Comment BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday proposed a plan to curb natural gas as it prepares for the “possible scenario” that Russia could cut off the flow to Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined a proposal for countries to cut gas demand by 15% between August and March next year to tackle the continent’s energy crisis. Fears of more price hikes and shortages leaving households cold next winter have grown as supplies of natural gas from Russia slowed significantly. European officials accuse the Kremlin of retaliating against Western sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine. “Russia is blackmailing us. Russia uses energy as a weapon. And therefore, in any case, whether it is a partial or a major cut-off of Russian gas, or a total cut-off of Russian gas, Europe must be ready,” von der Leyen said at a press conference in Brussels. “We have to prepare for a possible complete shutdown of Russian natural gas,” he added. “And that’s a possible scenario.” In the midst of a summer heatwave, Germany worries about having enough natural gas for the winter The fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine has highlighted Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. In a summer of record heat, the 27-nation bloc is now scrambling to stockpile supplies ahead of winter in case Moscow turns off the tap. Wednesday’s proposal — the European Gas Demand Reduction Plan — asks governments to the transition from natural gas to alternative fuels, incentivizes industries to reduce consumption and lists ways in which consumers can save on heating and cooling. The plan, which requires approval by a majority of member states, would allow the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, to regulate energy cuts. “Energy saved in the summer is energy available for the winter,” says a statement on the new proposal and legislation. Russia’s Gazprom sends a force majeure letter to European customers Facing the risk of outages, Germany has made contingency plans amid concerns that Moscow may not reconnect the Nord Stream 1 pipeline at the end of scheduled maintenance on Thursday. Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested this week that gas supplies through the pipeline would resume, but with limited capacity. Reduced deliveries were already affecting almost half of the bloc’s countries, according to Von der Leyen. “Total Russian gas flow is now less than a third of what it was at the same time last year,” he said as he urged households, public offices, industries to start piling up. Francis reported from London.
