrastructure. The consequences for the climate, local communities, and their environments all along the gas supply chain are dire. Contents Corporate Europe Introduction 4 Observatory is a research n Box 1. Gas: A Bridge to Nowhere 4 and campaign group working n Box 2. The EU, a willing partner 5 to expose and challenge the disproportionate influence that corporations and their PART 1: Firepower of the gas industry 6 lobbyists exert over EU Where the gas industry’s money goes 6 policy-making. n Box 3: Getting to grips with the data 7 Bringing out the top guns: top 10 spenders 8 The contents of this publication may be n Box 4. Off the radar: not in the register 9 quoted or reproduced for n ENTSO-G and ‘Projects of Common Interest’ 10 noncommercial purpose, n Box 5. The fable of ‘clean’ gas 11 provided that Corporate The gas supply chain 12 Europe Observatory is acknowledged. n Gas on tap: Trans Adriatic Pipeline – a case study 16 October 2017 PART 2: Channels of influence 18 PR companies lobbying for the gas industry 18 The loudest choir: industry lobby groups 20 Published by Advisory and High Level Groups 21 Corporate Europe n Box 6. Takeover of the renewable energy lobby 21 Observatory n MidCat: catapulting Spain to centre stage for gas – a case study 23 n Box 7. Spanish politicians through the revolving door 25 Written by Revolving doors 25 Belén Balanyá & Conclusion 26 Pascoe Sabido n Box 8. A firewall against Big Polluters 26 Edited by Recommendations 27 Katharine Ainger & Ronnie Hall Annex: Methodology 28 With thanks to List of graphics Vicky Cann Graphic 1. Industry vs public interest 6 Margarida da Silva Graphic 2. Brussels’ top 10 spenders 8 Samuel Martin-Sosa Graphic 3. Map of PCI projects 9 Elena Gerebizza Fabian Huebner Graphic 4. The gas supply chain 12 Frida Kieninger Graphic 5. Top 5 producers 13 Alfons Pérez Graphic 6. Top 5 infrastructure builders and operators 14 Olivier Petitjean Graphic 7. Top 5 users 15 Oscar Reyes Antoine Simon Graphic 8. Consultancies and clients 18 Xavier Sol Graphic 9. Trade associations 20 THE GREAT GAS LOCK-IN: INDUSTRY LOBBYING BEHIND THE EU PUSH FOR NEW GAS INFRASTRUCTURE 3 Introduction Their goal is to keep Europe hooked on fossil fuels, so their Miguel Arias Cañete and Vice-President for Energy Union business model can continue for a few more decades. Maroš Šefčovič. They borrow the garb of the renewables lobby to present However, the gas industry is willingly helped by themselves as a ‘clean’ fuel of the future. They pay an army the European Commission and national governments. of lobbyists, PR merchants, law firms, think tanks, and trade The European institutions even created their own gas associations to influence decision-makers. They talk about industry lobby group (SEE ENTSO-G SECTION), tasking it energy security, while ignoring the insecurity that climate with projecting future gas demand (which it consistently change will bring. They are the over-estimates) and proposing the European gas industry lobby, pipelines and Liquified Natural with seeming powers to write an The gas lobby is a force Gas (LNG, chilled to a liquid for infrastructure wish-list and have transporting) terminals to meet this the EU grant it. to be reckoned with in inflated demand. In response the New research by Corporate EU and national governments then Europe Observatory shows the Brussels, spending over provide the group’s members with the gas lobby is a force to be reckoned political and financial support to build with in Brussels, spending over €100 million in 2016 the infrastructure: a kind of wish list €100 million in 2016. More than granting. 1,000 lobbyists were deployed in Publicly the gas industry claims the gas industry’s pay, and 460 meetings secured with the its fossil fuel is ‘clean’ and ‘renewable’, providing a ‘bridge two Commissioners in charge of Climate and Energy policy in to the future’, or a ‘partner’ to unreliable renewable energy the last two and a half years.1 (SEE BOX 5, THE FABLE OF ‘CLEAN’ GAS). Despite being far By contrast, public interest groups working to stop a from reality, industry influence has seen the Commission generation of new gas infrastructure spent just three per and national governments embark on a multi-billion euro cent (€3.4m) of the industry’s lobbying budget. They have gas infrastructure building programme, intent on creating one tenth of the lobbyists (101) and secured one ninth of the an integrated EU-wide gas market where industry and meetings (51) with Commissioner for Climate and Energy commodity traders can buy and sell gas in the blink of an BOX 1 Gas: A Bridge to Nowhere Whether European or imported, the In the Netherlands, the government as ‘clean’, or a ‘bridge’ towards extraction and transport of both has been pressured to reduce gas renewable energy, gas is as bad if not conventional and unconventional extraction from the Groningen gas worse than other fossil fuels. It is true (‘fracked’) gas has severe social and field after repeated earthquakes that less carbon dioxide is emitted environmental impacts which will have damaged thousands of homes.3 when burning gas compared to coal only grow with the EU push for more Another consequence of the push for or oil, but natural gas is composed gas infrastructure. Fracking, which gas infrastructure is the displacement largely of methane, which, over a 10 requires high volumes of water and of communities, for example along year time frame, is over 100 times more chemicals and pollutes aquifers, has the route of pipelines. Campaign potent than CO2. It also leaks during particularly extreme impacts on local groups Platform and Re:Common have production and transport at far higher communities and the environment. documented numerous violations of rates than previously thought. As a As an anti-fracking activist in Algeria land rights along the route of the Euro- result US scientist Robert Howarth complains: “All the wealth is coming Caspian Mega Pipeline.4 In Azerbaijan, concludes that “natural gas is a bridge from under our feet, all those where the pipeline begins, those to nowhere”. Even if society eliminated multinationals are coming into our attempting to denounce the project are CO2 emissions tomorrow but ignored country and we are not benefiting met with repression and jail (SEE TAP methane, Howarth argues, the planet from it.” 2 CASE STUDY). would still warm to the dangerous Meanwhile, conventional gas The impact on the climate is also 1.5ºC to 2ºC threshold within 15 to 35 extraction also has serious impacts. huge. Despite being branded by industry years.5 THE GREAT GAS LOCK-IN: INDUSTRY LOBBYING BEHIND THE EU PUSH FOR NEW GAS INFRASTRUCTURE 4 eye. It is based on a list One geopolitical driver behind policies, among other of ‘Projects of Common things, the reality is gas Interest’ (PCIs, projects the new infrastructure push is to demand in the EU is down prioritised by the EU with 13 per cent compared to boosted political and reduce dependence on Russia 2010,6 while more than logistical backing) proposed 75 per cent of existing by industry, refined by and its gas, but due to renewable LNG infrastructure sits governments and finalised unused.7 According by the Commission. The PCI energy and energy efficiency to the International bi-annual update should Energy Agency, EU gas happen before the year is policies, among other things, the demand will have to out (SEE BOX 2, THE EU, A fall another 40 per cent WILLING PARTNER). reality is gas demand in the EU is by 2040 if the EU is to Behind the industry meet its commitments spin is a very different story. down 13 per cent made under the Paris Gas is a climate-wrecking Agreement at COP21, the fossil fuel comparable 2015 UN climate talks.8 or even worse for the climate than coal (SEE BOX 1, GAS: Therefore the EU should put a moratorium on all new gas A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE). Meanwhile, communities and infrastructure, rather than building assets which will either environments around extraction and infrastructure sites are lock the continent and its suppliers into another 40-50 being devastated, and many of the governments who are years of gas use, or prove to be huge financial liabilities lined up to meet this supposed need for gas are involved and ‘stranded assets’ which have been paid for but are no in blatant human rights abuses, such as Azerbaijan (SEE longer usable, let alone profitable. It makes much more TAP CASE STUDY). One geopolitical driver behind the new sense to pump the financial and political capital spent on infrastructure push is to reduce dependence on Russia and gas PCI projects into wind, solar and wave energy and its gas, but due to renewable energy and energy efficiency reducing energy use.