Greece rejects EU plan to cut gas consumption
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Greece opposes the EU's yesterday plan for countries to limit their gas consumption by 15%, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
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Flags of Greece and European Union (EU)
Today, Thursday, Greece opposed the EU's plan to cut gas consumption in face of a possible halt in supplies from Russia.
"The government does not agree in principle with the (EU) Commission's proposal for a 15-percent reduction in natural gas consumption," government spokesperson Yiannis Economou told a media briefing.
The European Union (EU) presented emergency plans, on Wednesday, for countries to cut their gas use by 15% from August to March, in comparison with their average consumption in the same period during 2016-2021.
The EU warned that without significant cuts, they could struggle during winter for fuel in the event that Russia cuts off supply.
A total shutdown in imports or a sharp limit in the flow from east to west could result in a catastrophic effect on the European economy, such as closing factories and pushing households to turn down the heat.
In this regard, Greece's energy minister Kostas Skrekas refused to agree with "the mandatory nature of the measure, but also with the level of the limit announced," noting that his country had already taken certain measures to limit gas use, such as obliging state-controlled power utility PPC to double lignite production.
Skrekas said that Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, Cyprus, and Malta also opposed the EU's plan.
Russia resumes Nord Stream gas supply: Operator
The Nord Stream gas pipeline, which connects Russia and Germany, reopened on Thursday following a 10-day repair period, according to its operator.
"It's working," a Nord Stream spokesperson said, without specifying the amount of gas being delivered. The German government was concerned that Moscow might not reopen the pipeline after the scheduled work.
As highly reliant Germany accused the Kremlin of using energy as a "weapon", Europe anticipated the resumption of Russian gas supplies at the completion of scheduled work on a critical pipeline.
Germany feared that Russia might grab the chance to just shut down the taps completely or almost so, plunging Europe into an energy catastrophe. The confrontation comes at a time when Russia and the West are at odds over the war in Ukraine.
Gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline currently make up about 30% of capacity, operator Nord Stream AG said on Thursday, adding that reaching 2.66 million cubic meters per hour may take several hours.
The data provided by gas transmission operators OPAL and NEL earlier in the day showed that the deliveries resumed from 04:00 GMT after scheduled maintenance works. The physical flow during the first hour of operation amounted to almost 1.9 million cubic meters, according to the operator's data. This is about 30% of the nominal power of the line.
