REKK's recent study commissioned by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) investigated the competitiveness of natural gas heating in buildings in the Western Balkans. As many WB6 countries envisage significant investment in natural gas network development the goal of the study was to indicate network costs for gas and apply these costs when assessing cost competitiveness of gas heating. Results show that while natural gas has an advantage compared to other fuels in countries with well developed gas infrastructure, (Republic of Serbia, North Macedonia), in those countries where the network is yet to be commissioned the risk of constructing stranded assets is high and biomass and heat pumps are the preferred forms of heating.
At the online workshop we presented the results of the study and discussed with international and regional experts about the future of gas in the building sector in WB6 and challenges and best practices of decarbonising the sector.
Panelists:
- Biljana Grbić, Advisor, Energy Community Secretariat
- Zsuzsanna Koritár, Executive director, Hungarian Energy Efficiency Institute (MEHI)
- Zoran Kostov, Executive director, Habitat for Humanity Macedonia
- Richard Lowes, Senior Associate, Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)
The event was jointly organised by REKK and ECF.