EU industry leaders urge return to Russian gas amid crisis
In the face of the energy crisis and challenges in negotiations with alternative gas suppliers, leaders in European industry are increasingly advocating for the resumption of Russian gas supplies, according to kommersant.ru. Experts suggest that Russia could once again fulfill a significant portion of the EU's gas demand.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the European Union decided to completely halt Russian gas supplies by 2027 in response to Russian aggression.
The EU authorities hoped to replace Russian gas with liquefied natural gas from the United States and Qatar. However, talks to increase supplies from these countries have stalled, putting European economies in a difficult situation.
Russia could meet up to 25% of the EU's demand
Given this situation, some European industrial leaders suggest that the EU should consider resuming gas supplies from Russia. Didier Ollo, executive vice president of the French energy company Engie, indicates that Russia could supply around 2.1-2.5 trillion cubic feet of gas annually, which would meet 20-25% of the Union's demand, down from 40% before the war. Patrick Pouyanné, CEO of TotalEnergies, expressed a similar view.
Meanwhile, the German chemical industry, struggling with difficulties related to the lack of gas supplies, is also beginning to demand a return to Russian raw material supplies, kommersant.ru reports.
Christoph Günther, managing director of InfraLeuna, the operator of the chemical park in Leuna, points out that the economic crisis requires swift action, and the ongoing wait for stable gas supplies is becoming increasingly unacceptable.
