The Gas Strategies Interview: Dominique Ristori, director general energy, European Commission

摘要

Dominique Ristori, the new head of energy at the European Commission, is not a new face among the corridors of the Charlemagne building, having worked for the institution since 1978. Now in his third innings as director general of energy, Ristori inherits a portfolio riddled by security of supply issues, deep structural changes, climate challenges and tighter economics. Ristori is keen to consolidate the EU's internal energy market and will pursue the elimination of energy islands such as the Baltics, the coupling of European markets based on the western and northern European models and the creation of a gas hub in southeast Europe, interlinked to the rest of the continent. Gas, he tells Gas Strategies, will continue to play a major role in Europe up to 2030 and beyond-both in power generation and increasingly in the heating and cooling of urban areas. As sources diversify, the emphasis will fall on LNG, piped gas from Mediterranean countries and indigenous shale. This fuel will be an affordable option in the future, Ristori says, as an abundance of LNG on the global markets will eventually exert downwards pressure on European import prices.