Strasbourg, 6 August 2022 (TDI): The European Council approved a regulation on a voluntary 15% reduction in natural gas demand for winter on August 5 to strengthen the EU’s security of energy supply.
Today the 🇪🇺 adopted a regulation to reduce ↘️gas demand by 15% this winter.
This reduction is voluntary but could become mandatory if a security of supply ⚠️ alert is triggered.
But what does that mean exactly❓
👇https://t.co/CJRih3XiDG#REpowerEU #EnergySecurity
— EU Council (@EUCouncil) August 5, 2022
With drastically reduced gas shipments from Russia and a significant chance of a complete halt, the EU is at risk of security of supply crisis, for which member states must start immediately coordinating their preparations in a spirit of cooperation.
Although not all member states now face a substantial threat to supply security, catastrophic disruptions on some member states are certain to impact the economy of the EU as a whole.
Although this cutback is optional, it can become so if the supply security warning is raised. According to the regulation, the Council could issue a “Union alert” on the security of supply, in which case reducing gas usage would be required.
In order to save money for this winter and prepare for potential disruptions of gas supply from Russia, which is constantly using energy resources as a weapon, the gas demand reduction is being implemented.
Between 1 August 2022 and 31 March 2023, member states agreed to lower their gas demand by 15% compared to their average use over the previous five years using their chosen strategies.
Role of Council in Union alert
The Member States agreed on strengthening the Council’s role in launching the “Union alert.” A Council implementing action, based on a suggestion from the Commission, would trigger the alert.
The member states will frequently notify the Commission of the status of their plans and their national emergency plans, which outline the demand reduction actions they are contemplating.
A documented process was used to enact the regulation formally. The adoption follows the political agreement achieved by ministers in the Extraordinary Energy Council on July 26.
The regulation is a unique and extraordinary measure that is only intended to be in effect temporarily. By May 2023, the Commission will conduct a review to determine whether to extend it, considering the current state of the EU’s overall gas supply.
