The demand cap of 15% will cover the period from August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
EU countries have reached a political agreement to voluntarily reduce natural gas consumption by 15% this winter. This was announced on July 26 by the press service of the EU Council.
It was noted that in this way member states will save gas on the eve of winter and prepare for possible disruptions in gas supplies from Russia, “which continues to use energy as a weapon.”
The EU has determined that the decrease in gas demand will be 15% compared to average consumption over the past five years, from August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.
The decision also provides the possibility of triggering an “EU alert” on security of supply, in which reductions in gas demand will be mandatory.
The mechanism that allows the introduction of a mandatory reduction in demand for gas will be launched by a common decision of EU countries, and not by the European Commission.
However, the agreement provides for some exceptions.
“The Council agreed that Member States that are not connected to the gas networks of other Member States are exempt from mandatory gas cuts, as they cannot release large volumes of pipeline gas for the benefit of other Member States,” said the statement.
Also, exceptions are provided for states that “are highly dependent on gas as a raw material for the most important industries.”
In the past it has been reported Gazprom stop pumping gas through the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline.
Against the background of Russia’s threat to cut gas supplies to Europe, the European Commission has prepared an emergency plan in which it proposes to reduce fuel consumption.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.