Preparations and actions for a safe winter – EU Commission answer

See question(s) : E-002732/2022

EN
E-002732/2022
Answer given by Ms Simson
on behalf of the European Commission
(6.9.2022)

The EU has a clear framework to ensure gas security of supply, set out notably in the gas security of gas supply Regulation¹ which includes provisions regarding cooperation and coordination between Member States and a solidarity mechanism. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU responded in a united way, by swiftly agreeing on a REPowerEU Plan² to phase out Russian fossil fuels as soon as possible, and complemented by a gas demand reduction regulation³ in the framework of the “Save gas for a safe winter” plan⁴, and a gas storage regulation⁵. For the latter, Member States agreed to a fair burden sharing mechanism to meet their legal obligations.

Building on the priorities identified in the fifth Projects of Common Interest (PCI) list⁶, the regional assessment of additional gas infrastructure for REPowerEU shows that limited additions of gas infrastructure will be needed to fully compensate the end to Russian gas imports by 2027⁷. Identified projects should be implemented as soon as possible in line with REPowerEU⁸, where appropriate, with support from the Connecting Europe Facility⁹ Energy or the Recovery and Resilience Facility. PCIs shall be granted the status of the highest national significance possible and be appropriately treated in the permitting processes.

EU gas storage facilities, if filled to 100%, have the capacity to store volumes corresponding to the average consumption of more than 3 months, with strong variations amongst Member States. However some storage facilities have not just a national, but a regional function. In the preparation of the EU winter preparedness analysis and in the framework of the storage regulation, the Commission has carried out several iterations, assessing the impact of a full Russian supply disruption and remains in close contact with all actors involved to monitor the situation.