Russia’s Gazprom reported that domestic gas storage is nearly full, a stark contrast to the rest of Europe, where countries are scrambling to stock up on energy before winter arrives.
According to Reuters, Russia’s state-owned energy producer stated that storage was 91.4% full as of August 24.
Meanwhile, European Union nations are facing a crisis as a result of Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has hampered energy supplies.
According to Energy Monitor data, Europe’s gas storage sites are at 67% of their maximum capacity, up from last year but still short of ensuring adequate supply if Russia completely shuts down energy imports.
Russia plans to halt gas flows through the critical Nord Stream 1 pipeline for three days to perform unplanned maintenance, the latest move threatening European supply. It had already reduced gas supplies through the key pipeline to 20% capacity.
As a result, several European countries have been forced to develop emergency plans, which include organised blackouts, rationing, and even the use of carbon-intensive fossil fuels like coal to generate electricity.
Germany, which is in the grip of a crippling energy crisis, recently restarted a dormant coal-fired power plant due to a lack of gas supplies, while France temporarily waived an environmental rule to allow nuclear power plants to continue operating.
Other countries, such as the Netherlands, have been unable to find an alternative source of gas to replace Russian imports contracted through Gazprom.
According to Reuters, the Dutch city of Hague will request a temporary exemption from EU sanctions against Russia, which include a prohibition on any transactions with Russian state-owned companies.
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