The European Commission assumes that states will have to use more coal and nuclear energy to replace this type of energy in the next ten years
As the exchange of threats and sanctions between Russia and the European Union escalates, Brussels is preparing for a possible cut in Russia’s gas supply. The European Commission has drawn up a contingency plan with measures to voluntarily reduce gas consumption in the Member States and a price ceiling on the European market. “This is a mechanism to prevent competition between European countries for gas,” said official European sources.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has exposed Europe’s energy vulnerabilities. “However, we have the basis to reduce our dependence,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday. The EU has already taken steps to reduce energy imports from Moscow, with the embargo on Russian coal, and is currently working on extending that ban on oil. “In 2021 we will import 40% of the energy from Russia and this year that amount has been reduced by almost half so far,” he emphasized.
The European plan to decouple from Russia involves reducing consumption, diversifying supply and promoting the green transition. In this way, the EU will deploy investments so that the bloc’s sustainable energy production will be 45% by 2030, compared to the 40% previously set by the Green Deal. In practice, over the next decade, Brussels assumes that gas will be replaced by energy such as coal or nuclear power, which will serve to meet demand when renewable energy sources do not provide enough energy.
For now, the European Commission expects energy prices to remain high for the next three years and has offered Member States a range of measures to reduce the impact on their economies. In view of the coming winter, European countries will therefore be able to use the benefits that have come out of the blue to support consumers. In addition, regions with few interconnections, such as Spain and Portugal, will be able to introduce subsidies for fuel costs in energy production, thereby lowering the price of electricity. This could benefit countries such as Italy and Greece, which are very interested in the Madrid and Lisbon proposals to limit the price of gas, the so-called ‘Iberian exception’.
Source: La Verdad
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