EU prepared for cessation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine from January 1 - European Commission
The European Union has been preparing its energy infrastructure for the possible cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, so the halt once the contract between Ukraine and Russia's Gazprom expires on January 1 will not affect the EU's energy security.
That’s according to the European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, who responded to Ukrinform’s enquiry.
"The stop of flow via Ukraine on 1 January is the expected situation and the EU is prepared for it. The Commission, in coordination with the Member States, has been working for more than a year specifically on preparing for a scenario without Russian gas transiting via Ukraine as of 1 January 2025 and on ensuring that alternative supplies are available for the impacted Member States," the European Commission said in a statement.
According to the spokeswoman, the European gas infrastructure is flexible enough to provide gas of non-Russian origin to CEE via alternative routes. It has been reinforced with significant new LNG import capacities since 2022.
“Security of gas supply architecture of the EU has been reinforced in the last couple of years, including with energy efficiency measures and renewables development,” Anna-Kaisa Itkonen added.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, on December 27, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said his country would consider actions in response to Ukraine’s suspension of Russian gas transit from January 1, 2025. Among options on the table, he said, is halting the supply of electricity, which Ukraine desperately needs.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine stated they are working on options for obtaining electricity from other sources.