The European Commission has proposed to EU countries to reduce electricity consumption by 10%

The European Commission has proposed to reduce the demand for electricity in the EU countries by at least 10% until March 31, 2023 and by 5% during peak consumption hours, the corresponding statement was published on the EC website. It is specified that such measures will also reduce gas consumption by 1.2 billion cubic meters. m in winter.

“The first response to the fight against high prices is to reduce demand. This could affect electricity prices and have a general calming effect on the market. <...> The Commission proposes to reduce electricity consumption by at least 5% during peak hours. Member States will have to identify the 10% of watches with the highest expected price and reduce demand during those hours. The Commission also proposes to reduce the overall demand for electricity by at least 10% until March 31, 2023.

In addition, among the proposed measures is a temporary restriction of income for producers of electricity from renewable sources, nuclear energy, as well as those companies that use lignite rather than gas for electricity generation. In this regard, the European Commission proposed to limit the cost of such types of energy to 180 euros per MWh.

At the same time, the gas price ceiling will not be introduced, the document says. However, the European Commission proposed, as a temporary measure, to withdraw profits from oil and gas companies if, at the end of the year, they were able to receive 20% more than the average for the previous three years. It is specified that these funds will be redirected to vulnerable households and energy-intensive industries.

Later, the EU will have to approve or reject the proposed measures.

After the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Western states imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia. Restrictions also affected energy. Due to the reduction in gas supplies, European countries faced a shortage of energy carriers, as a result of which gas prices in Europe began to rise.

In mid-July, the European Commission laid out emergency plans for countries to reduce gas consumption by 15% until March 2023. The plan was accepted July 26, with some exceptions. In particular, a number of countries, including Spain and Portugal, were allowed to reduce gas consumption by 7%. The European Commission has warned countries that, without major cuts, they could experience fuel difficulties in the winter if Russia cuts off supplies.

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