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EU plan to phase-out Russian gas by 2027

It said that the European Commission would propose next month legal measures for the EU to gradually phase out its imports of Russian gas, including liquefied gas, by the end 2027.

Here are some key details:

GAS AND LNG

Before the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russia supplied around 45% (or a little more) of all gas consumed by the European Union. This share dropped to 19% in the past year and the EU is determined to eradicate it completely as a result of the war.

In plans published Tuesday, the European Commission announced that it will present legal proposals in June to ban new Russian Gas and Liquid Natural Gas (LNG), and to ban EU imports in existing spot contracts by 2025.

Next month, the Commission will propose to ban imports of LNG under long-term contracts until 2027. TotalEnergies, Naturgy and other companies have Russian LNG contracts which extend to 2030.

The EU plan would affect countries such as Hungary and Slovakia which receive Russian gas through pipelines and Belgium, France and the Netherlands which purchase Russian LNG.

Other countries, such as Poland and the Baltic States, have already stopped purchasing Russian gas.

In order to improve the tracking of imports from Russia the Commission will propose rules that require companies to reveal the volume and duration their Russian gas contracts.

The EU has not imposed sanctions against most Russian oil imports. Slovakia and Hungary are the only exceptions. These countries, who have maintained close political ties with Russia, have warned that they will block the gas sanctions which, according to them, would increase energy prices.

The EU will require Slovakia and Hungary produce plans on how they plan to stop using Russian oil by the end of 2027. Both countries import over 80% of their crude oil from Russia.

Only 3% of the total EU oil imports come from Russia now, compared to around 27% prior to the Ukraine War.

The Commission stated that member countries would also have to submit national plans aimed at phasing-out Russian gas by the end of 2027.

NUCLEAR FUELS

In June, the European Commission will propose measures to target Russian uranium enriched. The EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen stated that this would be equivalent to a tax on imports.

The Commission has not specified a date by which Russian uranium will be phased out.

Five EU countries, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic Finland, Hungary, and Slovakia, have Russian-designed nuclear reactors that run on Russian fuel. All but Hungary have signed alternative supply contracts since 2022. However, the long wait time means they cannot switch immediately.

What happens next?

The European Commission will present its legal proposals in June. They must be approved by the European Parliament, and then by a majority of the member states. This means that one or two countries can't block the plans.

If the EU and its lawmakers want to implement the ban on any new Russian gas agreements by the end the year, they will have to speed up these negotiations.

The legal options that are used will determine the effectiveness of EU measures. However, the Commission has not specified these on Tuesday. Jorgensen stated that the proposals amounted to "force majeure", an unexpected event which companies could use to terminate gas contracts.

Lawyers warn that, in the absence sanctions, it may be difficult for gas buyers to terminate contracts by force majeure without being subjected to financial penalties or arbitration.

Last year, the EU imported 32 billion cubic meters (bcm), of Russian gas by pipeline. It also imported 20 bcm Russian LNG. The rest was "spot" purchase, with only two-thirds under long-term contract. (Reporting and editing by Tomasz Janovowski)

(source: Reuters)