Belgium ‘fully prepared’ for Russian gas cut, government says

(EurActiv, 2 Jun 2022) The Belgian government drew attention to measures already in place to reduce gas consumption as more EU states were being cut off from Russian supplies earlier this week.

Gazprom’s decision to stop supplying Dutch utility GasTerra and Danish utility Ørsted has triggered concerns in other EU countries.

But neighbouring Belgium appears calm for now.

“There are currently no elements to announce the first ‘Early Warning’ phase of the national Emergency Plan for Natural Gas in Belgium,” said a statement from the cabinet of Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten, published on Tuesday (31 May).

While early warning mechanisms have long been in place in Germany, Italy and other EU countries, Russian imports represent only 6% of gas consumption in Belgium, the government said. 

And the port of Zeebrugge has “more than sufficient capacity” to import LNG from the US and other places, it said.

“There is no impact on the Belgian supply of natural gas and Belgium is fully prepared,” Van der Straeten said.

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EurActiv, 2 Jun 2022: Belgium ‘fully prepared’ for Russian gas cut, government says