Europe is doubling down on their renewable energy insanity, despite Russia’s President Putin threatening at any moment to permanently shut down Europe’s gas supply.
‘Prepare for total cut off’ EU in crisis as Russia threatens supply – but UK has lifeline
THE EUROPEAN Union has been scrambling to secure its energy by rationing supplies after Russia threatened to cut off exports completely.
08:17, Mon, Jul 11, 2022 | UPDATED: 08:17, Mon, Jul 11, 2022
France’s economic and finance minister has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will most likely cut off gas supplies to Europe as a response to the sanctions imposed by the EU. The French minister warned that this move could spark chaos across the continent, as countries have reportedly begun making planned lists of companies which will get priority access to energy supplies in the event of a severe shortage.
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Fears of a complete cut-off have intensified after Putin threatened to trigger a “catastrophic” energy crisis if Western powers continue to press sanctions on Moscow.
In a speech on Friday, he admitted that while the sanctions imposed by the West have hurt Russia’s economy, he pointed out that the record inflation and cost of living crisis “reveals, once again, that sanctions on Russia end up causing much more harm to those countries that impose them.
“The further use of sanctions could lead to even more severe consequences, even, without exaggeration, catastrophic consequences on the global energy market.”
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Read more: https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1638500/eu-crisis-russia-total-cut-off-gas-putin-threaten-supply-uk-lifeline-energy-rationing
Anyone who thinks Putin can’t afford to do this, think again. China and India are buying energy from Russia as quickly as Russia can ship it, so much so that Russia is now China’s biggest oil supplier. Russia can live without the income it currently receives from sales of gas to Europe.
Despite this credible threat of an imminent energy supply collapse, Europe is doubling down on their renewable energy insanity.
The sane response would be for Europe to divert all available cash to developing shale gas and coal resources, to start producing more domestic gas as quickly as possible. But this simply isn’t happening on the scale required to stave off disaster.
Despite decades of green failure, which has left Europe utterly dependent on Russian gas, Europe’s leaders still believe in fairy tales. Europe’s leaders continue to embrace the fantasy that renewable energy is a viable option for powering Europe.
Cancelled Fact Check: “Russia can guarantee EU energy security” – Moscow. July 8.
“Despite decades of green failure, which has left Europe utterly dependent on Russian gas”
Who isn’t dependent on someones gas. Russian LNG is irreplaceable.
Prof: Russian Gas is Irreplaceable, But If EU Wants More African Fuel It Should Invest First. Dr. Mamdouh G. Salameh, a visiting professor of energy economics at the ESCP Business School in London.
Who could have guessed, Russia appears to be retaliating against the economic sanctions placed upon it? Imposed by the the same geo-political naiives who seem to think that there might be a quick and painless transition from fossil fuels to [something else?] and which did not involve nuclear and also would be cost neutral. Well we keep electing them – though in the case of the EU itself not so much.
A total abortion of Europe’s gas supply… safe, rare, and affordable. Progress.
I see what you did there.
We (EU) shut down Nord Stream 2, and plan to end irreplaceable Russian gas from Nord Stream 1
Russia can guarantee EU energy security – Moscow. July 8
https://www.rt.com/business/558636-russia-guarantee-eu-energy-security/
“We completely reject any hint or direct statement that Russia is using gas or oil as a weapon of political pressure. This is not the case. Russia is consistently fulfilling all its obligations, and Russia is still capable of guaranteeing Europe’s full energy security. Russia is able to guarantee that taxpayers in European countries will not get the off-the-scale electricity and heating bills like those they receive now,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
EU’s top court rules in favor of shelved Russian pipeline: July 12
https://www.rt.com/business/558851-nord-stream-eu-court/
Germany reveals when it will wean itself off Russian energy: July 13
https://www.rt.com/russia/558887-germany-energy-russia-dependence/
The country will stop buying coal on August 1 and oil on December 31, the deputy finance minister has said
It can all be replaced, if they can afford it.
Russia can still sell all of their production as well, and at a higher profit per energy unit.
Harmful sanctions from a position of weakness.
It can all be replaced if they have the political will and can wait a year or two. Right now, not so much.
“The further use of sanctions could lead to even more severe consequences, even, without exaggeration, catastrophic consequences on the global energy market.”
The West’s idiot energy policies and proactive destruction of the oil and gas industry has all, on its own, screwed up the world economies and food security for a couple of years hence.
Maybe it’s a veiled threat, but frankly, I don’t trust MSM translations. They are generally self serving. If Putin is wise, he will follow Napoleon’s dictum: “Never interrupt an enemy when he is making a mistake.”
I just saw the other day, where apparently there is a Dutch Proverb: “Don’t throw away your old shoes until you have new ones.”
Seems to be true with respect to energy. Germany and most of Europe for that matter wants to throw away the reliable coal and nuclear energy before they’ve secured equally reliable replacement sources. As has been seen in Europe and Texas, unicorn farts (wind) and pixie dust (solar) aren’t reliable replacement for time tested coal and nuclear.
Hate to say it Germany, but my schadenfreude is pretty darn high on this one – Trump cautioned you not to rely on Russian Gas, not to turn off your nukes and coal plants (and shut down your domestic coal production). But hey, your TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome) led you to do the opposite of what he suggested, no matter how sensible it was on its own merit, since you didn’t want to be seen agreeing with “Orange Man Bad” in any way, shape or form.
Suck it Germany come winter. You don’t want to learn from reason and common sense, so learn from literal cold, hard experience. Enjoy your poverty of choice. When you’re ready to be reasonable adults (cast off this “green” stupidity), we’ll be here to offer a helping hand.
Somebody should sue Dartmouth. They have deep pockets. Make it hurt.
whoops wrong thread. sorry.
“We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown
Till human voices wake us, and we drown.”
Are we still meant to think our politicians are just stupid/misinformed, or can we start thinking that it’s all part of a plan now?
I know about Hanlon’s razor, but I’m not sure simple stupidity is enough to explain this destruction anymore.
Germany had always been vulnerable to the caprice of Gazprom until after 2014 when they cut deals with Putin to keep our LNG out.. Germany and the EU as a whole in part responsible for the Ukrainian debacle believing Putin in 2014 just trying to protect the Russians in Crimea. Meanwhile the Russians have been waging war with Ukraine since 2014. Now it’s a horror show. How coincidental.
Spiraling grain and fuel prices with shortages. Grid failures and outages, Baby formula famines, endless climate catastrophe, pandemics, Masks and vaccines that don’t work to prevent the spread,, rapidly declining birth rates, massive opioid epidemic, war in European endless propaganda.
Lenin: religion if the opioid of the masses. Now we have Chinese Fentanyl, smartphones and the media as the opioids of the masses….with a growing array of systems of self righteousness…or pseudo-religion.
I thought the really smart people in the world: WEF, UN, Our government, all the global corporations and universities would have prevented most of these problems or solved them all by now. Why does it feel more like we (the masses) have been had, …more like a revolution than the consequence of endless stupidity?
It was the USA which made a regime change in Ukraine. USA is the problem.
So the Ukrainian revolution of Dignity was perpetrated by the USA? Did the USA facilitate Ukraine’s desire to be part of the EU and NATO and be anti-Russian? Is that why the EU has done nothing since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014? Why is the EU now considering the entry of Ukraine and NATO? These are real questions.
Prevent??
They caused and exasperated EVERY issue you outlined. Except climate disaster, because that has not happened.
I should have stated, “endless threats of climate disaster”. Agreed climate disasters have not happened. My comment about solving and preventing is sarcastic. Sorry for the confusing post.
And here in the U.K. we are witnessing HYPOCRISY on a grand scale as politicians fighting for the premiership all seem to support the Net Zero Policy which is the ultimate in LIES and deliberate MISINFORMATION which swamps the niggly indiscretions of Boris however disreputable they may have been.
Meanwhile we sit on top of vast sources of gas, just beneath our feet and have to suffer this gross incompetence and hypocrisy of our Westminster Politicians.
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. US oil embargo of Japan led to WW2 in the Pacific. Me thinks WW3 has already started. Look for NATO to launch a military attack on Russia. This time it’s likely to be a Russia-China axis against NATO.
Really? In that case you may not have been paying attention – did you snooze through much of their speechifying and self-aggrandising? Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch are no fans of net zero, Penny Mordaunt is a naval reservist and ex Secretary of State for Defence (first woman to do so), Tom Tugendhat is ex military and both he and Penny Mordaunt are very anti-woke, possibly anti net zero as well. Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss are the only ones that seem to support net zero; the others I think may reverse some of the green damage done or go further and start fracking/north sea drilling on a larger scale.
The Baker/Braverman camp don’t: Baker is GWPF
Braverman is now out, which means that she and Steve Baker will be looking to support another candidate. Liz Truss is desperately hoping to get that support but, as a Remain supporter, it’ll be somewhat difficult to convince Baker to support her. I don’t think we’ll see a clear-cut shift but a split among the remaining candidates – with a steady increase across the board. On the other hand, a good series of interviews or debates this weekend could tip the balance – my money is on Penny Mordaunt being able to win over the audience; she has a better personality than many of the remaining candidates. Monday afternoon will be interesting.
It’s stupid to blame the Russian-threatened cutoff of gas supplies to Europe on green power. No matter what, if any supplier in a near monopoly situation does a sudden shutdown of supply, it’s going to cause chaos.
In any event, Europe is already responding by importing much more LNG from other sources, and the US is primed to be part of that as well as the northern tier of European states that drill and produce gas in the North Sea. The EU has already announced it bans all Russian gas imports by the end of this year. A few EU states that are Russia friendly, like Hungary, did not participate.
And no, cutting off European sales of gas not only WILL but ALREADY IS hurting Russia tremendously, along with all the other economic sanctions imposed on Russia. In fact, Russia is not just hurting – they are IMPLODING.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-economy-imploding-exports-under-pressure-ukraine-war-sanctions-2022-5#:~:text=1%20Experts%20say%20Russia%27s%20economy%20is%20%22imploding%22%20as,by%20end-2022%2C%22%20a%20chief%20economist%20at%20IIF%20wrote.
That is precisely why this week Medvedev, Putin’s puppy (now that Trump has given up that role) threatened to launch a nuclear war against NATO. They’re losing it, literally and figuratively. Ukraine is now whipping their asses with newly arrived long range artillery, aircraft, and tanks from NATO nations. Putin knows his end is near, which is why the insane threats.
You really get off on this, don’t you, Duane? Some Russian spokesman getting to his or her feet and threatening to start WWIII has been a regular feature of the war with Ukraine, starting sometime in the very first week I believe. Nothing has really changed, the propaganda mills on both sides are running hot and Russia is still being Russia.
I saw a lot of uninformed morons during the cold war shouting the odds and screaming that the “goddammed Commies were finished now, fer sure” – certainly enough to recognise the warning signs once again.
A) The cutoff isn’t being blamed on unreliable power, the reality that a cutoff could be catastrophic is because of unreliable power.
B) No one that’s done even 5 minutes of research honestly believes Trump was beholden to Putin, that was just projection for the lazy from the party that handed Putin control of 20% of US uranium, Crimea, and gave his best ally billions of dollars in exchange for a pinky swear to move their nuclear weapon facilities.
It will take russia 10 years to shift/get as much revenue from sales to Asia etc as it did pre war from Europe.
So when China recently doubled their gas imports from Russia (seems Joe Biden’s threats didn’t work) – where did that come from?
It did not take India 10 years to make a deal either. The fabric Griff uses to spin his thoughts is imaginary.
Russia’s energy income is steady and their production revenue per unit of energy increased.
Interesting that Kazakhstan have said that they are looking to increase exports from them – that will presumably be Russian gas and oil going to India and Pakistan primarily. Russia is building more export capability elsewhere rather than relying on rebuilding the EU trade.
I guess it’s going to take the demise of the German export engine for the EU to wake up. Well, that and winter.
What is the UK’s lifeline?
Norway, Libya and increasing drilling in the North Sea. Not straightforward as trouble in Libya and issues in Norway have reduced the amount coming through there. There’s a trickle coming through from other places like USA but it won’t be much.
Not sure….better get in line behind the Ukrainians
Euro Slips Below Dollar as Europe’s Economic Fortunes SlumpThe euro selloff has intensified as investors gird for a Russian gas cutoff that many fear will drive the region into a recession. But unlike the last time the common currency was this weak 20 years ago, nobody is coming to its rescue.
Meanwhile….
No technology can replace nuclear energy today, says Duke Energy CEO (cnbc.com)
That’s nonsense. USA didn’t allowed Germany to open Nordstream 2. Putin is not the problem, the problem is USA. We need a tea party in Germany, at the moment we are a colony of USA.
Most politicans in germany are puppets of the USA:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantik-Br%C3%BCcke#Prominent_Young_Leaders_alumni
nonsense!
Better learn to share space with the other trolls griff.
I’ve been predicting for years the coming “cold deaths” from energy poverty, and energy drought. The February 2021 Texas storm took out the windmills, which crashed the Texas grid, and came close to crashing the regional grid. It is estimated now to have killed 210 people. I think the political side of the Ukraine conflict ( santions/counter sanctions ) is going to cause kilodeaths in thousands of European cities this coming winter from “in home” hypothermia. That’s how ideologically possessed the European intellectuals are. They will not let go of “green” until tens of thousands are fatally “blue”.
I think the political side of the Ukraine conflict ( santions/counter sanctions ) is going to cause kilodeaths in thousands of European cities this coming winter
Well maybe Putin isn’t such a bad guy?
German firm calls for energy price cap to avoid social unrest (msn.com)
Desperation with the call for price caps. Can’t the brains trust simply dial up more cheap solar and wind power? What’s their problem?
Texas had an entirely preventable failure of fossil fuel plant, which likely would have happened on a 100% fossil grid.
So all the patient attempts to explain to you that the restructuring of Texas’ energy market to favour intermittents, leading to the price distortions and the disaster – all water off a duck’s back?
Did I miss the news that Pfizer are rolling out a new vaccine against technical and scientific understanding? You must have been one of the first in line.
It’s like this griff. With wind and solar dumping on the grid and FF generators being told they’re not wanted existing rational owners run them down to squeeze the last revenue out of them. That’s what dumping achieves in any market. Drive out the competition so you can charge more. That suits the weather dependent generators but not consumers who want dispatchable power not greenouts.
That’s when climate changing politicians start running around like headless chooks calling for storage/firming to keep the punters happy and guess what?
BESS cost base has gone up 25% year-on-year, says Wärtsilä (energy-storage.news)
Ah!!! So the BACKUP to the wind/solar failed, eh? What’s going to backup the wind and solar when the FF plants are all gone? Do you ever look past the end of your nose?
Go read the EIA data on that event to get the real story. If you ever get real that is and if you ever want to learn anything.
When is everyone going to wake up and realize they are not incompetent; they are WEF stooges and they are doing this on purpose.
Ah WEF! seems to be a shift in conspiracy theory these days – it is always the WEF now…
Nah same old lefties but they like hiding behind lots of different public circus acronyms.
Gotta love how griff claims “conspiracy theory” about things that are clearly documented on the relevant organizations own websites. Not the first time he’s done so. Reminds me of a child sticking his fingers in his ears “I can’t hear you!”
Good, I hope Putin does it sooner rather than later. It is the only remaining road left to wake these European numbskulls out of the stupor they are in. Truth, facts, reasoning and teaching have had no effect, it will be a tough lesson but sometimes that’s what it takes. Let’s hope they wake up before it gets too painful. I don’t hold out much hope though because they have been incredibly stubborn and thick headed up till now.
Isn’t the 14th of July the anniversary of the French revolution? Perhaps this is the time for another one, but this time make sure that no bureaucrat in any energy or climate decision making area is left with a job. instead, they need to be sent somewhere to live the life they are trying to impose on the rest of us/
The two-front war on climate change and on Russia is going just as disastrously as should be expected:
https://youtu.be/EtqJrbTygFs
If you want to try some really big picture economic analysis there’s none better than the guest telling it like it is in that video. Why they call it the dismal science and utterly beyond the comprehension of the likes of our Teal ladies and their fan club.
Meanwhile Biden is attempting to emulate the European energy disaster by making the US dependent on energy supplied by obvious enemies like Venezuela. There is nothing that Brandon cannot F*** Up.
The EU along with the US have stolen over 330 billion dollars in cash , assets and Gold from Russia through these illegal sanctions , Russia and Putin would be insane if they do not cut off the gas and oil going to the countries involved completely till the assets are returned. This is the bare minimum that they should do . What the EU and the USA are too stupid to realise is that these sanctions have destroyed the trust ANY country in the world has in the International financial trading and banking system ! ALL countries around the world now are going to be very careful where they invest or bank their money and gold from now on .
Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons in exchange for Russia to recognize its borders, in a deal that was negotiated with the US and UK. The sanctions may have hurt trust in the US and EU, but not nearly as much as letting Russia take territory has damaged trust in the US and EU. The sanctions are not only legal, they’re really the least they could do. It would be legal for the US and EU to take any action up to and including using nuclear weapons on any military or government target that Ukraine requests.