Estonia plans to support the proposal of the European Commission (EC) to extend the time period in which European Union (EU) countries are asked to limit gas consumption, writes ERR News.
The current austerity period will end on the 31st of March. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February, 2022, the EC called on the bloc’s member states to limit gas consumption, taking into account the high dependence on the aggressor’s imports. EU countries were invited to reduce gas consumption by 15%, and before the meeting of EU energy ministers scheduled for the 28th of March, a proposal to save for another year was brought up.
Estonia’s statement, which also expresses support for further restrictions on consumption, states: «We support the proposal to extend the regulation which establishes the voluntary goal of reducing natural gas consumption throughout the EU and for each of the member states, through to the 31st of March, 2024.»
EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson told journalists on Friday, the 24th of March, that
the EU has avoided a potential crisis and successfully passed the winter.
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia exported about 155 million cubic meters of natural gas to Europe, but last year the volume dropped to 60 million cubic meters. Only 20 cubic meters of natural gas are expected to be imported this year.
The EU imported more gas from Norway and also imported liquefied natural gas from the US and other countries. Voluntary reductions in gas consumption, achieved mainly through austerity measures, helped the EU build up 43 million cubic meters of gas reserves.
The winter in Estonia started early and was snowy, but overall it was relatively mild in the EU, and Simsone pointed out that this also helped to reduce consumption. Thanks to this and the joint efforts, at the end of March, more than half of the total volume is still occupied in European gas storages.
According to the report of the Estonian Ministry of Economy,
Estonia can reduce its gas consumption even more than the EU’s common goals require.
Estonia’s gas consumption until the Russian invasion of Ukraine was five terawatts per year, but after February 2022 it decreased by 26% to 3.77 terawatts per year. This is the lowest figure in the last decade. The consumption reduction was achieved both by saving and by using different alternative fuels. For example, in cities, shale oil or wood chips were used instead of gas for central heating. Individually, many households chose heat pumps instead of gas for heating, and high gas prices also contributed to a faster transition to other types of fuel.
In general, there is no ban on Russian natural gas in the EU, as some countries obtain it through Turkey and Ukraine. Estonia already stopped importing gas from Russia last April.
Read also: BNN ANALYSES | Lithuania passes «gas exam», even harsh critics praise its LNG terminal