The EU Green Deal expects that the European economy becomes climate neutral by 2050, and a 55% reduction of greenhouse gases is required by 2030 in the associated Climate Target Plan. There is a broad agreement across public, stakeholder and international analyses of EU decarbonisation pathways that CCS (carbon capture and storage) will be needed at scale to decarbonise energy-intensive industries; some of those also suggest that blue hydrogen will play an important role in the coming decades. Some analysis also sees conventional electricity generation retrofitted with CCS providing backup capacity for predominantly renewables-based power systems. This webinar will show how the EU is supporting CCS, including the regulatory means and funding programmes.

Panelists

Stig Svenningsen, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Norway

Stig Svenningsen has been working for the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy since 2001. Stig is currently Deputy Director-General and heads the Section for Climate and Emissions to Air in the Department for Climate, Industry and Technology. Stig’s section covers the Ministry's policies on climate change and other emissions to air, including national policies and international cooperation on issues, related to energy and climate change. This includes Norway's Clean Energy Ministerial membership. Stig is presently one of four co-chairs of the CEM CCUS Initiative and is a member of the Advisory Board of the CEM Hydrogen Initiative.

Peter Horvath, Policy Officer, DG Energy, European Commission

Peter Horvath works as policy officer at the Directorate General (DG) for Energy of the European Commission, in the Unit responsible for Innovation, Research, Digitalisation and Competitiveness. Most of his work relates to international cooperation on energy research and technology, including relations to the International Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Ministerial, as well as European research and innovation support to carbon capture and storage. Previously he worked for six years at DG Research of the Commission, where he covered international climate and energy topics. Before moving to Brussels, he held various jobs in Hungarian higher education and public administration.

Jan Steinkohl, Policy Officer, DG Energy, European Commission

Jan Steinkohl works as policy officer at the Directorate General (DG) for Energy of the European Commission, in the Unit responsible for Renewables and Energy System Integration Policy. He is also the contact point for CCS in this unit.

Vassilios Kougionas, Policy Officer, DG Research and Innovation, European Commission

Vassilios Kougionas is a policy officer in DG Research and Innovation, European Commission, in the unit of Clean Energy Transition. His main tasks relate to the EU research and innovation support to CCUS/low carbon hydrogen, the EU Strategic Energy Technology Plan and international cooperation under Mission Innovation. Vassilios is a vice chair of the IEA Working Party on Fossil Energy. Previously he worked at the Directorate General for Energy of the European Commission, at the National Technical University of Athens, at C.N.R.S. Institute of Catalysis in Lyon, France and as a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College London. Vassilios holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, London, a Masters of Science in Advanced Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Petrochemical Engineering from University of London. He has also a Masters in Business Administration from Solvay Management School Brussels.

Katrien Prins, Policy Officer, DG Energy, European Commission

Katrien Prins has worked at the European Commission in DG Energy since 1998, in the Units responsible for Internal Market for Electricity and Gas, Energy Efficiency and Renewables and now in Infrastructure and Regional Cooperation. She has also worked for seven years in DG Transport in different units.

Maria Velkova, Policy Officer, DG Clima, European Commission

Maria Velkova is a policy officer in DG Climate Action, European Commission. Her main tasks revolve around the implementation of the Innovation Fund programme for supporting large-scale demonstration projects in the industry and energy sectors. Maria also follows the EU policy and regulatory work on carbon capture, utilisation and storage. Previously, she worked on the EU regulation of GHG emissions from transport fuels and on supporting research and innovation in renewable energy technologies. Before joining the European Commission in 2008, Maria Velkova worked in the areas of SME and industrial policy, renewable energy and energy efficiency in the Bulgarian public administration. She has Master’s degrees in Environmental Change and Management from the University of Oxford and European Economic Studies from the College of Europe. Her Bachelor's degree is in European Business Administration from the University of National and World Economy, Sofia jointly with the University of Humberside.