The title of today's column is a riff on Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar's famous novel "The Time Regulation Institute". But of course, this is not what we're here to talk about. I will instead try to draw attention to the steps taken by European countries in the most recent energy crisis by adapting the name of the novel and satirizing a decision taken by Spain.
As you know, the Russia-Ukraine War is still raging. Although there has not been as much space for this subject in news bulletins recently, the aftermath of the war is making itself felt more and more each day. Particularly the energy crisis that is sweeping Continental Europe and the risks associated with it are on the upswing.
The EU's dependence on Russia in energy and especially in natural gas is too high to be substituted in a short time. Since I have written very detailed columns on this subject with data before, I will not repeat it here. However, let me remind you that the EU's attitude towards Russia regarding the war and the dose of this attitude seem to cause serious negativities for them in the winter months ahead.
EU states aim to minimize and then completely stop oil and natural gas purchases from Russia. However, it is not possible for EU countries to take steps in this regard in a short time. Because the annual amount of natural gas that the EU buys from Russia is at the level of 155 billion cubic meters. This figure corresponds to 45% of the EU's total natural gas imports and 40% of its consumption. On the other hand, this dependency is not homogeneous. Some countries have 100% dependency, while others only 3%.
While those with low dependency are only affected by the increase in energy prices, countries with relatively high dependency such as Germany are also experiencing supply problems, and it seems that this will cause a complete crisis in the winter months. Very serious adverse events are expected in Germany, including street movements.
The EU administration has reached an agreement to reduce energy use by 15% to reduce dependence on Russia when it comes to energy. EU executives, who visited Azerbaijan in the past weeks in order to produce an alternative, have been importing more natural gas from the U.S. for a while. However, the data shows us that neither the 15% reserves nor the additional American LNG will be enough to provide a solution to the current crisis. Autumn will be difficult for Europe, and winter will be much more difficult.
Let's come to the topic that gives today's column its title. The Spanish government is also making efforts to cope with the energy crisis and reduce its dependence on Russia. With the last step taken, a bill aiming to reduce gas consumption by 7% in order to reduce dependence on Russian gas was approved. There are also interesting measures in the bill. For example, after 22:00, the lights of store windows will be turned off. According to the same regulation; In order to save energy, air conditioning systems in offices and shops in the country will not be lowered below 27 degrees in summer and will not be increased above 19 degrees in winter. Of course, it is not easy to know who will follow it and how the proposal, which is possible in theory, will be implemented in practice. However, with this new step, Spanish government institutions act as a kind of “Air Conditioning Regulation Institute”. Let's see what new interesting applications the process will show us.
