EU countries exceeded gas saving plan
The countries of the European Union exceeded the plan for saving gas, approved in the summer of 2022 against the background of record gas prices.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to RBC-Ukraine.
Last year, the European Union decided to reduce consumption by 15% from August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, against their average consumption for the same period in 2016-2021. In critical cases, Brussels could go to mandatory requirements, but it was not necessary.
According to Eurostat, gas savings in the EU during this period reached 17.7%.
A mild winter partly contributed to a significant reduction in gas consumption, but the overachievement of the plan cannot be attributed only to the weather.
"Energy-intensive companies reduced production, households saved energy, there was a transition to other sources of fuel," said Holger Schmieding, chief economist of the German investment bank Berenberg.
Finland (over 50%) and Lithuania (over 40%) achieved the greatest savings.
The reduced level of consumption will continue during the current year, predicts Henning Gloystein of the consulting company Eurasia Group, as the savings have largely been achieved as a result of measures to improve energy efficiency. This year, according to his estimation, the demand for gas in the EU will decrease by another 3-5%, thanks in particular to new projects in renewable energy.
