Europe is not doing enough to prepare for the dark and cold season ahead, says US Energy Security Envoy Amos Hochstein .
Europe may remain without gas in the next two winter months. This may happen due to frost and low stocks in storage facilities, reports Chronicle.info with reference to RBK-Ukraine.
& # 171; Since the two coldest winter months are still ahead, there are concerns, that gas in Europe may run out of & # 187 ;, & # 8212; says the material.
Just four months after US Energy Security Envoy Amos Hochstein said Europe was not doing enough to prepare for the bleak and cold season ahead, the continent is grappling with supply constraints that are pushing prices down. gas more than quadrupled, putting pressure on businesses and households.
& # 171; The crisis has left the European Union at the mercy of the weather and the tricks of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which are notoriously difficult to predict & # 187; & # 8212; According to the article.
Moscow's growing influence over its neighbors became evident at the end of last winter, unusually cold and long, which depleted Europe's gas reserves as its economies emerged from the recession caused by the pandemic.
In the summer, state-controlled & # 171; Gazprom & # 187; began to restrict gas flows to the continent, exacerbating shortages caused by the delayed oil and gas workover in the North Sea and raising stakes on the costly and long-delayed Nord Stream pipeline project. 2 & # 187; defended by the Kremlin.
Despite the fact that the situation escalated sharply, it took years to create it. Europe is in the midst of an energy transition, shutting down coal-fired power plants and increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources.
& # 171; Wind and solar power are cleaner but sometimes fickle, as evidenced by the continent's sharp drop in electricity generation last year & # 187 ;, & # 8212; the article says.
According to the newspaper, storage facilities in Europe are filled by 56%, which is 15 pp. below the ten-year average. The recent increase in US LNG imports has brought some relief, but at best it's only temporary, & # 8212; According to the material.
Recall that natural gas prices in Europe have increased by about five times over the past year, and at their peak in December 2021 exceeded $ 2,000 per 1,000 cubic meters. A sharp decline is expected after the end of the heating season.