IEA warns Europe of new winter gas crisis

Europe faces the risk of another gas crisis this winter but this danger should not be exaggerated, a senior International Energy Agency official said today.

A pricing dispute between Russia and transit country Ukraine cut gas supplies to Europe during freezing January weather this year.

“Certainly there is a risk (of a repeat) but I don’t want to over dramatise it,” Reuters quoted Richard Jones, IEA deputy executive director, as telling reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Fuschl.

“It certainly is a question given the situation where Ukraine has large debts and Russia certainly has a right to expect to be paid,” he said, adding that the relationship between Russia and Ukraine did seem to have improved a little.

Jones said the IEA did not want to see another situation where a commercial dispute led to a supply cut to consumers.

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