Giovedì, 28 marzo 2024 - ore 12.55

PUTIN'S RUSSIA FOSTERS MOSCOW'S GAS HEGEMONY ON EUROPE

| Scritto da Redazione
PUTIN'S RUSSIA FOSTERS MOSCOW'S GAS HEGEMONY ON EUROPE

Russian national gas major Gazprom increases daily gas supplies to Europe, endangering EU countries energy security. The European Commission planed pipelines to carry gas form Azerbaijan, and LNG terminals to import liquefied gas from Qatar, Norway and the USA, whereas the UK and Germany follow Poland and Romania in shale gas exploitation.

 

The cold temperatures in Europe advantage Vladimir Putin in fostering Russia's gas hegemony on the EU. On Friday 12/14, Russian national gas major Gazprom's Chairman Alexei Miller sentenced Russia's gas supplies to Europe have reached the record of 550 mcm per day.

 

Miller told that the EU growing energy need justifies the realization of the projects conceived by Russia to increase Russian gas supplies to Europe, as the Southstream and the Nordstream pipelines.

 

The Southstream, whose realization has been started last 12/7, is planed to deliver 63 bcm of Russian gas per year from Russia to Austria via the Black Sea seabed, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy.

 

The Nordstream has been realized in February 2011 to carry 55 bcm of Russian gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea seabed, bypassing several EU countries as Poland and the Baltic States.

 

Miller's statement shows how Europe is deeply dependent on Russia's gas. This situation is quite dangerous for Brussels, because Moscow often uses gas as a diplomatic mean to reach political goals.

 

For example, Russia blackmailed Moldova to not renew gas supplies contracts if Chisinau should not resign from the European Energy Community's partnership.

 

The European Commission, in order to avoid Russia's energy danger, planed the realization of the EU Southern Corridor: pipelines to carry directly to Europe 16 bcm of gas from Azerbaijan.

 

Following the European Commission's directives, several EU countries as Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland and Spain started the realization of LNG terminals, in order to import liquefied gas from Qatar, Norway and the USA.

 

Another mean to decrease Europe's energy dependence on Russia is shale gas exploitation start in several EU countries.

 

Despite of an internal divergence between the conservatives, who support the initiative, and the libdems, who oppose it, UK Secretary of Energy and Climate Chance Ed Davey officially gave green light to shale gas drilling operations in Great Britain, following a previous British PM David Cameron's official endorsement.

 

In Germany, the parliament's christian-democratic and liberal ruling coalition, which supports Chancellor Angela Merkel, rejected a shale drilling operation ban's proposal by the green and the left, allowing the start of drilling operation in several German regions.

 

The UK and Germany agreed on the decision Poland - which is the richest shale gas field country in EU - and Romania already brought starting unconventional gas exploitation.

 

A support to EU energy independence from Russia has been expressed also by the USA. In an article on the Washington Times, Indiana senator Richard Lugar sentenced Washington has to support the EU Southern Corridor.

 

Moreover, he wrote that the USA should start as soon as possible the liquefied shale gas's export to the EU, in order to help Brussels to find an alternative gas supply from the Russia's one.

 

Once exploiting shale gas, the USA became the first world gas exporter overcoming Russia, Iran, Qatar and Turkmenistan.

 

After the sign of contracts with India, South Korea and Singapore, Barack Obama's US Presidential Administration endorsed the start of cheep shale gas export to Europe, in order to defeat Russia's concurrence in the EU energy market.

 

Matteo Cazzulani

1189 visite
Petizioni online
Sondaggi online

Articoli della stessa categoria