The
European Union can dramatically reduce reliance on Russian gas through energy
efficiency targets, centre-left think tank IPPR has said.
A
binding energy-saving target of 35% by 2030 would cut gas imports by a third,
IPPR said.
The
UK government has opposed such a target, saying it would be restrictive, and
may not be cost-effective.
However,
a security expert said energy supplies from volatile regions risk disruption.
The
UK should adopt energy efficiency targets as part of its broader response to
events in Ukraine, Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) research fellow
Joss Garman said.
The
European Union has approved new sanctions against Russian energy companies
including Rosneft, but gas will not be affected.
Boosting
energy efficiency
in industry, appliances and buildings across Europe by 2030
would cut gas imports by a third - the equivalent to the proportion of the EU's
gas demand that is currently met by Russia, the IPPR said.
The
target could also help member states save 500bn euros (£400bn) between 2011 and
2030, it added.
"The
countries that are most dependent on Russian gas are also the least
fuel-efficient, and improvements in energy efficiency could vastly reduce the
scale of our dependency on Russia," Mr Garman said.
However,
the UK government is not keen on binding energy efficiency targets to be added
to European plans for climate and energy policy, it said.
"We
are committed to energy efficiency and support ambitious EU energy efficiency
measures," a spokesman for the Department of Energy and Climate Change
said.
"[However],
we are concerned that an EU energy efficiency target for 2030 would not allow
member states the flexibility to choose the most cost-effective pathway to
reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increase the costs of delivering the
overall 2030 package," the spokesman added.
Neil
Morisetti, a former government energy security adviser, said that security
could be improved by using fewer resources from volatile regions.
"Recent
events in Ukraine and the Middle East have served to highlight the
vulnerability of our energy supplies and the political straitjacket that
results from our over-dependence on fossil fuel imports from these volatile
regions," he said.
"The
quickest and most effective form of energy security is to use less," he
said.
BBC
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