A dozen European Union countries have now been affected by cuts to gas supply from Russia, EU climate policy chief Frans Timmermans said on Thursday, as the bloc faces a deepening energy standoff with Moscow, APA reports citing CNN.
Russia slashed flows through its Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 40% of capacity last week citing problems with equipment, having already cut gas to Poland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Finland over their refusal to comply with a new payment scheme.
Timmermans said 10 of the EU’s 27 member countries have issued an “early warning” on gas supply – the first and least severe of three crisis levels identified in EU energy security regulations.
“The risk of full gas disruption is now more real than ever before,” he said.
He repeated Brussels’ assertion that Russia has weaponized energy supplies. Russia has denied the cuts are premeditated.
The EU relied on Russia for 40% of its gas before Moscow invaded Ukraine. With Russian supply dwindling and gas prices soaring, some countries have increased use of coal power plants, while insisting this is temporary and will not thwart climate change targets.
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