Brussels has asked EU countries to cut their gas use by 15% and devised emergency plans before winter when it predicts gas supplies from Russia will be severely disrupted.
The European Commission on Wednesday said a 15% drop in gas consumption would run from August 1 through the end of March next year, compared with the average for the same period over the past five years.
The plan comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in Tehran, signaled that gas would start flowing again through a key pipeline to Europe, but at a reduced rate. Pipeline, Nord Stream 1, still closed for maintenance until Thursday. Europe is waiting to see if Russia will restart the flow of gas through the pipeline as planned.
“Gazprom fulfills its obligations, always fulfills them and wants to continue to fulfill them,” Putin said late Tuesday, in comments reported by Interfax. But he added that it depends on whether a critical turbine that was serviced in Canada but blocked by Western sanctions is returned to Russia. If it does not arrive, Nord Stream 1’s throughput capacity will be reduced. “Then there will be only 30 million cubic meters a day,” he said.
The pipeline can transport up to 167 million cubic meters per day.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that “the turbines have been shipped back so there is no reason not to supply gas”.
If the gas supply situation deteriorates, the commission will make proposals that would allow it to declare an “EU warning” that would make the proposed gas cuts binding. EU capitals will report on their progress towards the bimonthly target and set out a “national emergency plan” in September to show how gas use will fall.
The EU said it aimed to “protect supplies for essential households and users such as hospitals” and industries critical to cross-border supply chains. The plan also indicates that member states should prioritize fuel conversion to renewables or coal, oil or nuclear power if needed, and proposes that EU capitals could mandate restrictions on the system. heating and cooling systems in public buildings.
Brussels has been working to secure imports of non-Russian gas to offset further cuts by Moscow, which supplies about 40% EU gas by 2021 and has reduced gas supplies to at least 12 EU countries.
Even before the maintenance on Nord Stream 1 began, Russia reduced the amount of gas it pumped through the pipeline by 60%, citing technical reasons related to the absence of turbines.
