EU countries are stepping up preparations in case Russia turns off gas supplies, and later on Wednesday the European Commission is expected to present an emergency plan to tackle this, Croatian state news agency Hina reported. Pročitaj više

According to the details of the plan reported by European news agencies, it focuses on reducing the need for gas and stockpiling for the winter ahead.

The European Commission estimates that some 11 billion cubic metres of gas could be saved by restrictions on heating and cooling in buildings, another 4-40 billion by cutting gas consumption used by gas-powered power plants, and another 10 billion by cutting industrial demand.

The plan will be debated in a meeting of EU energy ministers scheduled for 26 July.

In addition, EU regulations say that gas storage facilities must be at least 80 percent full by 1 November this year. Croatia has already announced that it would increase the capacity of its offshore liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal from 2.9 billion to 6.1 billion cubic metres, in an attempt to position the country as an energy hub supplying neighboring countries such as Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary.

Croatia also announced plans to double the capacity of the state-owned Janaf oil pipeline, “which can already meet Hungary’s entire demand,” Hina said. Croatia also owns the Okoli gas storage facility, “which is currently 38 percent full and is expected to be at 90 percent by 1 November,” Hina added.

Okoli has a capacity of 430 million cubic meters of gas, and Croatia’s own annual gas consumption is about 2.9 billion.

“Slovenia’s energy agency has launched the first phase of a gas supply emergency plan, which includes monitoring gas supply on routes affecting Slovenia, including the Nord Stream 1 pipeline,” Hina said.

Nord Stream 1 is a major gas pipeline running from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.

Slovenia’s energy agency also called on consumers to use natural gas with restraint, saying that although the country’s supply is currently not disrupted, there potentially may be some should Russia decide to reduce its supplies to Europe.