OMM Redaksiyası
The European Union has paid more than €100 billion ($113 billion) in additional energy costs this year without receiving any extra gas or oil, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jorgensen said on Tuesday.
Speaking ahead of an informal meeting of EU energy ministers in Dublin, Jorgensen said the figure highlighted the risks of the bloc’s continued dependence on imported energy, according to the source report.
“We have now surpassed €100 billion that we’ve paid extra for our energy this year without receiving one extra molecule of gas or oil,” he said.
EU seeks to reduce dependence on imported energy
Jorgensen said the situation showed that it was “unsustainable” for Europe to remain dependent on energy sources from outside the bloc.
“We used to be dependent on Russia. Thankfully, we are now getting out of that, but nonetheless, it is still the case that when prices go up on the global market, it also hurts our citizens. It hurts our industries,” he said.
The commissioner said the EU needed to reduce its reliance on imported fossil fuels and expand the use of renewable energy produced within the bloc.
He cited the EU’s electrification action plan and ongoing negotiations with lawmakers on a package covering electricity grids. Stronger connections across Europe, he said, would help make energy supplies cheaper and deliver them more quickly to consumers and industry.
Concern over possible US diesel export ban
Asked whether he had received assurances from US Energy Secretary Chris Wright regarding a possible US diesel export ban, Jorgensen said he had sent a clear message to his US counterpart.
“It is not in the interests of anybody, not the US, not us,” he said, adding that he was encouraged by Wright’s public statement that he did not support such a ban.
Winter supply risks
Jorgensen said the EU was not currently facing a security-of-supply crisis and did not expect one, but acknowledged that the coming winter could present challenges.
“We are entering a winter that currently looks so challenging that we want to eliminate any uncertainties that can be eliminated,” he said, adding that several member states had raised concerns about energy supplies.
