Gas Demand25 May 2023 12:01
Not good reading.
Brussels has said it expects EU gas demand to fall by more than its total imports from Russia this year.
In a document presented to the European Commission on Wednesday, seen by the Financial Times, energy commissioner Kadri Simson said the gas-saving measures were expected to cut EU consumption by a further 60bn cubic metres in 2023 “which is more than the gas volumes we still foresee to import from Russia in 2023, both pipeline and LNG”.
The commission introduced a series of emergency laws last year designed to cut energy use and wean the bloc off Russian imports.
The document noted that gas prices had also recently fallen “closer to historical ranges” after reaching highs of €300 per megawatt hour last August but there were “some risks remaining that will need to be carefully monitored”.