How Did the Energy Crisis Reach European Homes?

Swiss Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Simonetta Sommaruga, confirmed Sunday that the energy situation is "serious" in Switzerland, which is negotiating with Germany and Italy to ensure its gas supplies next winter to counter the decline in the delivery of Russian shipments.

In an interview with the Sunday newspaper, Sommaruga said: "Why are we having a problem today? Because Russia has shut down the gas faucet and Switzerland is completely dependent on foreign countries for this kind of energy.

"The situation is serious. The Federal Council is aware of that, not only since the war in Ukraine."

Sommaruga said it would "certainly be useful" for Switzerland to set such goals, pointing to a campaign to be launched in the coming weeks to urge residents to reduce energy consumption.

"Negotiations are ongoing, but such an agreement will not be reached unless we are already in a state of destitution. The most important thing for the Federal Council is to avoid such a situation as much as possible, which is why additional gas should be supplied," she confirmed.

 

Switzerland

Switzerland has yet to set energy-saving targets, unlike the European Union, which plans to cut gas consumption by 15 percent to overcome falling Russian shipments due to tensions caused by the war in Ukraine.

Nearly 80 percent of Switzerland's energy supply depends on imports of fuels and fossil fuels as well as nuclear fuels, according to the Federal Energy Office. Even electricity supply cannot do without imports, especially during the winter.

Switzerland, which has little storage capacity, relies on neighboring countries to supply gas next winter. Negotiations are underway to reach so-called "solidarity" agreements with Germany and Italy, which have tightened their gas export laws.

The SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported that because the gas pipeline linking Germany to Italy runs through Switzerland, the latter has threatened to divert part of the gas allocated to Italy, which is allowed by a clause in the deal in the event of a crisis.

According to government data, about 42% of the gas is used to heat homes, the rest in industry, services, and transportation.

On Saturday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said German companies and public institutions should warm their offices by no more than 19 degrees Celsius (66.2 degrees Fahrenheit) this winter to help reduce the country's natural gas consumption.

Habeck added that while the EU's 27 countries pledged to cut gas use by 15 percent starting in August compared to the average of the previous five years, Germany needs to cut its consumption by 20 percent.

 

Russian Ban

The Russian coal ban was part of the fifth European sanctions package against Russia, which was previously announced in April, giving a four-month deadline to arrange a final suspension, which goes into effect on Thursday.

This comes amid a rush by a number of European countries to return to the use of coal to generate electricity in order to reduce demand for gas, which is also threatened by cutting.

In light of this reality, European countries are witnessing major disruptions in providing sufficient gas stocks to provide their energy argument during the coming winter, as they are in high demand for them in heating and production.

According to the International Energy Agency, Russian gas exports to the European Union and the United Kingdom fell by almost 40% during the first seven months of this year, compared to the same period in 2021.

The European Union has embarked on its plan to reduce gas consumption by "at least" 15 percent while leaving how it is implemented at the discretion of member states

Britain has also announced energy austerity measures, including regular power cuts during the winter.

In its statement, the European Commission said that "given the imminent danger to the security of gas supplies" as a result of the war in Ukraine, "this law (the law on reducing gas consumption) must enter into force urgently."

The union is seeking members to change their "maximum efforts" to reduce gas consumption "by at least 15 percent," equivalent to 45 billion cubic meters of gas overall, between August this year and March next year.

 

Europe-Wide Crisis

In Germany, Hannover was the first city to announce measures to reduce gas consumption in late July.

These measures included restricting the heating of public buildings to only between October 1 and March 31, with a temperature not exceeding 20 degrees Celsius, as well as stopping hot water in public baths and baths in public buildings run by the city and entertainment centers.

As for the capital Berlin, its mayor decided to turn off the lights for the 200 sights and memorials, including the presidential palace, the Pillar of Victory, and the Jewish Museum.

In France, Energy Transition Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher announced the government's plan to reduce gas consumption, which includes banning illuminated advertisements at night, except for train stations and airports, and preventing shops from keeping doors open when air conditioning or heating is turned on.

Minister of Environmental Transition in Italy Roberto Cingolani said: "We are working on a media campaign aimed at convincing Italians to consume less electricity and gas, as well as conserve water during the current summer drought."

Countries such as Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Italy have been partially exempted from implementing the European Energy Austerity Plan, though the Spanish government has approved a set of energy-saving measures, which went into effect on Wednesday.

These measures include imposing a maximum temperature of 27 degrees Celsius for air conditioning in stores and many public indoor spaces, requiring stores to turn off display window lights at 10 p.m., and requiring government buildings to turn off outdoor lighting.

Britain also faces the same challenges as its European neighbors, and in this regard, London has decided to rationalize its energy consumption. Bloomberg quoted British government officials as saying that in winter, the country will record an electricity deficit equivalent to one-sixth of total demand.

The same source added that the country is planning measures in order to reduce energy demand by winter, which may include cutting off electricity to the kingdom's factories and homes.

The outage will come "at a time when Britons are facing average annual energy bills, which are likely to rise above £4,200 ($5,086) in January, compared to their current average of less than £2,000 ($2,440)."

This comes at a time when Norway, one of Britain's most important suppliers of gas and electricity, has announced its intention to halt its electricity exports "in order to ensure the security of its internal supply."