“We took drastic measures to prepare for winter. We have increased the filling of gas storage facilities with natural gas. We will increase the reserves by deliveries of liquefied gas, which come from different countries of the world. We have an agreement on the supplies from Norway, we have agreed on deliveries from across the Atlantic. We are now much further along in filling up our strategic gas storage facilities than in previous years,” Pannier-Runacher said in an interview with the French broadcaster BFMTV.
On July 10, French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that a total cut-off of gas supplies from Russia to Europe was the most possible scenario in the unfolding energy crisis, and urged the country to begin preparing enterprises for such an eventuality as soon as possible. Last week, Le Maire also said that the consumer price of gas in France was frozen until the end of the year, and the increase in electricity prices would be limited to 4%.
Russia's energy giant Gazprom has significantly reduced its Nord Stream 1 gas supplies, citing delays in maintenance work on turbines by German and Canadian companies. EU countries had to tap into the gas volumes normally reserved for winter with some countries also considering a return to coal production.