"Two minutes to take a shower"... Energy belt tightening Europe

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 1st that European countries, which are suffering from a natural gas supply crisis after the Ukrainian war, have begun "tightening their energy belts" ahead of winter. As Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped supplying gas to Western countries that support Ukraine and weaponized energy, he is making all-out efforts to reduce not only government offices and companies but also household energy.

Major European countries, including Germany, France and Denmark, are taking energy-saving measures at the government level by limiting the heating of public buildings and turning off streetlights. Individuals and businesses were also advised not to raise the indoor temperature by more than 19 degrees Celsius. In addition, guidelines were issued to avoid using electricity during times when power consumption is high and to remove the plug when going out.

For now, countries have sufficiently stored emergency energy, and the weather in early winter is warmer than usual, so it is predicted that there will be no serious confusion this winter. European countries have imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) from other countries besides Russia, and have stored energy by extending the operation of nuclear power plants or restarting thermal power plants.

However, some observers say that they cannot be optimistic due to growing public discontent stemming from the energy crisis, such as large-scale rallies to protest inflation in France and the Czech Republic.

Date: 2022

Reporter: Alice