One of the intended outcomes of Russia's war in Ukraine is to dissolve European unity on energy policy, analysts say, but the unity is so far holding firm.
People walk near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on the day a new law to save energy nationwide goes into effect on Thursday. The new law includes a wide variety of temporary measures, like banning the illumination of landmarks and regulating temperatures in public and private venues, to save electricity. These are a response to inflation and lower natural gas and other energy supplies from Russia.
"If Russia completely turns off the spigot this winter, there won't be enough gas in Europe," French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne told the influential group this week."There is no immediate alternative source to plug that hole today." The French government says the only way to avoid a crisis is to substantially reduce energy consumption for the next six months. Every business will be required to have an"energy sobriety" plan in place to cut consumption by this fall. More details will likely be announced following President Emmanuel Macron's emergency defense council meeting today to address the energy crisis.
France is actually in better shape energy-wise than many other countries, says Pierre-Louis Brenac, an energy consultant with SIA Partners who advises utilities across the European Union, United Kingdom and Middle East. "Some of our neighbors are way more exposed, like Germany and Italy," he says."For two reasons: Not only are they more exposed to Russian gas" — he says, referring to how much of the fuel they import from the country —"but they use much more gas in their energy mix than we do in France."
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