“The cost of heating is already terrifying”: what awaits Europe in the context of the continuing rise in energy prices

Residents of the UK will have a hard time in the coming months due to "fabulous" electricity prices.

This opinion was expressed by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson in an article for the Daily Mail newspaper.

“The coming months will be difficult, perhaps very difficult.

Our energy bills will be simply fabulous.

For many of us, the cost of heating our homes is already terrifying,” he wrote.

At the same time, the politician placed all responsibility for the rise in prices on Russia, which is conducting a special operation in Ukraine, and personally on President Vladimir Putin.

“That's why your energy bills double.

I'm afraid Putin knows about it.

He likes it.

And he wants us to cave in, ”said Johnson, adding that his successor as head of the Cabinet will definitely announce measures of financial support for the citizens of the United Kingdom.

Earlier this week, British regulator Ofgem announced an 80% increase in the maximum allowable electricity bill for consumers from October 1 due to rising global energy prices.

Critical situation

The energy crisis in Europe worsened after the adoption by the UK and EU countries of sanctions against Russia.

Since the start of the special operation, European states have already introduced seven packages of sectoral economic restrictions, including restrictions on Russian oil and gas imports.

Now in Europe there is a discussion of the next package of measures against the Russian Federation.

However, the sanctions against the energy sector of the Russian Federation have had a negative impact primarily on the lives of the Europeans themselves - the prices for gas and electricity in Europe are growing significantly.

According to the London ICE exchange, on August 26, the cost of September futures on the TTF hub reached $3,507.3 per 1,000 cubic meters.

m. This was a record figure for the operation of gas hubs in Europe (since 1996).

Against the backdrop of such a rise in prices, the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, which currently presides over the EU, announced the need to convene an emergency meeting of the heads of energy departments of the EU member states to discuss preparations for the heating season.  

• European Parliament

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Thomas Trutschel/Photothek

In turn, the Czech Minister of Justice Pavel Blazek, speaking on August 26 to the parliamentarians of the country, said that due to the rise in energy prices, the situation was so serious that it could jeopardize the stability of the political system of both the Czech Republic itself and the entire EU.

“If the crisis in the energy sectors is not resolved, the political system of this country will be in danger.

If a solution is not found at the European level, then even the EU as such may be endangered,” Blazek said, not ruling out the development of a revolutionary scenario as a consequence of the energy crisis.

Against the backdrop of the situation in the European energy sector, the possible introduction of new sanctions against the Russian Federation caused a negative reaction among a number of EU members, in particular in Hungary.

Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that Budapest does not want to discuss any restrictive measures against oil and gas supplies from Russia.

“There is no European security of supply without Russian energy sources,” Szijjártó stressed.

The head of the Hungarian Foreign Ministry added that a number of other foreign ministers of the EU countries adhere to the same position, but to say this openly - "unfortunately, they have not been given political courage."

In turn, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that no country in Europe can withstand the current energy crisis.

Later, he stated that if Belgrade had bought gas at European market prices, then Serbia would have gone bankrupt.

“We are spending 3.2 billion cubic meters.

m of gas.

We receive 2 billion cubic meters from Russia.

m, which is 63-64% of all our needs, we pay € 800 million - a fantastic price.

And for an additional 1.2 billion cubic meters.

m of gas, we would pay €4.8 billion if we bought at current prices.

Fortunately, we managed to purchase (gas. -

) before this difficult time, otherwise we would be bankrupt, ”TASS quoted the Serbian leader as saying. 

Stalemate situation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly noted that the reasons for the rise in energy prices in Western countries were the actions of the governments of the European countries themselves, which they have been taking for a long time.

“They neglected the importance of traditional types of energy and relied on non-traditional ones.

They are great experts in the field of non-traditional relations, so in the field of energy they also decided to rely on non-traditional types of energy: the sun, wind energy.

The winter was long, there was no wind - that's all.

And investments in fixed capital in the traditional energy industry have fallen due to earlier political decisions: banks do not finance, insurance companies do not insure, local authorities do not allocate land for new developments, pipeline and other transport is not developed.

Here is the result of the policy for the previous many years, for the previous decade, I guess.

It all started from here, not because of some Russian actions,” Putin told reporters during a working trip to Iran on July 19.

According to the head of state, the West blames Moscow for the energy crisis, although it itself imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation and closed some energy routes.

• Part of the Nord Stream gas pipeline

• Gettyimages.ru

• © Ulrich Baumgarten

Commenting on the situation, Alexei Grivach, Deputy Director General for Gas Problems of the National Energy Security Fund, in an interview with RT, emphasized that the responsibility for the current crisis lies entirely with the governments of European countries.

“The energy problems in Europe, created, to put it mildly, by adventurous energy and climate policies, have been brewing for a long time.

In addition to this, the sanctions war against the main supplier of energy resources to Europe has naturally exacerbated these problems to such an extent that they now threaten to destroy the economy and socio-political stability in Europe in the coming winter,” the analyst said.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies.

According to him, over the past few years Europe has put pressure on Russia, trying to dictate its terms, and, as a result, it has created the preconditions for a crisis.

“In Europe, they put pressure on Russia, they wanted it to sell them energy carriers on their terms.

Moscow continued to balk, pointing out that the conditions were unfair.

Suffice it to recall how the Stockholm Arbitration in 2019 decided to recover $3 billion from the Russian Federation in favor of Ukraine for a contract that Kyiv itself concluded.

This was an unprecedented decision, which shows that all European institutions have been working against Russia in this matter for a long time, ”the expert explained.

In turn, political scientist Oleg Matveychev, in a conversation with RT, noted that if the crisis is already so acutely felt in European countries, it is difficult to say how intense it will reach at the height of the heating season.

“The situation in the energy sector of Europe is already catastrophic, and now it is still formally summer.

Imagine what will happen in autumn and winter, what prices will be.

We have repeatedly warned Europe about all this.

Gas may be found in other countries, but it will be very expensive, because there will be no extra volumes for everyone, and the logistics are not so simple, ”said the analyst.

He recalled that there is simply no infrastructure in Europe to use the same liquefied natural gas from the United States or Qatar.

“There are no special factories and equipment, tankers are not ready, we need special ports for receiving liquefied gas, pipelines, and so on.

Europe was warned about all this, but they did not hear us, and now they are getting what they should get: in some states, the situation has reached almost a 15-fold increase in electricity tariffs.

The amounts are unbearable for ordinary people, ”the political scientist emphasized.

Such an explosive increase in electricity prices leads to increased social discontent in European countries and "fermentation" among the governments of some EU countries, Matveychev added.

“Prosperous citizens will be able to leave for warm countries, while the rest will spend the night in winter clothes.

Not everyone can handle this.

Now the establishment and the elite of Europe are already preparing to suppress the unrest that such a situation could cause.

Not to go towards the people and solve the problem, but to suppress the unrest.

Because the only solution to this problem is to turn on the gas supply through both Nord Streams.

But for this, European politicians need to abandon their ambitions, lift sanctions and make agreements with Russia, ”concluded the political scientist.