Russia used to supply 40% of European gas needs, but it has already turned off the tap in 12 EU member states and there is no sign of a change in Russia’s stance in the near future.
Faced with the scenario of completely shutting off the Russian gas taps, Europe is looking for solutions to avoid a nightmarish winter.
Yesterday, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, was clear: He warned of a “difficult” and “harsh” autumn, saying that Russia is using natural gas supplies as a weapon of war, while estimating that it will probably completely cut off its supply to the European countries.
He also noted that France is less exposed than other European countries, such as Germany, which he said his country would help. He also noted that there are alternative sources of supply for Europe, such as Norway, Qatar, Nigeria, the US and other countries.
Macron also advocated reforming the European energy market, the price of which – as he said – largely depends on natural gas prices.
As far as France is concerned, he was in favor of strengthening the production of nuclear energy, saying that it is necessary and necessary.
With regard to the measures to be adopted inside France, the French president referred in principle to financial support measures for workers who are forced to use their cars.
A little later the representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharovajustified Macron’s fears, underlining that the future of the natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 1 to Germany will depend on gas demand in Europe and Western sanctions against Russia.
Ms Zakharova blamed the West for turning off the natural gas “faucet”, stressing that the reopening of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline after the current maintenance period is primarily responsibility of the West.
“Regarding the operation of the gas pipeline in the future, a lot will depend on our partners – regarding the demand for gas but also preventing negative consequences or illegal restrictive measures,” he said.
The pipeline stopped feeding to Germany a few days ago for scheduled maintenance work, but it was already clear that the possibility of not operating again was on the table.
The fears were exacerbated by her announcement Gazpromaccording to which the Russian giant cannot guarantee the safe operation of a critical section of Nord Stream 1 due to doubts about the return of a turbine from Canada, which had imposed sanctions on the company.
Russia used to supply 40% of European gas needs, but it has already turned off the tap in 12 EU member states and there is no sign of a change in Russia’s stance in the near future.
Europe’s natural gas reserves currently stand at 62.6% and analysts have warned that reaching the 80% target will be incredibly difficult if major disruptions to Russian gas supplies continue.
Greece is preparing
Meeting on energy efficiency of Greece took place yesterday at the Maximos Palace under the Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During the meeting, there was an update on the alternative scenarios that have been worked out by the Energy Crisis Management Committee of the Ministry of Energy, as well as on the moves that have been launched regarding the energy sufficiency of the country for the coming months.
All production, import, export and storage data were presented and it was found that Greece is in a more favorable position compared to other EU countries.
During the meeting, in which the political leadership of the Ministry of Finance also participated, an assessment was also made of the course of international fuel prices and the impact on the fiscal strength of the economy.
The scenarios considered
Our country has been preparing for a long time and is taking every possible measure to deal with even the most extreme scenario. Particularly:
- Readiness to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) with two ships at the same time to the Revythoussa facilities. The special tanker that almost doubles the station’s storage capacity sailed in record time.
- Supply of more LNG by reverse flow through the TAP pipeline from Italy, with which processes are already in place to store a large amount.
- Using more diesel and lignite to generate electricity. The five gas-fired power plants are ready to run on diesel. At the same time, the available lignite units of D.E.H. continue to operate with their current production capacity and do not show any shortages, while in September the operation of the new lignite unit, Ptolemaida 5, will also begin.
Our national policies are such as to create an environment of energy stability. Community possibilities, which we have been pursuing from the first moment, will come to be added to the national ones. However, we all need to change our energy culture, contributing in practice to the reduction of wasted energy”, stated earlier the representative of the Government, Yannis Oikonomou.
View the news feed and get the latest news.
