Will the ongoing dispute between Russia and Ukraine have an effect on the supply of Russian gas to the rest of Europe?
Most of the gas is pumped through pipe-lines that pass through Ukraine and Belarus and 13 of the 28 EU’s member states rely on this for at least half of their gas and a further 6 states use Russian gas for at least 20% of their supply.
This supply was severely restricted during the winters of 2006 and 2009 over a pricing dispute and another dispute is brewing so what will these countries do? Can they get their gas from elsewhere? Norway, Algeria and Qatar export most of their gas to the EU but it's unlikely they could increase production to meet demand. Perhaps then the United States? Might Australian gas be an option?
- Dr Vlado Vivoda
- Research Fellow, Griffith Asia Institute
- Amanda Vanstone