The European Union Energy Commissioner recently stated to the media that the EU will seek to import more natural gas from countries including the United States to replace Russian supplies and accelerate the development of renewable energy in order to reduce overall dependence on fossil fuels.
The EU has committed to phasing out the use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027 in response to the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Despite a significant decrease in gas transported through Russian pipelines, the amount of liquefied natural gas imported from Russia to the EU increased last year.
EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen expressed in a joint media interview, “Instead of using taxpayers’ and citizens’ money to purchase gas, allowing the income to flow into Russian President Putin’s war fund, it is better to ensure our own energy production.”
Jorgensen mentioned that the EU is preparing to amend permit regulations to accelerate the construction of renewable energy sources. Recognizing that electricity cannot yet rapidly replace the role of natural gas in industrial and household heating, he stated that the EU will intensify efforts to find alternative supplies.
“My responsibility is to ensure that it is cheap and not from Russia,” Jorgensen said. “We still need gas, and we must find supplies outside of Russia, which may also mean importing more gas from the United States.”
Last week, European gas benchmark prices rose to a two-year high.
Former US President Trump warned before his inauguration on January 20 that unless the EU imports more oil and gas from the United States, they will face trade tariffs from the US.
According to a recent report by Reuters, the European Commission has drafted a plan to cooperate with liquefied natural gas suppliers and is considering investing in overseas LNG export infrastructure to secure more stable long-term supply contracts.