Experts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) have developed a 10-point plan to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas. This is stated in a post on site agencies on Thursday, March 3.
According to them, the measures taken in 2022 will reduce gas imports from the Russian Federation by more than a third, and additional actions will reduce the import of Russian gas by more than half.
“In 2021, the European Union imported on average more than 380 million cubic meters of gas per day via pipeline from Russia, or about 140 billion cubic meters of gas for the year as a whole. In addition, about 15 billion m3 was supplied in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG),” the document says.
The 155 billion cubic meters of gas bought from Russia is about 45% of EU gas imports and almost 40% of total gas consumption.
Among the proposed measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian gas are the growth of imports from Norway and Azerbaijan, the increase in the construction of non-Russian gas pipelines, the possibility of increasing the supply of biogas and biomethane.
It is also proposed to fill gas storage facilities to a volume of at least 90% by October 1, coordinate the actions of the EU countries to purchase gas, intensively deploy solar photovoltaic systems on the roofs of buildings, and accelerate the construction of bioenergy power plants and windmills.
In addition, the development of investments in developments to expand the heating of residential buildings and small businesses through heat pumps that raise warm water from the bowels is being considered.
Earlier Thursday, the price of gas in Europe exceeded $2,250 per 1,000 cubic meters. m, having updated the historical maximum. On the same day, experts interviewed by Izvestia stated that in the event of an embargo on Russian energy resources, gas prices in the European Union could even show five-digit values.
On March 2, the price of gas in Europe exceeded $2,200 per 1,000 cubic meters. m. The previous historical maximum price was recorded on December 21, 2021 – $ 2,138 per 1 thousand cubic meters. m.
Growth of exchange quotations for gas is observed against the background of the fact that the United States, the European Union, Great Britain and some other countries announced the imposition of sanctions against a number of Russian legal entities and individuals after Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 announced an operation to protect Donbass in response to the appeal of the leaders of the DPR and LPR for help.
On February 23, US President Joe Biden introduced restrictions against the operator of Nord Stream 2, Nord Stream 2 AG, and its officials. He stressed that this step is another part of the initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia’s actions.
Biden thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his close partnership and commitment to holding Russia accountable for its actions. A few days ago, Scholz withdrew the certification of Nord Stream 2.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17, 2022. The DPR and LPR reported heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kyiv blames Moscow for the current situation.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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