Page 10 - FSUOGM Week 15 2022

FSUOGM COMMENTARY FSUOGM

alternatives to carry the load while new green and crude oil (4%).
production was built. The production of energy is very different
Almost 60% of the EU’s energy needs were from one member state to another. The signif-
met by net imports in 2020, according to icance of nuclear energy is particularly high
Eurostat. Germany’s energy import depend- in France (78% of total national energy pro-
ency was still higher at 63.7% – a slight decrease duction), Belgium (71%) and Slovakia (58%).
compared with the previous year’s 67%. Indeed, last year’s gas crisis has already led
Countries with a higher energy import Belgium to extend the life of a 2-GW nuclear
dependency than Germany are: Malta (97.6%), power plant (NPP) for another ten years to
Cyprus (93%), Greece (81.4%), Belgium secure its energy needs and the war in Ukraine
(78.1%), Lithuania (74.9%), Italy (73.5%), has spurred Germany into building its first two
Ireland (71.3%), Netherlands (68.1%), Spain LNG terminals.
(67.9%) and Portugal (65.2%). Renewable energy is the main source of
In 2019, the EU member state with by far the energy produced in a number of member states,
least energy import dependency was Estonia with over 90% (of the energy produced within
(4.8%), followed by Sweden and Romania (both the country) in Malta, Latvia, Portugal and
30%). Estonia’s high degree of energy self-suf- Cyprus. Solid fuels have the highest importance
ficiency is based on domestically produced in Poland (77%), Estonia (62%), Czechia (52%)
oil shale, according to the 2019 International and Greece (49%), while natural gas is the main
Energy Agency (IEA) country report. source of energy produced in the Netherlands
Together, energy imports of oil, gas and coal (72%). Crude oil is the major source of energy
make up around 15% of total EU imports (in produced in Denmark (41%).
terms of value). In 2019, the extra-EU's crude oil imports
More than two-thirds of the EU’s energy came from Russia (27%), Iraq (9%), Nigeria and
imports in 2020 were petroleum products, fol- Saudi Arabia (both 8%) and Kazakhstan and
lowed by gas (about a quarter) and coal (less than Norway (both 7%).
5%). Russia was the main extra-EU supplier in Also in 2019, the EU's imports of natural gas
all three categories (25.5% petroleum, 43.9% gas came from Russia (41%), Norway (16%), Algeria
and 54% solid fossil fuels), followed by Norway (8%) and Qatar (5%), while over three quarters
for natural gas and the US for crude oil. of solid fuel (mostly coal) imports originated
The use of gas in Europe is fairly evenly from Russia (47%), the United States (18%) and
divided between cooking and heating in build- Australia (14%), according to Eurostat.
ings (35%), power and heat generation (31%), The main producers of gas in Europe are Nor-
industry (23%), with transport (1%) and other way, the Netherlands and the UK, although the
(10%) bring up the rear, according to Eurostat. British North Sea fields are now almost depleted.
The production of energy in the EU is spread The Netherlands was a major player
across a range of different energy sources: solid in Europe’s indigenous supply but, as bne
fossil fuels, natural gas, crude oil, nuclear energy IntelliNews reported, the biggest Dutch gas field,
and renewable energy, including hydro, wind the Groningen field off the coast of the Nether-
and solar energy. lands, was Europe’s largest gas producer but has
Renewable energy (37% of total EU energy been taken out of service as production activi-
production) was the largest contributing source ties led to earthquakes. Europe’s indigenous gas
to energy production in the EU in 2019. Nuclear production has been declining rapidly in recent
energy (32%) was the second-largest source, years, contributing to last year’s crisis and only
which has recently been classified as a renewa- increasing the dependency on Russian gas,
ble energy source by the EU. Solid fuels come in which has risen from 35% of total gas imports to
third place (19%), followed by natural gas (8%) 40% now in the last three years. Norway’s fields

P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 15 15•April•2022