Prague has been fulfilling its Climate Plan for a year
06/13/2022 12:09:00 PM
At the end of May this year, exactly one year has passed since the approval of the Climate Plan of the Capital City of Prague until 2030.
Although there have been more or less significant progress in all 69 measures, the priority plan has been marked by externalities, such as the rising energy crisis and the Russian aggression in Ukraine, which is completely changing the way gas is seen as a transient environmental impact. energy source. Therefore, after a year, the document recognizes significant changes and the update of the Climate Plan now monitors the effort to maximize the Czech capital’s dependence on natural gas from Russia as the main priority.
The main motivation for the adoption of the Climate Plan of the Capital City of Prague until 2030 is from the beginning the idea of climate responsibility. In this regard, it followed up on the previously accepted Climate Action of the Capital m of Prague, by which the metropolis voluntarily undertook to reduce the level of CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 compared to 2010. By 2050, the city was to achieve zero emissions by 2050.
“The energy crisis was here before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the war emphasized the current problems – it is clear to everyone that Prague cannot rely on natural gas from Russia or other fossil fuels from this area. We must therefore look for alternative energy sources, or our own sources, such as biogas, “comments Petr Hlubuček, Deputy Mayor of Prague for Safety, Infrastructure and the Environment. “Now we see that the decision to start diverting Prague away from fossil fuels was prudent – thanks to which we now have to differentiate from the rest of the republic. However, the climate plan in its approved form from this year must find out more in the direction. The main motivation is to reduce the dependence on Russian gas and thus move Prague to an energy self-sufficient metropolis. Due to the sharp increase in natural gas prices, we are taking steps that will prevent many Praguers from falling into energy poverty in the medium term, ”he adds.
Therefore, during the first year of the implementation of the Climate Plan, two other motivations were added to the original intention of climate responsibility – economic sustainability of energy prices and energy security. Just to give you an idea, Prague currently uses about one tenth of its national natural gas consumption (800 million cubic meters per year). Therefore, the city management considers it necessary to solve, ensure the smooth running of the metropolis and at the same time protect the inhabitants and companies operating in its territory. In line with these objectives, new priority projects have been included in the climate plan.
For example, the long-term concept of heating development is changing. From now on, it should focus mainly on the use of renewable and secondary energy sources, which should ensure the offer of affordable services for end customers. The city itself is expected to replace large-scale natural gas sources in its buildings with heat pumps and then connect them to the heat supply system. In the spirit, the rules for new residential and non-residential construction will also be adopted – they have similar sources as sources from the very beginning, with heat pumps or connections to the heat supply system being their main energy source. At this time, the city is taking final steps to purchase its own biogas plant for processing gastro-waste from brown bins.
The next step is to implement the intention of the so-called Energocentrum. The main purpose of its establishment is to maximize the heat potential produced by the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Prague. Locations in the vicinity in particular could benefit from this. The municipality also cooperates with the Prague Renewable Energy Community on the project of building the Prague Solar Power Plants and the Contact Point for Clean Energy in Prague. It will be a center of professional advice that will help Praguers find the optimal solution to effectively reduce high energy costs. It is expected that you will actively participate in the project and other affiliated organizations – especially Pražská energetika, Pražská plynárenská and Pražská teplárenská.
At the end of the series, the capital expects even greater support for the Clean Energy Prague program, the main purpose of which is now to motivate building owners in the metropolis to switch to other energies than gas boilers. The climate plan will be updated in the near future to reflect the possibilities of using the stream.