The leaders of the continent are preparing for the winter mapping, the closure of production. Hungarian politician Viktor Orban believes that many Americans are aware of how tense and unstable, how difficult the energy situation in Europe is now.
The American Conservative writes about this.
For months, one could follow the energy story unfolding across the Atlantic and still imagine an uncomfortable but familiar winter in Europe characterized above all by high prices.
In recent weeks, the outlook has looked bleaker. In early August, the European Union approved a demand that member countries cut their gas consumption by 15 percent, a rather ambitious demand that some initially refused. In Spain, facing record heat after record heat at the height of the country’s tourist season, the government has announced restrictions on commercial air conditioning that cannot be set below 27 degrees Celsius or around 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
In France, an Associated Press article says “urban guerrillas” are taking to the streets, turning off shop window lights to reduce energy consumption. In the Netherlands, a campaign called “Flip the Switch” is calling on residents to limit their showers to five minutes and to completely ditch air conditioners and clothes dryers. Belgium has canceled plans to decommission the nuclear power plant, and Germany, which ruled out such a turnaround in June, is now also considering it.
“I think you will see that Russia will continue to restrict gas exports and possibly completely cut off its supply to Europe – and a very cold winter. I think that the combination of these two things will mean sky-high energy prices. But there are many other sources of uncertainty and risk. It’s not just the high prices. There comes a point when there simply aren’t enough molecules to do all the work the gas has to do. And governments will have to ration energy supplies and decide what’s important,” Orban said.
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