Islamabad: Europe should be ready in case Russian gas is completely cut off, said International Energy Agency (IEA) chief Fatih Birol has warned Europe. “The nearer we are coming to winter, the more we understand Russia’s intentions”.
Financial Times reported that Birol said the “cuts are geared towards avoiding Europe filling storage and increasing Russia’s leverage in the winter months.”
European countries are struggling to fire up old coal-fired power stations, amid crisis despite concerns about rising carbon emissions.
FT reported that ‘Germany, Austria, Italy and the Netherlands announced their plans to step-up use of coal for power generation, while Sweden and Denmark said they would also launch emergency measures to curb the use of natural gas.’
“I believe there will be more and deeper demand measures [taken by governments in Europe] as winter approaches,” Birol said.
