Europe Can Replace Russian Gas by Turning Thermostat Down a Couple Degrees, Von der Leyen Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Europe can replace gas supplies coming through Russia's Nord Stream pipeline if the residents of European countries lower the heating or air conditioner temperatures by two degrees Celsius, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

"If we would decrease the heating in Europe by two degrees, or the cooling, less air conditioning, this would compensate the whole delivery of Nord Stream 1," von der Leyen said on Monday in an interview with The Irish Times, commenting on the issue of the energy crisis in Europe.

The European Commission developed the REPowerEU initiative after Russia started the military operation in Ukraine, which involves a decrease in Russian gas imports by about 100 billion cubic meters by the end of the year. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia in 2021, which accounts for 45% of the bloc's imports, and 40% of its total consumption.

Last week, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced a reduction in Nord Stream gas supplies to 100 million cubic meters per day from the planned 167 million cubic meters due to technical issues at the Portovaya compressor station, where only three gas compressor units were functioning after Germany's Siemens delayed maintenance works. Later in the week, Gazprom said that it had stopped the operation of another Siemens gas turbine at the Portovaya compressor station, adding that it will be able to deliver no more than 67 million cubic meters of gas per day via the Nord Stream pipeline.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response, Western countries and their allies have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow. The latest EU package of sanctions banned import of Russian oil by sea, but not pipeline, while sidestepping ban on gas.