there gas search is the central theme of Italian and European strategies these days. One of the first effects of the war in Ukraine was the hunt for alternative sources Russiasuffering from isolation from Western Bloc countries following the start of military operations against Kyiv.
Break dependency on Russia
The European election is not for the easiest. The United States and the United Kingdom have sought an embargo on Russian hydrocarbons with a much smaller impact than it might have for European Union countries. Europe is heavily dependent on Moscow’s blue gold. And finding alternatives to the energy supply from Russian fields means, above all, dealing with an economic problem: the Russian gas, even for geographical reasons alone, it costs less and arrives in larger quantities than that from other sources. The land connection enables gas to pass through the pipelines and thus guarantees continuous gas flows in significant quantities and, above all, with calculable risks that can also be eliminated from a safety standpoint. This is confirmed by a figure from the American newspaper Washington Post, which recalls the curious case of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz. In fact, the WP explains: “Despite Russia raining missiles on Ukraine, it still sends about 30 percent of the gas it sells through the occupied country to Europe, and despite Ukrainian leaders urging the continent to stop imports of Russian gas immediately cease , they are doing nothing to disrupt the flow of gas flowing through pipelines at a rate of 40 billion cubic meters per year to customers such as Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic.
In the meantime, however, as mentioned, the war has triggered the search for other sources and thus for other supply routes. And the Mediterranean can also become a fundamental hub in terms of supply liquefied natural gas from the manufacturer grades.
The liquid gas node
the United States They have already offered their gas to try to fill (partially) the gap left by the possible suspension of Russian supplies. The joint statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Joe Biden said Washington will work to “guarantee a quantity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for the EU market of at least 15 billion Cubic meters in 2022”. The US agrees Qataranother power in the industry receiving numerous offers to source LNG in European regasifiers: not least from Slovenia, which Italpress reports is trying to snag an agreement for the arrival of Qatar’s blue gold by upper Adriatic regasifiers .
For its part, Italy writes Il Sole 24 Ore is moving on the LPG front, as the words of Prime Minister Mario Draghi already indicate. according to the sun snam “is willing to organize a ‘virtual’ gas pipeline with a system of ships for the transport of LNG from Spain to its regasification plant in Panigaglia; on the other hand, it is working on the order received from the government to strengthen regasification firepower, with the “target of providing around 10 billion cubic meters of additional gas within two years”. The crux is crucial, but the game is far more complex than it might first appear. Regasification actually requires specific ships, which are very small and many have already booked. In addition, the price is certainly not comparable to that of Russian gas or what it brings gas lines physically. And from a bureaucratic point of view, one could wait a long time for the necessary permits for the ships and the gas transport to the mainland.
The geopolitical game
In addition to the issue of ships, there is also the general problem of energy supply as a political hub. While the desire to break dependence on Russian gas is currently a goal that can be justified by a general diversification of sources, it seems impossible to drastically reduce supply from Moscow in a short period of time. The largest gas suppliers to Russia are currently Norway and Algeria. Analysis for 2019 shows that 41% of EU natural gas imports came from Russia, 16% from Norway, 8% from Algeria and 5% from Qatar.
The energy supply from Moscow, but also from North African and Middle Eastern partners, is fundamental for the southern front. To the Italy, the speech applies not only to Algeria, but also to Libya, and the topic of gas imports from Azerbaijan through TAP is added. Elements to which there are also the pipeline projects, which have often led and can lead to particularly deep disputes that affect coexistence between states.
The energy match has been fundamental before, and it is even more so now as an entire continent seeks to emancipate itself from a historically stronger provider. And that’s enough to make it clear what could be brewing in there Mediterranean Sea Eastern Europe, where Israel, Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus are particularly interested in what is happening on the EU gas front. The same goes for Iran, a producer isolated due to sanctions imposed by the United States. And when it comes to energy routes, in addition to the wellknown question of stabilizing Libya, the comparisons within the African panorama should not be underestimated, especially those with Algeria and Morocco.