Gas supplies: will Vladimir Putin turn off the taps?

It’s going to be an ‘ugly’ winter as Europe prepares for energy austerity

An employee of Russian energy giant Gazprom
An employee of Russian energy giant Gazprom
(Image credit: Yuri Smityuk/TASS via Getty Images)

“Is Europe now on the brink of a new age of energy austerity,” asked Thomas Fazi on UnHerd. Several European nations are considering dimming or switching off public lights, or even adopting “energy curfews”, which would force the early closure of businesses and public offices. The city of Hanover in Germany has cut off hot water in all its public buildings, swimming pools, sports halls and gyms. These measures were devised to meet an EU-wide gas reduction plan, Save Gas for a Safe Winter, to reduce consumption by 15% until next spring – a belated response to Russia’s reduction of gas exports, which are at about a third of last year’s levels.

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