EU energy ministers to mull domestic gas drilling amid security concerns

European Union vigor ministers are expected to sermon home earthy state drilling during an informal gathering successful Cyprus connected 13 May, against a backdrop of rising lipid and state prices and concerns implicit proviso shortages, according to a papers seen by Euronews.

Since the US-led struggle involving Iran, the EU has been grappling with an escalating vigor crisis. Natural state prices person remained elevated, lasting astatine astir treble those successful the United States and China, contempt 4 years of marketplace disruption pursuing Russia’s withdrawal from the European marketplace successful 2022.

The papers highlights the bloc’s occurrence successful cutting its reliance connected Russian state from 45% to 12% since the commencement of the warfare successful Ukraine. However, it besides warns that the EU has go progressively exposed to volatility successful the planetary liquefied earthy gas (LNG) market, peculiarly pursuing disruptions linked to the struggle involving Iran.

“Given the existent terms shocks and the volatility of the planetary LNG market, however bash you spot the relation of indigenous state resources arsenic a corporate mechanics for terms stableness crossed the Union?” the papers asks vigor ministers.

The question, acceptable to beryllium raised by the EU Council Presidency, comes arsenic the bloc continues efforts to trim dependence connected imported fossil fuels. Higher vigor prices person already added an estimated €24 cardinal to EU import costs.

Although the EU’s clime ambitions stay cardinal to policymakers’ messaging — with the Climate Action Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra precocious reaffirming enactment for ending lipid and state drilling — immoderate analysts and manufacture representatives reason that renewable vigor unsocial volition not beryllium capable to conscionable request successful the abbreviated term.

As governments determination to unafraid vigor supplies amid soaring prices, respective subordinate states look progressively unfastened to expanding earthy state production. Romania, for instance, has been extracting state from the Black Sea since March 2025.

EU countries see caller state projects

Since April, Greece has launched its archetypal offshore exploratory drilling run for earthy state successful astir 4 decades, targeting perchance important reserves successful the Ionian Sea. Operations are expected to statesman successful aboriginal 2027.

Italy is besides considering reviving offshore lipid and state exploration projects suspended successful 2019.

The papers specifically references Romania’s Neptun Deep project, Greece’s offshore exploration plans, Poland’s Baltic Sea developments, Italy’s Mediterranean ambitions and wider North Sea practice arsenic examples of the bloc’s existing home state potential.

Croatia precocious announced a US-backed statement to grow state pipelines and vigor infrastructure crossed the Balkans.

Industry estimates meantime suggest Cyprus holds the region’s largest untapped reserves, with geological assessments indicating astir 324.1 cardinal cubic metres of state — astir equivalent to the EU’s mean yearly consumption.

The imaginable of accrued state drilling has drawn disapproval from biology groups. In a missive sent up of the Cyprus meeting, Climate Action Network Europe urged ministers to follow a binding yearly people to trim state request by 7%.

Industry representatives support that state volition proceed to play a important relation successful Europe’s vigor mix, peculiarly successful ensuring information of supply, strategy flexibility and concern competitiveness during the greenish transition.

“Ensuring Europe’s strategical autonomy volition necessitate a diversified vigor mix, including home earthy state accumulation alongside the accelerated scale-up of some home and imported renewable and low-carbon gases specified arsenic biomethane and hydrogen,” Andreas Guth, secretary-general of Eurogas, told Euronews.

Guth added that adapting and repurposing existing infrastructure implicit clip would beryllium indispensable to protecting semipermanent investments portion maintaining advancement towards clime neutrality.

EU leaders person repeatedly urged households and businesses to reduce vigor consumption, portion insisting that Europe’s semipermanent vigor independency depends connected expanding home renewable powerfulness generation.

However, experts enactment that afloat integrating upwind and star powerfulness volition necessitate extended upgrades to energy grids and large-scale vigor retention infrastructure — a modulation expected to instrumentality years and necessitate trillions of euros successful investment.

“In the abbreviated and mean term, we volition inactive request rather a batch of gas, and that request has lone accrued with our determination to signifier retired Russian gas,” Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen told reporters successful March.