Mediterranean energy and natural gas perspectives
On 13 December 2022, in Paris, the OME as Secretariat of the UfM Gas Platform, in cooperation with the European Commission, organized two events within the framework of the 2020-22 Program of Work of the UfM Gas Platform.
In the morning, a capacity building session on the Mediterranean Energy Perspectives to 2050. The Mediterranean region, a home to 7% of the world population, is one of the most severely affected by climate change. A drastic move towards sustainable production and consumption patterns is urgently needed as the energy sector plays a relevant role in the transition towards sustainable development. The session provided an overview of the most important factors and uncertainties likely to affect the Mediterranean energy trends over the next 30 years under two scenarios; a reference scenario and a net-zero carbon emissions scenario.
In the afternoon, a workshop on the role and importance of South Mediterranean gas in European supply security. The aim of the workshop was to provide an overview of the recent developments in the global/European gas markets and how South Mediterranean gas could play an important role in Europe’s search for additional gas supplies. The South Mediterranean countries can help replacing a significant part of EU’s Russian gas imports in the short, mid and longer term. They have the potential for higher production capacities thanks to significant untapped gas resources. However, increasing domestic gas demand, building new interconnections across the Mediterranean and the important investments required to fully exploit the resources are important challenges these countries will face to free up more gas for export.
