EU climate spokesperson suggests using coal in next few winters
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To ensure energy security, EU Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy Tim McPhie announces that EU states would have to go for a more intensive use of coal over the coming few winters.
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EU Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy Tim McPhie
EU Spokesperson for Climate Action and Energy Tim McPhie said on Thursday that EU member states would have to go for more intensive use of coal over the coming few winters to ensure energy security.
"One of the things that we need to do on the short term, by short term I mean this winter and possibly the next winter, and perhaps a third beyond that, is to engage in fuel switching when necessary, to move away from gas to other fuels," McPhie told a press briefing at the European Commission.
"There are a number of member states that… they have announced that in the short term they will be needed to resort to coal to ensure energy security in Europe," he added.
The spokesperson underlined that such a measure would be a short-term one, and the commission had already suggested expanded targets for renewables and energy efficiency plans for 2030.
Read: EU Commission planning measures to reduce energy costs
As the EU faces this winter an unprecedented risk of gas shortages caused by the sanctions imposed on Russia, the bloc's countries are taking measures to reduce their energy consumption. Germany, Spain, and France are examples of nations that announced such plans.
Germany, for one, is mulling cutting energy supplies for hospitals in a bid to save up on energy, potentially jeopardizing the healthcare sector.
Spain said it would be cutting energy exports to France to try and keep its stockpiles due to the difficulty of refilling them once they are empty.
France, in the meantime, has discussed the prospect of turning the power off for the Eiffel Tower earlier than usual to save energy as well.
It is worth noting that after months of debate, the EU reached an agreement to impose a price cap on Russian oil sales to third countries in an attempt to block Moscow's use of EU-registered vessels for its oil exports, all while excluding pipeline deliveries from the 8th round of sanctions on Russia, Politico Europe reported in October.
Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on the price cap attempts by stating that Russia would stop supplying oil and gas to countries that impose price ceilings. Capping prices, as some Western countries are considering, "would be an absolutely stupid decision," Putin told the Eastern Economic Forum in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok.
Observers had mentioned that the price cap on Russian oil agreed upon by the G7 would likely cause more damage to Western investors after it inevitably cause energy costs to surge further.
