On 14 November of this year, the draft National Energy and Climate Plan for 2030 (NECP 2030) submitted by the Ministry of Economics (ME) was announced for inter-institutional coordination at a meeting of State Secretaries. This marks the beginning of the final stage of coordination for the NECP 2030 draft with ministries and other interested parties. The plan is scheduled to be approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 17 December 2019, so that it can be submitted to the European Commission by the end of the year.
Following the receipt of recommendations from the European Commission in June 2019, and taking into account proposals provided by the public and the opinions of ministries, the draft of the NECP 2030 has been updated, including the planned courses of action and measures. At the same time, stakeholders are invited to participate in the coordination of the NECP 2030 draft announced at the meeting of State Secretaries and to submit proposals for improving the NECP 2030 to the ME by 29 November 2019. The NECP 2030 draft is available on the Cabinet of Ministers website [1] and the ME website [2].

THE NECP 2030 WILL BE THE MAIN DOCUMENT FOR FORMULATING LONG-TERM ENERGY AND CLIMATE POLICY, WITH THE AIM OF PROMOTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CLIMATE-NEUTRAL AND INTERNATIONALLY COMPETITIVE LATVIAN ECONOMY IN THE LONG TERM. FURTHERMORE, THIS OBJECTIVE IS TO BE ACHIEVED IN A SUSTAINABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE MANNER, REDUCING ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON THIRD COUNTRIES, PREVENTING RISKS OF ENERGY POVERTY, AND PROMOTING PUBLIC WELFARE AS A WHOLE.

To achieve this goal, it is necessary to promote the efficient use of resources, as well as their self-sufficiency and diversity; to ensure a gradual reduction in the consumption of resources, especially fossil and non-sustainable resources, while simultaneously transitioning to the use of sustainable, renewable, and innovative resources; and to stimulate the development of research and innovation that fosters the development of a sustainable energy sector and the mitigation of climate change.

THE NECP 2030 INCLUDES AROUND 100 VARIOUS POLICY MEASURES, PROVIDING FOR ACTION IN 12 AREAS:

* Improving the energy efficiency of buildings;
* Improving energy efficiency and promoting the use of RES technologies in heating, cooling, and industry;
* Promoting the use of zero-emission technologies in electricity generation;
* Promoting economically viable self-generation and self-consumption of energy;
* Improving energy efficiency and promoting the use of alternative fuels and RES technologies in transport;
* Energy security, reduction of energy dependence, full integration of energy markets, and infrastructure modernisation;
* Improving the efficiency of waste and wastewater management and reducing GHG emissions;
* Efficient use of resources and reduction of GHG emissions in agriculture;
* Sustainable use of resources, reduction of GHG emissions, and increasing CO2 sequestration in the land use, land-use change, and forestry sector;
* Reducing the use of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-gases);
* “Greening” the tax system and improving its friendliness towards energy efficiency and RES technologies;
* Informing and educating the public and raising awareness.

To continue the discussion on the NECP 2030 and deliberate on future challenges, a forum titled “ENERGY AND CLIMATE PLAN 2030 – TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE NATION” is being organised on 21 NOVEMBER OF THIS YEAR IN RIGA, where those interested in energy and climate issues are invited to participate both in person and online. Further
information about the forum is available here. [3] Participation in the event is free of charge, but all interested parties are required to register their attendance here [4].

In accordance with the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Governance of the Energy Union and Climate Action, all European Union Member States must develop such a plan and submit it to the European Commission by 31 December 2019. The Ministry of Economics developed and submitted the first draft of the plan for evaluation to the European Commission back in December 2018. The European Commission evaluated the draft plan submitted by Latvia and provided recommendations on the measures included therein.

Key recommendations from the European Commission for improving the NECP 2030:

1) offer a wider range of measures for reducing GHG emissions in various sectors (transport, waste management, small-scale energy, households) and analyse the role of emission sequestration;

2) set a target for the share of renewable energy of at least 50% (instead of the initially proposed 45%) and develop measures that would allow this target to be reached in a timely and cost-effective manner;

3) increase ambition regarding the necessary reduction in energy consumption and more clearly define measures to implement it, especially in the building and transport sectors;

4) define measures that will increase competition in energy wholesale and retail markets, which is particularly relevant for Latvia in order to promote the diversification of suppliers and delivery routes for fossil energy resources;

5) list the measures taken and plans for the gradual phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies;

6) define research and innovation policies that would facilitate the achievement of objectives in other areas of the plan.

The detailed recommendations provided to Latvia by the European Commission can be viewed on the Ministry of Economics website [5]. How Latvia has taken the European Commission's recommendations into account can also be found on the Ministry of Economics website [6].

More information about the NECP 2030 is published on the Ministry of Economics website [2].

Ministry of Economics
Public Relations Department

[1] http://tap.mk.gov.lv/lv/mk/tap/?pid=40480261
[2]
https://em.gov.lv/lv/nozares_politika/nacionalais_energetikas_un_klimata_plans/
[3]
https://em.gov.lv/lv/Ministrija/notikumu_kalendars/26170-forums-energetikas-un-klimata-plans-2030-cela-uz-ilgtspejigu-valsti
[4]
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx
[5] https://www.em.gov.lv/files/attachments/lv_rec_lv.pdf
[6]
https://em.gov.lv/files/attachments/EKRekomendacijas_VeraNemsana_Izvertejums.docx