1y ago

US government guarantees EU’s gas supply: ‘We have more than adequate capacity to cover their needs’

english.elpais.com

10 comments

I don't think most people are worried about the US running out in the near future. It is more deliberate decisions and problems during shipping that are a reason to become independent of their deliveries as well, not just of Russia's.
- And possibly the cost as well
- Especially as the Republicans have a very questionable relation to Russia now.
  Going from Russia-dependance to US-dependance could become the same thing geopolitically.
The current US government guarantees this, what the next one does ... no one knows. The times Europe could count on the US as a reliable political force are over (not saying it was always a positive one, just reliable). I am glad the EU's focus is now more on getting independent from all the big players, but it should happen because it is better for the EU not because of the orange threat.
The EU has imported less LNG in the second half of 2023 then 2022. LNG is just more expensive then pipeline gas, so it is the first to go. Furthermore the EU has relativly little electricity generation from coal and most of it will be replaced by clean electricity. Heat pump sales are also rising quickly, with a lot of countries in the EU phasing them out. So gas consumption is going to fall and with that LNG imports.
- Don't forget industrial uses though. The heat needed will still be supplied by gas as opposed to electricity most of the time, as it is cheaper. We need proper emission import taxes and supply chain surveillance to protect the EU industries as they decarbonize.
  So there will remain a slower declining base use, opposed to households.
We urgently need something else than gas, no matter where it comes from. French company TotalEnergies is already delivering France with liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
Lol yeah I'm sure they'd love to sell that shit to us after they sabotaged the Russian pipeline to eliminate the competition. And it only needs to be shipped across the ocean.
Personally I'd prefer buying from someone else willing to sell, like Azerbaijan or countries in Africa.
- We have pipelines to Azerbaijan?
- Yes, let's flush another smooth brain dictator with fossil fuel money, that will go great!

10 comments