- Michael Race
- Business reporters, BBC News
26 julio 2022
image source, Getty Images
European Union energy ministers have agreed that their countries will reduce gas use in case Russia cuts off supplies.
After Tuesday’s talks, EU members agreed that countries voluntarily reduce gas use by 15% from August to March.
“This was not mission impossible!” the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating EU presidency, tweeted.
However, documents seen by the BBC suggest the deal was watered down and countries will be able to seek exemptions.
“The purpose of reducing gas demand is make savings before winter to prepare for potential gas supply disruptions from Russia, which continually uses energy supplies as a weapon,” the EU said.
The agreement states that gas demand reduction would be mandatory if supplies reach crisis levels.
exceptions
However, the European Union said that some countries that are not connected to the gas pipelines of other member states they would be exempt from any mandatory gas reduction orders.
States that are not connected to the European electricity system and rely heavily on gas for electricity production are also exempt, the EU said, to avoid the risk of an electricity supply crisis.
Countries can also request that the rules be relaxed if they achieve the gas storage fill targetsif they rely heavily on gas for “critical” industries or if their gas consumption has increased by at least 8% in the last year compared to the average of the last five years.
Numerous opt-outs were expected due to the resistance from some member states.
image source, Getty Images
Some European countries depend on Russian gas for both industry and heating in frigid winters.
The deal comes after the Russian energy company Gazprom announced that it had reduced once again gas flows into Germany to enable work on a turbine in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
The pipeline, which pumps gas from Russia to Germany, has been running well below capacity for weeks and Ukraine has accused Moscow of waging a “gas war” against Europe.
Gazprom has completely cut off gas supplies to Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Poland for his refusal to comply with a Kremlin order to pay his bills in rubles, instead of euros or dollars.
Russia supplied the European Union with 40% of its gas last year and since the invasion of Ukraine, European leaders have held talks on how to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels.
image source, Sjoerd van der Wal
Energy saving is at the heart of the strategy.
“The EU is united and supportive“, said Jozef Síkela, Czech Minister of Industry and Trade, announcing the agreement.
“Today’s decision has clearly shown that member states will stand firm against any Russian attempt to divide us using the energy supplies as a weapon,” he added.
In choosing how to reduce gas use, EU members agreed to prioritize measures that do not affect homes and essential servicessuch as health care and defense.
