Energy policies of IEA countries : Belgium 2001 review

The International Energy Agency's 2001 review of Belgium's energy policies and programmes. It finds that due Belgium’s geographical setting, cross-border trade has a significant influence on the country’s energy policy. Belgium has actively increased its gas transmission capacity, and has become key player in the overall European gas markets. There is still room for improvement, however, in the electricity transmission capacity. Belgium has started to liberalise its electricity and gas market. But the traditional utilities Electrabel and Distrigas retain much influence. Further efforts are required to make a competitive market. Belgium has made the political decision to phase out nuclear power, closing down the existing units when they reach forty years of age and building no new units. The report recommends Belgium to look for realistic and economic alternatives for large-scale energy production. The recommendations made by the Ampere Commission on improving energy efficiency and increasing the use of renewables and co-generation provide only a partial solution for future energy needs. Reducing carbon dioxide emissions will be one of the major challenges for Belgian energy policy in this decade. In 1998, Belgium’s energy-related CO2 emissions were 15% above the 1990 level. The report identifies reasons for the growing emissions, analyses current policies and suggests additional measures to help in this challenging task. One of the most crucial elements is curbing the growth of energy consumption, which exceeded 20% in all sectors in the 1990s. Federal-regional co-operation is essential for successful energy-policy development and implementation in Belgium. The report makes recommendations in several areas where co-operative action appears necessary. Read more... This 2007 edition of the International Energy Agency's periodic review of Switzerland's energy policies and programmes takes an in-depth look at the energy challenges facing Switzerland and provides critiques and recommendations for policy improvements. It finds that Switzerland is entering decisive times in its energy policy. In 2008, the country should see remarkable advance in electricity market reform. Support for renewable electricity is set to increase massively. Decisions on post-Kyoto targets are getting closer, and a CO2 tax will be introduced for heating and process fuels. Plus, new measures to increase energy efficiency and the broader use of renewable energy are high on the political agenda. Since the last in-depth review in 2003, Switzerland has made progress in most areas of energy policy. Still, more work remains to be done. Maintaining sufficient electricity capacity implies even stronger policies to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. Switzerland’s climate policy should focus more on reducing emissions from private car use, the largest and fastest-growing emitter. Switzerland’s world-class energy R&D is expected to more than halve energy needs per capita by the second half of this century. This ambitious goal needs to be supported by consistent policies on energy efficiency and climate change. Due to Spain's geographical setting and limited domestic energy resources, security of supply is a core objective of Spanish energy policy. Energy supply grew by some 3.5% per year from 1996 to 1999 and electricity consumption by 6% per year. Spain is increasingly dependent on imported energy. As Spanish energy markets are being liberalised, it is essential for the government to ensure that it sends signals to the markets which evoke sustainable investment in energy. Progress has been made in electricity and gas market liberalisation during the last few years and full liberalisation of both ma 1. Summary and Recommendations -- 2. Conduct of the Review -- 3. General Energy Policy -- 4. Energy and the Environment -- 5. Energy Efficiency -- 6. Electricity -- 7. Co-Generation -- 8. Nuclear -- 9. Natural Gas -- 10. Oil -- 11. Renewables and Non-Conventional Fuels -- 12. Technology, Research and Development -- Annex A. Energy Balances and Key Statistical Data -- Annex B. International Energy Agency "Shared Goals" -- Annex C. Glossary and List of Abbreviations