EU agrees plan to ration gas use over Russia supply fears

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EU member states have agreed to ration gas this winter, in an attempt to avoid an energy crisis generated by further Russian cuts to supply.

Energy ministers from the 27 member states mostly backed a plan for a voluntary 15% reduction in gas usage over the winter, but added in several opt-outs for island nations and countries unconnected or little connected to the European gas network, which will blunt the overall effect.

The European Commission had suggested that a collective 15% gas savings target would reduce gas consumption by 45bn cubic metres. Once exemptions are taken into account the final bcm tally will be lower, after a revolt led by southern European countries that use less or no Russian gas.

The agreement comes less than 24 hours after Russia’s state-controlled energy firm, Gazprom, announced a steep reduction in gas supplies through the critical Nord Stream 1 pipeline from Wednesday. It came only days after Nord Stream 1 went back online at lower capacity, following summer maintenance.

EU leaders have accused the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, of attempting to blackmail European countries for supporting Ukraine. Russia has cut or reduced supplies to a dozen or so EU countries.

Welcoming the agreement, Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission said: “The announcement by Gazprom that it is further cutting gas deliveries to Europe through Nord Stream 1, for no justifiable technical reason, further illustrates the unreliable nature of Russia as an energy supplier. Thanks to today’s decision, we are now ready to address our energy security at European scale, as a union.”

Jozef S?kela, Czech minister of industry and trade, who chaired the meeting after days of negotiations over the proposal, hailed the decision as showing that EU member states “will stand tall against any Russian attempt to divide the EU by using energy supplies as a weapon”.

But the backing for the energy savings plan was not unanimous. Hungary, which has already secured an opt-out from the EU’s embargo on Russian oil, expressed its opposition. Unusually for an EU energy ministers’ meeting, Hungary was represented by its foreign minister, P?ter Szijj?rt?, who was given an award by Putin last November, only a few months before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Hungary has backed EU sanctions against Russia, but has blamed the measures for increasing prices for Hungarian drivers and households, a link strongly rebutted by Brussels.

Under the energy savings plan, all EU member states will strive to reduce gas consumption by 15% from August through to the end March. In the event of a total shut down of Russian gas or high demand, EU states can declare an energy emergency that triggers mandatory savings.

Countries will be exempt from mandatory cuts, however, if they are island nations unconnected to the EU gas network or, like the Baltic states, have separate electricity systems and rely on gas to produce electricity.

Member states can also ask for an exemption or reduced savings target if they are little connected to the European gas network and can send liquified natural gas to their neighbours, a provision that affects Spain.

Spain, with Portugal and Greece, led opposition to the uniform 15% target, arguing it was unfair and failed to take account of their national circumstances. Critics complained the plans had been designed to help Germany, which has been accused of allowing itself to become dangerously dependent on Russian gas.