🇷🇺🇪🇺 Gas trade between Russia and Europe has had its ups and downs for over half a century but has brought tremendous benefits to both sides.

Europe’s energy policy ambition of a fast shift to a carbon-neutral economy for which natural gas is undesirable and merely a near-term, stop-gap solution is a threat to Russia-Europe gas trade.

In these circumstances, Russia is likely to intensify its efforts to diversify away from its dependence on the European gas market both in terms of methods of gas delivery and target markets, writes Vitaly Yermakov, expert with the Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/the-rude-awakening-europe-is-struggling-to-secure-/

#Gas #Europe #energy #NordStream2

📷 AP Photo/Petr David Josek

@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

🏗🇪🇺 Nord Stream 2 could provide Europe with cheaper and greener energy. What stands in the way?

In October, the German Federal Network Agency suspended the certification process on the pretext of the recently-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline not being compatible with the energy legislation in place. Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG is planning to open a subsidiary in Germany to comply with the EU and German energy regulations.

While it is too early to speculate whether this move could further stall the start of Nord Stream 2, it has given rise to numerous statements on the project’s (negative) impact on the European gas market and the future of natural gas transit via Ukraine.

The polarisation of public opinion regarding the pipeline’s impact has fundamentally altered purely technical discussions regarding the project. This had led to a misunderstanding of the key commercial reasons for starting the project and the future impact of the pipeline on European consumers. 

The politicisation of energy often prevents decisions from being made based on facts rather than incorrect perceptions, writes Valdai Club expert Danila Bochkarev. 

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nord-stream-2-could-provide-europe-with-cheaper-gas/

#Corporations_and_Economy #NordStream2 #Europe #energy #gas

valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club

💡 What is the difference between energy efficiency and energy saving?

💡 Which of these strategies will help to reduce energy risks in the future?

💡 How quickly can society shift to new technologies?

You can find out more about these things and more from our video infographic "Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving".

👉 This infographic was prepared especially for tomorrow's special session of the Valdai Club within the framework of the SPIEF-2022, titled “Self-sufficiency and cooperation: features of the modern political economy”.

#valdai_infographics #energy #SPIEF

@valdai_club

🇪🇺🇷🇺 The events in Ukraine have produced the largest political conflict between Russia and the EU since the end of the “cold war” and had profound effects on the EU policy towards Russia’s energy supplies.

It has turned a long and carefully planned separation between Russia and Europe that both sides were contemplating for quite some time into a hasty and ugly divorce in which ex-partners are trying to hurt each other as much as possible regardless of consequences and collateral damage.

In the process we have witnessed the attempts to identify and use vulnerabilities in the energy value chains by each of the opponents leading to the weaponization of energy and making it part of the ongoing proxy war between Russia and the West.

The EU policies have changed from reducing dependence on Russian energy to its complete phaseout, as soon as possible. The reality is, however, that the energy systems have tremendous inertia, and it would be a strategic blunder to think that a political directive can provide the EU with alternatives to the Russian energy by a wave of the magic wand.

The EU wants to be in control of when it stops importing Russian oil and gas, but this may not be possible, writes Vitaly Yermakov, Expert, Centre for Comprehensive European and International Studies, HSE University.

#EconomicStatecraft #EU #energy #sanctions

@valdai_club

🇷🇺🌏 Russia literally is the granary of Asia; and Russia is the powerhouse of the world. 

It might not be an exaggeration to say that more than a billion stomachs in Asia and Africa go hungry without food supplies from Russia and a couple of other countries in the region.

In the last few years, pandemics and geo-political factors have triggered a major food crisis. This crisis, dubbed the worst the world has seen since World War II, is severely impacting low-income countries and communities in Global South.

Some 50 countries depend on Russia for their food supply, particularly for wheat, maize and sunflower oils. Majority of these are poor and import-dependent countries in Asia and Africa.

What applies to food security also applies to energy security. Acute shortages in energy supplies are leading to severe stress on the countries in Global South – in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Climate challenges, pandemics, supply chain disruptions and military conflicts are not the creation of the Global South, yet the countries in Global South – in Asia and Africa - have been the major victims of them, writes Varanasi Ram Madhav, Founding Member of the Governing Council of India Foundation.

https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/food-and-energy-challenges-in-asia/

📌 This article was prepared for the Valdai Club’s 13th Asian Conference.

#ASIANVALDAI #Asia #Russia #India #foodcrisis #energy

@valdai_club