MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2022) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday welcomed a political agreement on the European Union's REPowerEU energy transformation plan amid the bloc's efforts to phase out Russian energy.
"I welcome the political agreement on #REPowerEU. As Europe is turning its back on Russian gas, #REPowerEU is our plan for securing a clean energy future. This agreement unlocks significant resources to roll out our plan, for the benefit of the whole EU," von der Leyen tweeted.
The REPowerEU plan's key objectives include increasing the EU's energy system resilience, security and sustainability via a decrease of dependence on fossil fuels and diversification of energy supplies, as well as boosting the introduction of renewables, energy efficiency and energy storage capacity, according to a press release published by the Council of the EU.
The list of new measures will include, among other things, boosting energy efficiency in buildings and critical energy infrastructure, decarbonizing industry, improving energy infrastructure and facilities to meet immediate security of supply needs for gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG), enabling supply diversification, addressing energy poverty, supporting electricity shortage and others, the press release read.
The REPowerEU initiative was launched in May as a tool to facilitate Europe's disengagement with Russian energy as part of sanctions against Moscow for sending troops to Ukraine. According to the International Energy Agency, the EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2021, which accounts for 45% of the bloc's imports and 40% of its total consumption.
