Gas thaw. Why blue fuel is getting cheaper in Europe

Vladislav Shablovsky (Владислав Шабловский)

As of the second day of the new year, the cost of a thousand cubic meters of gas for European consumers has dropped to $777. Moreover, on Monday, the price drop exceeded four percent at once, and the decrease of quotations below $800 showed up just before the New Year. As TASS notes, for Europe such a "sale" of the key energy resource was a record almost for the whole year: the last time such a forgiving price was recorded in the middle of last February.

The reason for such a gas price hike is apparent - it is now abnormally warm in Europe, which significantly reduces the need for the blue fuel. Thus, in the first days of the year, the temperature in Rome fluctuates around +15 degrees, in Amsterdam it is around +10, and in Madrid it is between those two figures. But that's not the only New Year's present from the weather: winds are blowing in abundance in the Old World, making it possible to generate as much electricity as possible from wind turbines. The maximum is up to a third of all European electricity.

As a consequence, Europeans have temporarily forgotten about warm jumpers and stockpiles of firewood. Finally, "Ode to Joy" is also resounding in the EU, with the EU members having their natural-gas storage facilities filled to overflowing: the level of their storage capacity is now almost 85 percent.

However, it is clearly too early for the Europeans to throw up their hands in the air in triumph: just look at the American "ice age." The abnormally cold weather in the USA has had an immediate impact on the energy system of the country: problems with electricity are everywhere (in the most diverse states) and millions of homes and businesses have already been affected by blackouts. This is not to mention the heavy snowfalls that have turned many American states into snowy realms. By the way, the average temperature of this shocking winter for Americans ranges from -10 to -20 degrees Celsius, which is the norm for most Russian regions. Obviously, sooner or later the Atlantic frost will reach Europe as well, and how the Europeans will cope with the cold is still a big question. Practice shows that overcoming weather obstacles is often an uphill task for the old Europe. A telling example is the winter of two years ago, when a sea of snow and unprecedented frost became a serious headache for many European countries.

To be fair, Western meteorologists predicted a couple of months ago that the coming winter in Europe would be very warm and wet - and so far their predictions are coming true. Moreover, a year ago there was a similar picture in the Old World - almost resort-like weather during the days of January. But Europeans should not forget that weather is capricious, and its hysterics happen with an enviable periodicity. The example of the current weather swings in Moscow is a vivid example of that.

It is expected that Europe will still be in for a solid cold spell this winter season - it will just move closer to the end of winter. And it is far from certain that Europeans, spoiled by the warmth, will weather these cold spells without a hitch. Especially if strikes and protests continue in the European countries that paralyze transport and other fundamental spheres. Then the gas prices in the Old World would go up again, and firewood and jumpers would become the main friends of the Europeans. Then we will see how EU officials have done their "homework" for the winter and how the European economies survive the ordeal of the cold weather.

(Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator)(free version)

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Source: rg.ru. Image: behance.net. AWIP: http://www.a-w-i-p.com/index.php/aM3B