Tackling Energy Security in Europe: the Role of the Electricity Sector

摘要

Energy security is together with the liberalization of energy markets and climate change one of the key drivers of European energy policy. Over the last decade, the share of energy imports in the total fossil primary energy consumption in Europe has risen from 54 % in 1990 to 68% in 2005. The power sector is with a share of 27% in fossil primary energy use one of the main consumer of coal and gas. Dependency on fossil fuel imports for power generation varies in Europe. For some of the larger economies as Germany, the UK or Italy 25 %, 28 % or 60 %, respectively, of the electricity generation are based on fossil energy imports. Against this background, this paper analyzes the role of the European power sector in policy strategies aiming at increasing security of supply in Europe until the year 2050. In a scenario analysis with the global energy system model TIAM (TIMES Integrated Analysis Model) different energy security targets with respect to the share of fossil fuels in the total primary energy supply are being studied.