Germany laughed at President Trump at the UN when the President warned about being dependent on Russian oil and gas. Today the gas lines into Europe from Russia are no longer sending natural gas to Europe. They’re not laughing anymore.
The Germans and the rest of Europe better hope that spring comes fast. The Daily Caller reports:
Part of a key pipeline transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe suddenly reversed its flow direction Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Flows in the Yamal-Europe pipeline, which sends natural gas to Germany via Poland, were recorded going eastward away from Europe on Tuesday morning, data from the European firm Gascade showed, Reuters reported, citing data from German network operator Gascade. Flows leaving Germany were moving at a whopping 4.3 million kilowatt-hours per hour at one section of the pipeline.
The pipeline is operated by the Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom and is one of three routes the company uses to export natural gas to western Europe. The Yamal-Europe pipeline is responsible for 10% of the region’s natural gas supplies, meaning a substantial flow shift could lead to much higher energy prices for many European consumers.
Overall, Russia is responsible for approximately 47% of European gas imports, the most recent Eurostat data showed.
“If Russia stops the gas supply to Europe, it could have a seismic impact on European energy,” International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol told the Guardian in an interview last month. “(Russia) has to consider the consequences if existing oil and gas supplies to Europe are halted.”
President Trump spoke in front of the United Nations and warned Germany about being dependent on Russian oil and gas. They laughed at him.
Now, who’s laughing?