Stranded assets and energy transition: Implications for the Belgian residential gas sector: A scenario-based cost-benefit analysis on the Resa case
Files
Van_Beirs_36502000_2025.pdf
Open access - Adobe PDF
- 2.36 MB
Details
- Supervisors
- Faculty
- Degree label
- Abstract
- Decarbonising the Belgian residential sector is a major challenge, both in terms of climate and economics. This master thesis examines the economic and environmental implications of phasing out natural gas, based on the case of the Walloon network operator Resa. Three transition trajectories are compared: maintaining the current state of play, a controlled gradual phase-out, and a planned withdrawal scenario that progressively prohibits the replacement of gas-fired boilers. The analysis is based on a partial cost-benefit analysis approach, focusing on consumer surplus, stranded assets and climate externalities related to avoided CO₂ emissions. The results suggest that the scenario based on a gradual ban on the replacement of gas boilers performs significantly better than the others, due to the environmental benefits it captures. This study sheds light on the trade-offs between the pace of transition, economic sustainability and climate efficiency, and offers a basis for consideration in assessing local decarbonisation trajectories for gas networks.