EU Considering Mandatory Filling of Gas Storages by 90% by November 1
17:01 GMT 22.03.2022 (Updated: 17:14 GMT 12.04.2023)
© Sputnik / Alexey Vitvitsky
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union is considering the creation of a legislative framework to ensure that every gas storage facility is filled by 90% by November 1 to make the bloc more resilient to external shocks, Maros Sefcovic, the vice-president of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, said on Tuesday.
"We need to do much better when it comes to energy security, therefore we are considering to propose, actually, the legislative framework where there will be an obligation that each gas storage should be filled before November 1 by 90%, which would then make us much more resilient in the case of any geopolitical developments, severe winters, or any kind of problems which we might entail," Sefcovic said at a press conference of the EU General Affairs Council.
The official noted that low levels of gas in EU storage resulted in an energy crisis where the bloc was "kind of scrambling for the additional gas for the European consumption through December and January."
Natural gas prices were surging on the European market late last year, spurred by growing energy demand amid an economic recovery after months of lockdowns, as well as a limited supply. This has prompted the EU authorities to reinforce efforts toward ensuring the bloc's energy security, the need for which has become even more pressing during conflict with Russia, the EU's main energy supplier, over the latter's operation in Ukraine.
Natural gas prices were surging on the European market late last year, spurred by growing energy demand amid an economic recovery after months of lockdowns, as well as a limited supply. This has prompted the EU authorities to reinforce efforts toward ensuring the bloc's energy security, the need for which has become even more pressing during conflict with Russia, the EU's main energy supplier, over the latter's operation in Ukraine.
