EU outlines roadmap to end reliance on Russian gas imports

The European Commission (EC) on Tuesday unveiled a plan for countries in the bloc to slash demand for Russian gas by two-thirds within a year by pushing up LNG purchases and bringing more renewables.

The REPowerEU programme was created in response to Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine last month and seeks to make Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels “well before” 2030. The plan envisages gradually cutting off 155 billion cubic metres of gas imports, equal to the volume the block purchased from Russia in 2021.

At present, the EU imports 90% of its gas consumption, with 45% of these coming from Russia.

According to the roadmap, around 100 billion cu m of Russian gas could be removed within a year, largely by increasing non-Russian LNG and pipeline imports within the next 12 months. This particular measure is estimated to lead to the replacement of some 60 billion cu m of Russian gas.

Another 18 billion cu m of gas is planned to be replaced by enhanced biomethane production and the volume will be further reduced when the production and import of renewable hydrogen go up. The EC’s calculations show that 20 million tonnes of hydrogen can substitute 50 billion cu m of Russian gas.

“It is hard, bloody hard. But, it is possible, if we are willing to go further and faster than we have done before,” said EU Commission vice president Frans Timmermans.

The REPowerEU plan also bets on the accelerated installation of heat pumps and solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity for homes and businesses, while also expanding the continent’s installed onshore and offshore wind power generation fleet. This, in turn, will require addressing infrastructure bottlenecks and speeding up permitting procedures.

Additionally, the proposal will make it a legal requirement for EU countries to ensure that the block has its gas storage facilities filled up to 90% of their capacity by October 1 each year.

“We have also outlined price regulation, state aid and tax measures to protect European households and businesses against the impact of the exceptionally high prices,” said Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson.

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