Improving liquefied natural gas (LNG) transmission and storage capacity, strengthening interconnections in the Balkans, the North Sea, Italy and then North Africa are some of the options currently being considered by EU governments for diversification from Russian energy supply.
On liquefied natural gas (LNG), the EU will seek assurances from US President Joe Biden, who landed in Brussels on Thursday (March 23rd) to attend EU, G7 and NATO summits.
“Tomorrow, I will discuss with President Biden how to prioritize LNG deliveries from the United States to the European Union in the coming months,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday (March 23rd).
“We aim to have a commitment on additional supplies for the next two winters,” he told MEPs in Brussels.
Regarding natural gas, tAzerbaijan, Qatar, the USA and the Nordic countries are considered the main choices between EU countries, while in the case of oil, many see Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Few countries consider renewable energy as a key solution and plans for greener energy production are generally postponed. Coal remains a backup option for Germany and the Czech Republic.
All strategies to end dependence on Russian resources will take time, although some countries, such as France, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, believe that the goal can be achieved by the end of this decade.
The only exception is Italy, which although imports 40% of its gas from Russia, ENI CEO Claudio Descalzi said the country could end its dependence on Russian gas by 2023.
According to the draft conclusions of the EU summit on March 24-25, EU leaders are expected to pledge to “work together on the common market for gas, liquefied natural gas and hydrogen”.
However, finding alternatives to Russia’s energy supply will be a difficult equation.
The Balkans and Southern Europe
Most southern European countries are trying to strengthen connections with North Africa and via the Balkans, with pipelines and liquefied natural gas transport and capacity.
According to the Greek Prime Minister Kyriako Mitsotakithe main priority is to strengthen the country’s interconnection with Egypt, whose LNG capacity is not significant, but is geographically more convenient.
The Minister of Environment and Energy Konstantinos Skrekas stated to the Press that the connection will be created through a submarine cable.
“In addition, we are considering strengthening our cooperation with the neighboring Balkan countries. Our country is already importing energy from Bulgaria, part of which is produced by the existing nuclear power plant. “Our goal is to conclude long-term bilateral agreements, which will ensure a stable energy supply at very low prices and will contribute to the competitiveness of our economy,” the ministry added.
THE Bulgaria has begun talks with Athens on the construction of a new nuclear power plant on Bulgarian soil, to be used by Greece under a 20-year long-term contract, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Assen Vassilev announced on Sunday.
There are plans to improve the submarine gas storage facility in Kavala and the government is also planning to build a second floating liquefied natural gas terminal in Alexandroupolis.
Bulgaria is heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil, importing 70% to 90% of its gas and 60% of its oil. However, the government is determined to end this dependence.
The government wants to avoid signing any other agreement with Gazprom this year and is considering receiving gas from Azerbaijan via Greece. The pipeline through this canal is expected to start in the fall of this year. Additional quantities of liquefied natural gas are expected from the Alexandroupolis terminal, in which Bulgaria participates.
THE Romania is less dependent on Russian oil and gas compared to other countries in the region.
Energy Minister Vergil Popescu said the country is expected to start extracting gas from the Black Sea this year and that extraction could add about one billion cubic meters of gas a year. However, this investment, as well as a larger one, depends on the changes in the law on the offshore areas, the rapid adoption of which is expected.
A few days before the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the Romanian Minister of Energy had a series of meetings with officials from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to discuss new supply routes.
Romanian officials also spoke with Bulgaria and Greece about connecting the networks so that Azeri gas can flow through the European network.
THE Slovenia considers increasing imports from North Africa through Italy’s pipeline system. The government is in talks with Algeria, which was once Slovenia’s major supplier, to resume supplies. They are discussing the availability of the pipeline with Italy and possible supplies through Croatia’s LNG terminal in Krk.
Slovenian President Borut Pahor and Energy Minister Jerney Vrtovec recently visited Qatar to discuss the gas situation.
At the same time, o Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio has embarked on a tour of energy-rich countries to create sustainable alternatives. After Algeria, Qatar, Congo and Angola, the minister announced an agreement with Mozambique.
However, these initiatives do not seem to be enough to completely replace Russia’s dependence on gas and oil. Rome imports 90% of its annual gas supplies and 45% of it comes from Russia.
THE Spain less than a potential energy embargo, as it imports less than 10% of its gas from Russia. Most energy sources come from Algeria (for gas), Colombia and Indonesia (for coal).
The Iberian country, along with Greece, Italy and Portugal, have launched an initiative aimed at building consensus on European energy market reform, official sources told the Spanish news agency.
Northern and Central Europe
The United Kingdom imports only 4% of Russian gas. However, despite pressure from Conservative MPs, ministers have ruled out “fracking” for shale gas as an option.
Instead, the government says it will increase investment in oil and gas exploration in the North Sea and increase its share of renewable energy production.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will travel to Saudi Arabia and is considering a visit to Qatar, although the opposition opposes such a visit for political reasons.
THE France does not depend on Russian resources: 20-30% of gas and 10-20% of oil are imported from Russia. Prime Minister Jean Castex stressed the need to increase the capacity to import liquefied natural gas and the development of renewable energy sources.
While Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas, it does not seem to be worried about securing adequate oil supplies. However, the country has implemented coal-fired power generation as a backup strategy.
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck visited the United States, Norway and Qatar to secure LNG and as much pipeline gas as possible.
While the government continues to discuss a long-term solution to the phasing out of Russian gas, it is taking steps to increase its capacity to import liquefied natural gas. The country is also trying to accelerate investment and efforts towards sustainable energy.
THE Finland has as an alternative the Baltic link. However, most of its energy supplies currently come from Russia.
In Poland, PKN Orlen (Poland’s main state-owned oil company) does not make explicit statements about future long-term contracts for Russian oil. He claims that the oil port in Gdańsk is sufficient to secure supply in the event of an embargo.
However, it is not yet clear exactly where Poland will import oil from. As for gas, the country is waiting for the launch of the Baltic Pipe for the import of Scandinavian gas.
THE Slovakia It is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas (85%) and oil imports, but the country intends to become less and less dependent.
The Slovak government relies on imports of liquefied natural gas from the US-owned Krk terminal in Croatia. The country has a relatively large gas storage capacity and the government expects the depot to be filled before next winter.
According to opposition leader Robert Fico, a possible cut in Russian supplies would mean rising energy prices and the loss of a significant portion of state revenues from transit.
“For the United States, the cessation of gas and oil supplies from Russia to Europe is a victory on all fronts. For Europe and especially for dependent Slovakia, it is a complete disaster. “A sharp rise in the price of everything, a decline in economic production, a decline in living standards,” he added.
Following the outbreak of the war, the Ministry of Economy initially assured that even if Slovakia runs out of strategic oil reserves (currently for four months), the country should be able to pump it through the Adria pipeline, which can to be filled by the Croatian port of Omisalj. However, there would still be technological problems for the composition of the refined product.
THE Czech The government has not yet confirmed alternative imports or plans, but the import of gas from Norway is being discussed. Czech Parliament Speaker Marketa Pekarova Andomova visited her UAE counterpart, Sak Govas, on Monday (March 21st). According to Pekarova, energy security was among the issues.
However, the Czech economy is still heavily dependent on coal. It is expected that due to the energy crisis, the planned phasing out of coal will be postponed. The country also wants to build a new nuclear power plant by 2036.
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