Natural gas still not getting through in Europe

Coal still beats natural gas in many European markets, notably Germany. This makes no sense, says Wintershall chief executive Mario Mehren

It was supposed to be simple: gas would be the bridging fuel—the relatively clean hydrocarbon that underpinned the EU's transition to a bright renewables-led future. But the reality has proved more complex, with political disputes hampering prospects for further Russian pipeline supply and energy policy designed to promote renewables failing to curb the use of more-polluting coal. Yet the case for gas remains overwhelming, according to Mario Mehren, chief executive of German-based producer Wintershall, a subsidiary of BASF. Both EU domestic gas and piped volumes from Russia, Norway and North Africa, (complemented by liquefied natural gas from wherever is cheapest) will provide the continent