As the group deals with a developing energy confrontation with Moscow, EU climate policy leader Frans Timmermans said on Thursday that a dozen European Union countries have now been impacted by reductions in gas supply from Russia.
After cutting gas to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland because they refused to accept a new payment system, Russia this week reduced flows via its Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 40% of its capacity, blaming equipment issues.
The first and least serious of three crisis categories specified in EU energy security legislation, Timmermans said that 10 of the EU’s 27 member states have issued an “early warning” on gas supply.
He declared that the risk of a full gas disruption was greater than ever.
He reiterated the claim made by Brussels that Russia had militarised its energy sources. The cuts are not intentional, according to Russia.
Before Moscow invaded Ukraine, 40% of the EU’s gas supply came from Russia. Some nations have expanded the usage of coal power plants, claiming this is temporary and won’t interfere with efforts to combat climate change, as a result of declining Russian supply and rising gas prices.
On Thursday, sources told Reuters, Germany will go into its second emergency gas warning. In March, the largest economy in Europe began implementing the first phase of its emergency plan.
EU nations must have strategies in place to handle gas supply crises at three different levels: Early warning, Alert, and Emergency.
While a “alarm” might potentially allow utilities to pass on high prices to customers and assist cut demand, the “early warning” stage concentrates on keeping an eye on supplies. Governments can compel companies to reduce operations to save gas by setting the level at “emergency.”
Russia’s cuts have sparked worries that Europe won’t be able to fully fill its gas storage, which is currently at 55%, in time to handle any future supply shocks during the busiest heating season of the year. An emergency regulation mandating nations to fill gas storage 80 percent by November 1 of current year was approved by the EU last month.
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