Brussels proposes to grant another month to meet the gas storage objective

This Monday, the Council of Energy Ministers of the European Union met in Brussels to discuss energy security, critical infrastructure or the action plan for affordable energy; All of them, issues closely related to the geopolitical background motivated by Russian invasion in Ukraine.

Among all matters discussed, the one that most seems to worry the new European commissioner in the matter, the Danish Dan Jørgensenis the dependence on the European continent with respect to Russian gas. “We have gone from 45% of Russian gas to 13%, but it is still too much. If it were for me, if it were for us, it would not come a single Putin molecule,” Jørgensen said at a press conference.

Precisely about gas is one of the next regulatory modifications that it intends to implement its energy portfolio. Thus, during the meeting this Monday, the ministers were a proposal to modify the Regulation (EU) 2017/1938on measures to guarantee the safety of gas supply before the winter season.

From November to December

Before the meeting, at the beginning of the month, the European Commission has already proposed to modify the current text and extend for two years – until 2027 – the objective of filling the gas storage Up to 90%.

This Monday, the community body showed a draft with a specific proposal for the modification of the regulation, in which it aims to grant a greater flexibility To meet this objective. Although the currently in force text requires meeting this objective before November 1, the new text proposes to be able to do so at any time understood Between October 1 and December 1. That is, facilitate one more month to achieve the goal.

Another of the proposed modifications implies expanding the powers of the respective competent authority of each country to meet the national filling objectives. In accordance with the provisions of the document, when a Member State cannot fill its gas storage in accordance with the established objectives, the competent authority will be enabled to adopt “effective” measures to minimize the impact on supply security of the Union.

Although the currently current text also enables the competent authority to commit these measures, so far they could only be taken when the filling level was at least 5% lower than the fixed.