[ad_1]
If the main elements of the European proposal are met, Russia’s war in Ukraine could have an unwittingly huge consequence: It could accelerate Europe’s shift away from fossil fuels.
“The developments in the energy markets in recent months underlined the need to accelerate the transition to clean energy and permanently reduce our dependence on natural gas imports,” the draft document said. “Diversifying supplies, frontloading renewable energy and improving energy efficiency is the best insurance against price shocks.”
To reduce Europe’s dependence on Russia, many new infrastructures are being built to receive liquefied gas from the United States and elsewhere. In Europe, as my colleagues Liz Alderman and Stanley Reed recently told me, LNG import terminals are already being expanded in Belgium and Poland; a new one was recently approved in Greece with European Union funding; Germany stepped up this week two new builds import terminals
My colleague Clifford Krauss noted that a new LNG export facility in the United States, in Calcasieu Pass, La., is scheduled to become operational this year; Expansions continue at two Texas export facilities; and 10 more export projects are under evaluation. In 2021, about a quarter of America’s LNG exports went to Europe. Over the past few months, Europe has become the top destination for US exports.
So, can Europe survive without Russian gas next winter?
Soon Bruegel’s analysisA Brussels-based think tank suggests it can do this without reducing demand, changing regulations, and spending a lot more money. Some Europeans seem to be taking action to protect themselves. Electric heat pumps, one of the most cost-effective ways replace gas fired boilersLike Jan Rosenow, director of the Regulatory Assistance Project, it spread rapidly in Europe for the first time in 2021, but not as fast as it should, explained in a Twitter thread This week.
Meanwhile, Britain plans to continue drilling in its section of the North Sea, but business and energy secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said. said this week He said his country’s energy security will eventually have to come from renewable sources, including nuclear power in the UK.
“Turning off our domestic gas supply would be utter madness,” he said on Twitter. “But the long-term solution is clear: Gas is more expensive than renewable energy, so we need to move away from gas.”
[ad_2]
Source link