‘From Russia with Gas’

In a working paper published for Thomas More Institute, Dr.-Ing. Hildegard von Liechtenstein explains that European dependence on Russia energy supplies will remain an important problem in the short and medium term.
 

In the working paper ‘From Russia with Gas’, Dr.-Ing. Hildegard von Liechtenstein attempts to answer two questions:

• Does Europe really face huge problems connected with energy supply, and; 
• what about the possibility of total dependence on Russia as Europe’s main energy supplier?

One of her main observations is that, although there are enough reserves of primary energy sources and no technological problems with tapping them, there is a looming ‘power gap’ due to political reasons. She predicts that, by 2030, shortages in Europe in the transmission and production of electricity will amount to around 1800 TWh (Terawatt hours). She further sets out a list of causes related to fiscal reasons, ecological paralysis of necessary investments, political inconsistencies and geopolitical risks. 

Von Liechtenstein also underlines that Europe’s manufacturing sector, especially in Germany, is widely dependent on the supply of primary energy. This means that Europe is increasingly dependent on continuing and reliable Russian supplies. “It is of crucial importance to Europe to face the fact that by 2030 there will be only two net importers of energy resources in the world, Europe and Asia, and only two net exporters, Russia and the Middle East,” says von Liechtenstein. This growing concern of Europe’s dependency on Russian supplies is aggravated by Russia’s new alliances with other suppliers, such as the new partnership between Gazprom and the Algerian public group Sonatrach.

Finally, the writer comments on the ‘unrealistic’ European goal of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions by 20% in 2020, saying that this will bring enormous costs for member states, in terms of finance, time and interference in personal freedom, and increase subsidies from Brussels for the development of renewable energy. She concludes that: “Nuclear is not the only solution, but there is no solution without.”