The European Union plans to secure more gas from suppliers like the U.S. while accelerating renewable energy expansion to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.
Despite cutting Russian pipeline gas imports after Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the EU increased its purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas last year. It aims to fully phase out Russian fossil fuels by 2027, according to Reuters.
“Instead of using taxpayers’ money, citizens’ money, to pay for gas where the revenue goes into Putin’s war chest, we need to make sure that we produce our own energy,” EU energy commissioner Dan Jorgensen said in a joint media interview.
Jorgensen stated that Brussels is working on changes to permit rules to accelerate renewable energy development.
For industries and home heating that cannot swiftly transition to electricity, he said the EU will intensify efforts to secure alternative gas supplies.
“And then it’s my job to make sure that it is cheap and not Russian,” he said.
“There will still be the need for gas, and there we will have to find other sources than Russia, and that can also mean bigger import from the U.S.”
European benchmark gas prices hit a two-year high last week.
Before taking office in January, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that the EU could face trade tariffs unless it increased imports of American oil and gas.
The European Commission does not buy gas directly but plans to engage with LNG suppliers and explore investments in LNG export infrastructure abroad.
Draft documents reported by Reuters earlier this week indicate efforts to secure more long-term contracts with stable prices.
Jorgensen refused to comment on the leaked draft documents, which the Commission is expected to release next week.
However, he confirmed that the EU is developing stricter gas market controls to curb speculative price spikes and will introduce financial measures to decouple retail power prices from rising gas costs.
