BRUSSELS, July 26. (EUROPEAN PRESS) –
The EU energy ministers reached a political agreement on Tuesday to “voluntarily” reduce gas consumption in the community market by 15% until next spring, although with exceptions such as interconnections or export capacity, after the proposal from the European Commission last week to deal with possible gas supply cuts by Russia.
In addition, the agreement of the Twenty-seven establishes that it will be the EU countries that will have the responsibility to activate the state of “alert” in the Union through the Council so that the obligation to reduce gas consumption is activated, difference from the initial Brussels proposal.
“The adoption of the gas reduction proposal in record time has strengthened our energy security”, indicated the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic and current president, Jozef SÃkela, who added that saving gas now will improve the EU’s preparedness.
The political agreement, which only Hungary has opposed, proposes to reduce gas demand by 15% between August 1 of this year and March 31 of next year, compared to the average consumption of the last five years, although each country will choose which measures to implement.
Thus, it contemplates specific exceptions for some Member States considering factors such as the interconnection of a country with respect to other gas networks in the EU, synchronization with the European electricity distribution network, its export capacity or its storage levels.
Based on this, those EU countries that have a low interconnection with other Member States and can demonstrate that their export capacity through interconnection or through liquefied natural gas terminals can be used to redirect the consumption of gas to other Member States. The case in which Spain would presumably enroll.
In addition, Member States that are not interconnected to the gas network of other EU countries may benefit from these exceptions, since their reduction in consumption could not contribute to the supply of the countries that need it. A scenario in which Malta or Ireland would be framed.
The list of exemptions for EU countries also includes those Member States whose electricity distribution network is not synchronized with the European one, as is the case of the Baltic countries, still connected to Russia, or those that are still highly dependent on gas for electricity production,
Finally, countries that have exceeded their gas storage targets, whose critical industries depend on gas as a raw material and whose consumption has increased by at least 8% in the last year compared to the average of the previous five years will be able to request exceptions.
In addition, the agreement of the Twenty-seven establishes that the Member States will be responsible for activating the state of “alert” in the EU, which would make it mandatory to reduce gas consumption.
The European Commission will present a proposal to declare the state of “alert” in the event of a “substantial risk” of gas shortage and will have to have the support of five Member States that have declared the alert at the national level.
The demand reduction measures adopted by the Member States must prioritize not affecting protected customers, such as homes and essential services, critical entities, health care and defense.
