The European Union will reduce imports of Russian gas to Europe by 100 billion cubic meters by the end of the year, Vice President of the European Commission F. Timmermans and Commissioner for Energy K. Simpson recently announced. "It's difficult, but possible, if we want to move away from dependence on Russian gas at a faster pace than has been done so far," Mr. Timmermans said, adding that Russian gas imports would be reduced by about 2/3. About 60 billion cubic meters will come from LNG imports, while the rest of the reduction will come from biogas, hydrogen, renewables and energy conservation.

New instructions for Germans

Russian gas is still flowing to Germany, but that could change. Because of the boycott of Russian energy by the West, or because Putin himself turned off the gas valve. Both that, and another would mean: gas becomes even less and it becomes more expensive.

The less natural gas each person consumes, the more reserves there are for everyone. Read more about how to save on gas here:

You can save gas when heating:

• Lower your room temperature, turn down the heat when you leave the house, wear a warm sweater.
• Turn off the heating in unused or underused rooms, for example, heat the bathroom only in the morning and evening. -​ Regularly bleed the air from the radiators.
• Ventilate the room only twice a day with the window fully open for 5 minutes.
• Replace old seals on windows and front doors.
• Close windows at night with blinds, leave them during the day in unused rooms.

Saving gas when heating water:

• Use a shower instead of a bath.
• Use an economical shower head, reduce water consumption.
• Wash your hands with cold water.

Save gas when cooking:

• Cook covered.
• ​Use less water for cooking.
• Choose the right burner - small pots on burners with a small flame.
• Do not preheat the oven.

Some economics perspective:

UK prices

The sharp rise in energy prices, which is associated with the situation in Ukraine, is leading to a virtual shutdown of many enterprises in the pulp and paper industry in Italy, said Lorenzo Poli, president of the national association of paper, cardboard and pulp producers Assocarta.

"We resisted, even producing at a loss, but these days more and more paper mills stop or limit their production. Even the pandemic did not stop us, but the energy shock that followed the current events between Ukraine and Russia succeeded," he stressed. is he.

Soaring natural gas prices in an energy-intensive industry like the pulp and paper industry require immediate action by the authorities to support production, Poli said. Otherwise, the industry is threatened with a complete halt, because the current cost of gas required to produce one ton of paper exceeds the selling price of this paper.

"If in December Italian paper mills paid five times more for natural gas, which is used to produce electricity, now its cost has increased tenfold on average, and even 15 times at peak times," the head of the association said. .

The chairman of the opposition CDU party, Friedrich Merz, called on the German authorities to refuse Russian gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, the German magazine Spiegel writes on Wednesday.

"During a discussion on the supply of energy resources from Russia, Friedrich Merz advocated a radical reduction: the leader of the CDU and the chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary faction spoke in favor of stopping Russian gas supplies via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline," Spiegel quotes Merz's position.

According to the politician, such a move "would represent a new level of sanctions" directed against Russia.

EU people need to suffer.

Coal prices are skyrocketing, hitting $462 a tonne today, up from $186 on Feb. 23, and likely to top $500 this year, Rystad Energy research suggests.

While much of Europe and around the world have focused on how Russia's war in Ukraine has affected oil, gas and, more recently, nickel prices, relatively little has been written about the coal price shock that is likely to hit across the region and spread like a tsunami around the world.

Russia is the largest supplier of thermal coal to Europe. According to Eurostat, last year Russia supplied 36 million tons of thermal coal to the EU countries, which is 70% of total thermal coal imports. While the volumes have remained about the same level, ten years ago Russian coal imports were half as much and amounted to 35%.

Italy news

Starting from next Monday, March 14, the trucking companies will suspend their services nationwide 'due to force majeure' "and that is the explosion of fuel costs.

"The suspension of services has become inevitable - underlines a letter sent by Trasportiunito to the Prime Minister, the Minister and Deputy Minister of Sustainable Infrastructures and Mobility and the President of the Guarantee Commission in Strikes - also to protect companies and prevent that the exasperated market conditions, determined by the record rise in fuel prices, translate into advantages for other subjects in the transport sector, or into charges for contractual obligations that the companies in the logistics chain are no longer able to guarantee ".

"The road transport block will have direct effects on the community, suspending the supplies of goods in the commercial sector and leading to a surge in retail price lists in shops and supermarkets - says the president Carlo Rienzi - An inevitable consequence, considering that the 85% of goods sold in Italy travel by road, and a further damage for consumers, exhausted like companies by expensive fuel".

"In this situation, a shameful immobility arrives from the Government, and it is not clear what awaits the executive to immediately cancel the VAT on petrol and diesel and reduce excise duties,

Due to skyrocketing electricity prices in Germany, the first steel plant has stopped production, according to Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten. We are talking about the company Lech-​Stahlwerke in the Bavarian community of Meitingen. They said that at the moment it is "economically inexpedient" to work. Also, the German steel concern ThyssenKrupp AG announced a multiple increase in electricity costs.

The German Association of Small and Medium Businesses fears mass bankruptcy of enterprises due to fuel prices, writes the NEOPresse edition.

The association's managing director, Markus Jerger, has criticized the German government for high taxes on electricity, as well as the unrealized reform to introduce benefits for those who use public transport.

The business association fears corporate bankruptcies and job losses, Jerger said in his report. Energy prices have become a matter of survival for many entrepreneurs.

He added that gasoline at two euros per liter and a doubling of gas prices is unacceptable. It is necessary to reduce the tax on electricity, as well as implement incentives for the use of public transport.

Many French businesses are forced to send employees to part-time work and stop production due to a sharp increase in raw material prices, according to France 3. For example, a ceramics factory is no longer able to pay gas bills, and a construction company is unable to purchase steel products, broadcasts by the TV channel. This situation was a consequence of the events in Ukraine and could last up to six months, the report notes.

These workers are going to put their overalls in the closet. The reason is the transition to part-time employment. In their ceramics manufacturing facility, the ovens run at full capacity all day long. After a sharp rise in gas prices, bills have grown tenfold. It is impossible to continue working.

Gasoline prices in Britain could reach £2.50 a litre, diesel prices could reach £3

**Diesel rationing is extremely probable soon due to Russian invasion of Ukraine, House of Commons Treasury Committee says

In recent weeks, gas station prices have soared, hitting a series of new highs amid the Ukrainian crisis. The latest data on British gas station prices from Experian Catalist show that records have been broken again, with the average cost of a liter of petrol on Sunday at 163.5p, while diesel was 173.4p.

However, the Treasury Committee was told that prices could rise even more if oil prices remain high due to geopolitical tensions and the cost of diesel in Britain, which receives 18% of this fuel from Russia, potentially doubles.

“Consumers need to be prepared for the continued rise in fuel prices,” said Nathan Piper, head of oil and gas research at Investec bank.

When asked how much the cost of fuel could rise, he replied: “I don’t want to look frivolous, so choose the numbers yourself.”

Dr. Amrita Sen, founding partner and chief oil analyst at consultancy Energy Aspects, said the group is operating on the assumption that oil could "easily" rise in price by 50%.

She stated: “If we make assumptions based on crude oil, we say that it can easily rise by 50%. Assuming the government does not make any tax changes, [the cost of gasoline] could end up at £2.40 per litre.”

She added that due to the role of diesel in the industry, its cost “could rise to 2.50 pounds, even closer to 3 pounds. It's definitely within the realm of possibility."

Sen also added that diesel would likely be rationed in Germany before the end of March, and that the same could happen in Britain.

While the UK gets relatively little crude oil and gas from Russia, about 18% of its diesel imports in 2020 came from that country.

Piper added that the industry will likely bear the brunt of any rationing, but stressed that the effects will be felt more widely. “Diesel rules the world,” he said. “Diesel drives shipping routes, trains, cars – everything.”