Irish Wind could have huge export potential Source: Irish Wind Energy Association
EUROPE’S LAST DASH BEFORE LIGHTS OUT Europe breathed a sigh of relief at the end of October as Ukraine and Russia signed a deal that will keep gas flowing to central Europe this winter. But while Europe might have avoided a bleak cold winter without heat, the prospect of power blackouts grows menacingly near and quick-fixes are in short supply.
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his last days as European Energy Commissioner, Germany’s Gunther Oettinger brokered a deal between Russia and Ukraine that should avoid any major gas supply disruptions this winter. As tensions between the two former Soviet states escalated, Russia had threatened to shut off gas supplies to its western neighbor, as happened in 2006 and 2009, when large parts of Europe shivered as gas stopped flowing west through Ukraine. But the deal signed between Moscow and Kiev only lasts until March, and falls far short of removing European concerns over security of supply. As Europe’s own gas reserves in the North Sea dwindle, the 8 Industry Europe
continent depends on imported gas to meet its energy needs, and much of that comes from Russia. In 2013, Russian gas giant Gazprom said it sold 30 per cent of all gas consumed in the European Union. Oettinger and his Spanish successor, Miguel Cañete, and national ministers across the EU want to cut dependence on Russian gas, but there is no simple solution.
Energy ‘crunch’ Indeed, Europe faces a looming ‘energy crunch’ as much of the continent’s energy infrastructure nears the end of its useful life. Coal and nuclear power plants have been the backbone of European power genera-
tion for nearly a century, but many old coalfired power plants have been shut, or mothballed, as a result of tighter environmental rules and emissions limits. Meanwhile most of the EU’s 200+ operational nuclear reactors were built over 40 years ago and are nearing the end of their design-life. Four British reactors were taken offline in the summer for emergency maintenance after inspectors found a crack in one of their boilers, and those of similar design were closed as a precautionary measure. Germany permanently closed eight nuclear reactors in 2011 in response to safety concerns following the Fukushima disaster in Japan. Two reactors in Belgium were
