Europe’s Way Around Russian Energy

How could Germany and the EU weather a fossil fuel embargo on Russia?

Kerstine Appunn, 11 March 2022 (Clean Energy Wire)

“…European countries are paying Russian energy suppliers close to one billion euros per day for coal, oil and gas, thereby indirectly financing Putin’s war chest… [In 2020, around 55 percent of German natgas came] from Russia…[Most] is used in the heating sector and for industrial processes, a smaller share is used to generate electricity. Around 45 percent of Germany’s hard coal imports come from Russia and the country also receives 34 percent of its crude oil imports from there…[T]he percentages this past winter were already lower…

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[To reduce dependence on Russian gas by 80 percent] would require: 1) [Importing more from Norway, North Africa, the Netherlands] and using the full capacity of European LNG terminals for deliveries from the U.S. and Qatar…2) ensuring that storage facilities are adequately filled for next winter…3) energy savings / more energy efficiency on the demand side, e.g. in heating homes…In electricity generation, gas can be substituted with renewable and coal power in the short and medium term… Lower coal prices can make this measure a cost benefit…[In the medium to long term, the plan is for a] massive expansion of renewable energy capacities, in particular wind and solar PV…[and] a smart power grid and storage facilities…

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Substituting Russian gas in the heating sector is more difficult than in the power sector…Switching to electric heat-pumps is only a solution in the longer term…[With a complete halt of Russian gas supplies, each] German citizen would have to face a loss of 80 to 1,000 euros per year, depending largely on how Russian gas would be substituted …[Low-income households] should be supported with targeted transfers…In the long term, Germany’s industry should function on the basis of green electricity and hydrogen (e.g. green steel production)…[There could be] “unforeseeable consequences” and “massive negative effects” for consumers and the economy …” click here for more

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