THE EU BATTLECRY: SAVE FUEL NOW OR RISK FREEZING IN WINTER!
SAVE GAS FOR A SAFE WINTER: Commission Proposes Gas Demand
Reduction Plan to Prepare EU for Supply Cuts
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Brussels, 20 July 2022
Abridged. Underscoring (bold type) supplied by Guidepost.
The European Union faces the risk of further gas supply cuts from Russia, due to the Kremlin’s weaponisation of gas exports, with almost half of our Member States already affected by reduced deliveries. Taking action now can reduce both the risk and the costs for Europe in case of further or full disruption, strengthening European energy resilience.
The Commission is therefore proposing today a new legislative tool and a European Gas Demand Reduction Plan, to reduce gas use in Europe by 15% until next spring. All consumers, public administrations, households, owners of public buildings, power suppliers and industry can and should take measures to save gas. The Commission will also accelerate work on supply diversification, including joint purchasing of gas to strengthen the EU’s possibility of sourcing alternative gas deliveries.
The Commission is proposing a new Council Regulation on Coordinated Demand Reduction Measures for Gas, based on Article 122 of the Treaty. The new Regulation would set a target for all Member States to reduce gas demand by 15% between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023. The new Regulation would also give the Commission the possibility to declare, after consulting Member States, a ‘Union Alert’ on security of supply, imposing a mandatory gas demand reduction on all Member States. The Union Alert can be triggered when there is a substantial risk of a severe gas shortage or an exceptionally high gas demand. Member States should update their national emergency plans by the end of September to show how they intend to meet the reduction target, and should report to the Commission on progress every two months. Member States requesting solidarity gas supplies will be required to demonstrate the measures they have taken to reduce demand domestically. . . [This is the case of Spain and Portugal whose gas-demand reduction has been lowered by more than half, i.e., down to 7%.]
ENERGY SAVED IN SUMMER IS ENERGY AVAILABLE FOR WINTER
By substituting gas with other fuels and saving energy this summer, more gas can be stored for winter. Acting now will reduce the negative GDP impact, by avoiding unplanned actions in a crisis situation later. Early steps also spread out the efforts over time, ease market concerns and price volatility, and allow for a better design of targeted, cost-effective measures protecting industry.
Energy saved in summer will warm the winter months. (Images from Pixabay: Sun/OpenClipart Vectors; Snowman/Gerhard)
The Gas Demand Reduction Plan proposed by the Commission is based on consultations with Member States and industry. . . Before considering curtailments, Member States should exhaust all fuel substitution possibilities, non-mandatory savings schemes and alternative energy sources. Where possible, priority should be given to switching to renewables or cleaner, less carbon-intensive or polluting options. However, switching to coal, oil or nuclear may be necessary as a temporary measure, as long as it avoids long-term carbon lock-in. . .
Another important pillar of energy saving is the reduction of heating and cooling. The Commission urges all Member States to launch public awareness campaigns to promote the reduction of heating and cooling on a broad scale, and to implement the EU ‘Save Energy Communication’, containing numerous options for short-term savings. To set an example, Member States could mandate a targeted lowering of heating and cooling in buildings operated by public authorities.
The Demand Reduction Plan will also help Member States identify and prioritise, within their “non-protected” consumer groups, the most critical customers or installations based on overall economic considerations and the following criteria:
Critical customers such as those in the health sector should be prioritized with the Demand Reduction Plan. (Image/l’Ecole publique de journalisme de tours, PD)
Societal criticality – sectors including health, food, safety, security, refineries and defence, as well as the provision of environmental services;
Cross-border supply chains – sectors or industries providing goods and services critical to the smooth functioning of EU supply chains;
Damage to installations – to avoid that they could not resume production without significant delays, repairs, regulatory approval and costs;
Gas reduction possibilities and product/component substitution – the extent to which industries can switch to imported components/products and the extent to which demand for products or components may be met through imports. . .
