A technician checks meters at VNG's underground natural gas storage facility in Germany. Archival photo MOSCOW, May 11. European consumers are limited in substituting Russian gas, pipeline supplies from other countries are a drop in the ocean, Sergei Kolobanov, deputy head of the Economics of Fuel and Energy Complex department, shared his opinion with RIA Novosti.< p>"Europe is counting on a gradual phasing out of Russian gas, however, most of the proposed measures are not related to the diversification of supplies, which in 2022 has very limited opportunities, but to reduce gas consumption. In terms of replacing gas from Russia, options are being considered for increasing pipeline supplies from Norway, Algeria and Azerbaijan. But this is a drop in the ocean — this year, in total, from these countries, taking into account restrictions in the resource base and infrastructure, you can get an additional no more than 7-8 billion cubic meters", the agency's interlocutor believes.
Moreover, the analyst noted, Algeria has a pipeline capacity reserve in the Spanish direction, but the Iberian Peninsula still has very limited gas ties with France and the resumption of the MidCat pipeline project between the countries is a matter of several years. Increasing the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe this year, it is also possible on a not very significant scale — up to 20 billion cubic meters, since there are few free (uncontracted) LNG volumes on the world market and relatively unloaded capacities of regasification terminals are located in almost «isolated» Spain, Kolobanov added.
Expert: Europe may miss a third of Russian gas because of Ukraine for the European Union, which could allow a two-thirds reduction in demand — that is, by about 100 billion cubic meters — for Russian gas in 2022. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week that as part of the upcoming sixth package of sanctions against Russia, the commission will propose a phased ban on all imports of Russian oil to the European Union. Cooperation Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Dmitry Birichevsky. According to him, Europe is very dependent on Russian gas and oil. Even if it moves to total savings, finds suppliers in other regions of the world and switches to renewable energy sources, «in the most ideal scenario» it will be able to replace only 80% of energy resources, he said. Experts are sure that the increase in energy prices in March to record levels caused by sanctions against Russia is not the limit, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said. wants Russian resources for free