EU Aims to Abandon Russian Gas by 2027

The European Union intends to eliminate gas supplies from Russia by 2027. This was announced on Sunday by Austria's Minister for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Transport, Innovation, and Technology, Leonore Gewessler, as reported by TASS.

The minister noted that Austria is currently 80 percent dependent on Russian gas. "We need to quickly free ourselves from this, as dependence makes us vulnerable," the minister explained.

Gewessler informed that three steps will be required at the national level in the coming years to abandon Russian gas. "First, we need to reduce gas consumption and switch to heat pumps, geothermal energy, and so on where possible. Second, we need to produce biogas and renewable hydrogen ourselves. Third, we need alternative supplier countries," she said.

Austria had already abandoned the import and refining of oil from Russia in March due to Russia's military operations in Ukraine. Given that Austria's dependence on Russian gas remains high at 80 percent for that type of fuel, the Austrian authorities still exclude the possibility of an embargo on gas supplies from Russia.