Germany and other European countries dependent on gas supplies from Russia may have to resort to fuel rationing during the winter due to shortage, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2022) Germany and other European countries dependent on gas supplies from Russia may have to resort to fuel rationing during the winter due to shortage, International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said on Tuesday.
"I am afraid it will be difficult in the winter. Gas may have to be rationed, particularly in countries that are especially dependent on deliveries from Russia. Unfortunately, this includes Germany as well," Birol told German newspaper Spiegel, adding that the IEA warned Berlin of "overdependence" on Russian gas in 2004.
Birol noted that despite German gas storage facilities currently filled more than in previous months it is still "not good enough."
The IAE chief believes that the current global energy crisis is much bigger than the oil crises of the 1970s and 1980s, as it involves oil, gas and electricity at the same time. It will, therefore, likely last longer, especially given the fact that Russia used to be "the cornerstone of the global energy network" and the largest exporter of oil, gas and coal before the start of the Ukraine crisis, Birol said.
Summer also risks bringing about a deficit of fuel, as demand will peak during the holiday season in Europe and the United States, Birol warned. The risk is especially high for Europe, a region that "depends not only on crude oil supplies from abroad but also on imports of petroleum products," such as diesel, gasoline and kerosene, he added.
Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 after the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics applied for help in fending off Kiev's aggression. EU member states and several other countries have since been pressuring Russia with sanctions.
On Monday night, the EU leaders reached an agreement on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia stipulating the embargo on Russian oil supplies transported by sea, while pipeline deliveries will continue as normal for now. European Council President Charles Michel said that there will be temporary exemptions for landlocked member states, such as Hungary.
On Sunday, an EU source told Sputnik that the bloc decided against banning deliveries through the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline to solicit Budapest's support. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU will cut oil imports from Russia by 90% by the end of 2022 after reaching the agreement.
