The European Union has enough gas for the winter but could face a shortage next year if Russia cuts supplies even further. This was announced by the International Energy Agency (IEA), Reuters writes.
The agency called on governments to act more quickly to save energy and expand the use of renewable energy sources.
"Despite Russia cutting gas supplies this year, Europe avoided acute shortages and started the winter with overflowing gas storage tanks - thanks in part to the EU's emergency measures to fill up storage and the good fortune of warm weather and high gas prices. which reduced the demand for fuel," writes Reuters.
However, next year could be an even tougher test than the energy crisis, which has seen fuel bills for European households soar this year.
"If Russia cuts the small share of gas it still supplies to Europe, and if China's gas demand recovers from the fall caused by the quarantine due to COVID-19, the EU could face a gas deficit of 27 billion cubic meters in 2023," - emphasized in IEA.
According to EU data, the total gas consumption in the EU in 2021 was 412 billion cubic meters.
"This is a serious challenge," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said at a press conference in Brussels, adding that the deficit would have reached about 60 billion cubic meters if the EU had not taken measures to respond to emergency situations.
The potential shortfall could be averted by expanding subsidies and energy-saving policies by retrofitting certain buildings and replacing fossil fuel-based heating with heat pumps, while moving forward with EU plans to massively expand renewable energy, the IEA said.