Promise kept. Objective reached. When the war in Ukraine broke out a year ago, the European Union had to redefine its energy policy in order to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels from Russia, especially gas.
In accordance with what was established in Brussels within the framework of the Repower EU plan, one of the routes consisted of reducing gas consumption by 15%. It can already be said that the Europeans have tightened their belts and have succeeded.
According to data released on Wednesday by Eurostat, gas consumption in the EU between August and March fell by 17.7%, that is, two tenths above forecast, compared to average consumption in those months between 2017 and 2022. The savings had to be voluntary, as an effort in a war context in European territory. The mild winter temperatures aided the behavior change. In particular, the effort made by Northern Europe stands out. The largest reductions were registered in Finland (-55.7%), Lithuania (-40.5%) and Sweden (-37.2%). Among the Twenty-seven, only Malta increased its gas consumption in that period (12.7%), while Slovakia (-1%), Spain (-10.8%), Poland (-12.5%) did not reach 15%. %), Slovenia (-13.8%) and Belgium (-14.5%).
Last March, the EU countries agreed to extend for one year – between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 – this voluntary savings target of 15%, which includes an emergency clause that, if activated , would make that goal mandatory.
Not only have Europeans learned to consume less gas, but their stores are still very full in case they need it: cutting gas ties with Russia is closer than ever. Indeed, at the beginning of this month, European gas reserves were at 55.7% of their capacity. This is the highest level for a start of April in the last twelve years, according to data from Gas Infraestructure Europe.
Compared to the average of the last five years, Europe has almost 20 percentage points more gas in its stores. If the trend continues, Europe will be able to have its gas stores 90% full before the start of next autumn.
After the war in Ukraine, the gas consumed in Europe is now imported from different countries. Before the conflict, the European Union imported about 40% from Russia. Now, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the percentage has dropped and we are close to 13%. The US, Norway and Algeria already account for two thirds of purchases abroad. Unlike oil or diesel, gas from Russia is not subject to sanctions.
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said that "by increasing the weight of renewables and diversifying future energy sources, the phasing out of Russian natural gas will be possible for some member states."
