EU to become more independent of Russian oil and gas supplies
EU member states are making efforts in order to become more independent of supplies of Russia that cover about 1/3 of oil and gas needs in Europe. These efforts include an investment of EUR 217 million in cross-border energy infrastructure including a major upgrade of gas networks in Central and Eastern Europe and a new power link between Britain and France.
It is the interest of the European Commission to improve power and gas connections across the European Union’s 28 member states with every member state having at least three sources of gas
The EUR 217 million funding cover in total 15 projects, nine of which in the gas sector and six in the electricity sector.
Most of the 15 projects refer to countries in central and southeastern Europe with a strong dependency on Russian gas. They include studies on the modernization of the Bulgarian gas transmission network and interconnectors linking gas networks in Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Hungary.
The interconnectivity – of both gas and electricity grids – is seen as a key measure for EU member states in order to gain their independence of Russian gas and manage higher shares of variable renewable energy.
Source: EurActiv.com, Energy News, 20 January 2016