Europe calculates when gas will run out
(Baonghean.vn) - Spain's La Vanguardia newspaper reported that Europe's gas reserves could run out by early February next year.
The publication notes: "160 gas storage facilities in 18 countries with a filling rate of nearly 83% are enough to supply only 21% of annual consumption in EU member states."
European authorities now face the daunting task of ensuring that current gas reserves last the winter, forcing countries to cut fuel consumption and redistribute reserves.
La Vanguardia newspaper commented: "It could be extended until March next year, but on condition that Moscow resumes gas supplies, even if only in small quantities."
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| The Gazela pipeline transports Russian gas to the EU. Photo: AP |
Experts interviewed by the newspaper are unsure whether Europe can meet its target of reducing consumption and whether it has the infrastructure to regulate reserves to countries that need them.
"In case of failure, the foundations of the EU could be shaken," experts warn.
Earlier, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry's Secretary of State for Bilateral Relations, Tamas Menczer, said that this fall the EU may have to reconsider its sanctions policy, because when the cold weather sets in, "reality will knock on every door" in Western Europe.