(Finance) – To ensure preparation in theenergy supply in the winter of 2024-2025the European Commission – according to what is read on theEnergia Oltre news agency – organized a comprehensive exercise to test the resilience of the EU security of supply framework. By carrying out rigorous tests under extremely severe conditions, including in view of the end of gas transit from Russia through Ukraine from 31 December 2024.
EU WELL PREPARED FOR WINTER AND THE END OF RUSSIAN GAS TRANSIT IN 2025 – The exercise confirmed that the EU is well prepared and well equipped in terms of security of gas supply to deal with the most serious and unlikely scenarios. Feedback was also provided to further increase the resilience of the EU energy security framework. In all situations, the cooperation and coordination capacity of the Commission and European countries, with the support of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas (ENTSOG) and including Moldova and Ukraine, has proven effective and essential for security energy of Europe.
TESTED THE MEASURES ADOPTED AND STRENGTHENED OVER THE LAST 2 YEARS AND ANALYZED THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE GAS AND ELECTRICITY SECTORS – The exercise tested in particular the measures adopted and strengthened over the last 2 years and analyzed the interactions between the gas and electricity sectors. This 2024 exercise brought together around 70 participants representing the vast majority of EU countries and, for the first time, Ukraine, Moldova and the Energy Community Secretariat. Transmission system operators for gas and electricity, as well as ENTSOG and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSOE), were also invited.
Since the first exercise in 2022, the EU has strengthened legislation and other measures, and EU countries have updated their preventive action plans and contingency plans to prevent and manage gas crises, mitigating their ‘impact. The EU gas system has also evolved thanks to new capacities, including additional LNG import terminals, significantly reducing imports of Russian gas.
Together with the bigger picture, all new measures, as well as solidarity mechanisms, have been tested under extremely difficult conditions, including major supply disruptions, the EU explained.
SIMULATION HELPS TO TEST PROCEDURES AND MEASURES THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED IN REAL TERMS – This simulation exercise helps to test procedures and measures that have never been activated in real terms thanks to the resilience of the EU gas system. It is also an opportunity for the Commission and EU countries to share good practices and identify elements that can further improve the current architecture, in particular in view of the review of the energy security framework, the EU concluded in a statement .