“By mid-Could we are going to give you a proposal to section out our dependency on Russian gasoline, oil and coal by 2027, backed by the required nationwide and European assets,” Von der Leyen mentioned after an emergency summit of EU leaders referred to as to debate Russia’s struggle in Ukraine.
The European Union has promised to diversify its power provides earlier than, notably again in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Little progress was made, partly as a result of Germany — Russia’s largest power buyer in Europe — did not need to rock the boat with Moscow.
And earlier this week, Von der Leyen and her officers outlined plans to slash EU gasoline imports from Russia this yr by discovering different suppliers, rushing up the shift to renewable power, decreasing consumption by way of power effectivity enhancements and lengthening the lifetime of coal and nuclear energy vegetation that will in any other case have been shut down.
Frans Timmermans, EU local weather coverage chief, mentioned Tuesday that Europe might exchange 100 billion cubic meters of Russian gasoline imports by the top of 2022.
“That’s two thirds of what we import from them,” he informed reporters. “Two thirds by the top of this yr. It is exhausting, bloody exhausting however it’s doable if we’re prepared to go additional and quicker than we have accomplished earlier than,” he added.
The European Union relies on Russia for about 40% of its pure gasoline. Russia additionally provides about 27% of its oil imports, and 46% of its coal imports. Taken collectively, that commerce is value tens of billions of {dollars} a yr to Russia.
EU leaders have made clear this week that the bloc cannot but be part of the US in banning Russian oil, due to the affect that will have on households and companies already grappling with report excessive costs. A large fertilizer firm this week slashed European manufacturing due to report excessive pure gasoline costs.
However Europe is aware of it must act quick to cut back the potential for Moscow to make use of power as a weapon within the financial warfare unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak mentioned Monday Russia might lower off the provision of gasoline to Germany through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in retaliation for Berlin blocking the brand new Nord Stream 2 pipeline mission.
Talking alongside EU Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron after the summit in Versailles, close to Paris, von der Leyen mentioned the Fee would deliver ahead a proposal requiring underground gasoline storage amenities to be 90% full by the start of October annually.
“This will probably be our insurance coverage coverage towards provide disruption,” she mentioned.
