However, the Commission is right about the urgency of the cuts needed to replenish gas storage before winter. The menu is hard to fault: a one-degree drop in the home thermostats. and a limit of 19 degrees in commercial offices and public buildings (11 BCM stored). smaller shower; by turning off devices instead of leaving them in standby mode. “Do we have to keep the storefront lights on all night and do we have to turn the air conditioning down to 20 degrees?” asked Frans Timmermans, the EU’s zero-summary. One word: why isn’t parasitic Bitcoin mining included? He wants a delay in closing nuclear plants (main offender: Germany). a temporary suspension of state aid rules; and a waiver of the Industrial Emissions Directive to allow more fuel switching, and so on. Then comes the industrial ration, starting with the least necessary gasses. Glass production will be limited except for vials, syringes and the like. So will chemicals, unless they are fertilizers. The goal is the maximum reduction of natural gas for the minimum loss in GDP. Companies will fight back furiously, so this will be like pulling teeth. There is little choice but to capitulate to Putin. If these steps are not taken, the Covid-hit EU risks sliding into a crisis of existential ramifications. “We cannot let this situation get out of hand,” Mr Timmermans said. Britain does not buy much natural gas from Russia and produces half of its needs from domestic waters in the North Sea. But this alone will not protect this country from serious problems if there is a complete Russian disengagement. The UK is fully integrated into the European energy nexus and has additionally subcontracted winter storage to the Netherlands and Germany after the main natural gas storage facility at Rough was closed in a global crisis in 2018. The UK has just five days’ supply. The rationale for expanding renewables is more gas storage, not less, since gas dispatchable (peaking) units are the complement to intermittent wind and solar power. Centrica has secured permission to reopen Rough – tripling its total UK storage capacity – but there is still no agreement with the government on who pays the bill. Is the finance ministry blocking it?
