Russia’s attack on Ukraine raises the question of Europeans’ dependence on Russian gas. Since the start of the conflict, the various European countries have launched new projects to find alternatives to Vladimir Putin’s gas. Innovations in energy that can nevertheless have impacts in terms of biodiversity.
A floating LNG carrier project for France
In France, for example, a floating LNG port project in Le Havre is on the table to increase our imports of liquefied natural gas. Germany has also embarked on the construction of an LNG port. For its part, Spain wants to boost its imports from Algeria.
Another example in Denmark, the construction of a gas pipeline linking Norway to Poland has resumed. However, the Danish environmental authority initially opposed the project, citing its impact on biodiversity. Faced with the energy emergency, it gave the green light.
A fossil revival?
The European Union is therefore working hard to free itself from its dependence on Russian gas. But that will not be enough, warns Nicolas Goldberg, of Colombus Consultants: “In the short term, it will above all be a fossil revival. That means using more coal to produce electricity or to inject it into heating networks. . It will mean consuming less. Sobriety, efficiency, perhaps emergency load shedding plans, but indeed diversified, it takes time.”
There remains the question of the enormous Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Europe, ten billion euros, financed by five European countries. The project was suspended as soon as the Russian offensive in Ukraine and according to experts in the sector, there is very little chance that it will ever be put into service.