EU Energy Commissioner: no way back for Russian gas

Speaking on Montel’s Plugged In podcast, EU Energy Commissioner Jorgensen outlined how his greatest achievement so far in his role was that “we are finally able to close the taps on Russian gas.”

“And not only have we said no more, we said never again because this is a prohibition, a ban, meaning that even when there is a peace [this will not be undone], we hope it'll come sooner than later.”

A decisive end to dependency

Commissioner Jorgensen described the move as “unprecedented”, noting it is the first time in EU history that the bloc has imposed such a far-reaching restriction on energy trade with a major supplier.

“We've been dependent on Russian energy for decades” he said.

He then added: “We can no longer accept that, Putin is weaponising energy against us. He's blackmailed the member states of the European Union.”

The new measures ensure that both pipeline and LNG imports from Russia are phased out entirely by September 2027, with early termination of short-term contracts within the first six months of the legislation taking effect.

Despite reducing Russian gas reliance from 45% of supply in 2022 to between 10–13% today, the EU continues to spend over €1 billion per month on Russian gas, a figure the Commission aims to eliminate “as fast as possible.”

Stricter enforcement

He added that the EU is strengthening enforcement and control measures to prevent any circumvention of the ban, with penalties for companies or states found to be breaching the rules.

The Commissioner underlined that the gas ban represents a permanent structural shift, not a temporary sanction.

“The reason why legislation is better than sanctions here is that that will not have to be renewed every six months. And it's not connected to the war.” he explained.

“So they will not change unless we decide to change them. And if we decide to change them, that will mean that the commission would have to put forward a proposal to do so,” he added.

Energy independence through transition

Jorgensen stressed that the long-term goal is not to replace Russian gas with other fossil fuels, but to accelerate the transition to renewables and reduce overall gas demand.

Since February 2022, EU gas consumption has fallen by approximately 15 – 16 billion m3/yr, equivalent to half the previous levels of Russian gas imports. Efforts to diversify gas supplies are also under way with Canada, the US, Qatar, and Romania, among others.

“It's not sustainable for us to import for almost €400 billion worth of fossils every year. Instead, we need an energy system where we produce our own energy, renewable energy. That's both cheaper and better for our independence.”

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/special-reports/15122025/eu-energy-commissioner-no-way-back-for-russian-gas/