Additionally, natural gas is the preferred hydrocarbon for electric power generation because it is the cleanest burning and is comparable in price to coal. Hydroelectric, nuclear, and renewable sources of electricity combined create far less than is produced by gas, coal, and oil. 4 Contrary to popular conception, the vast majority of electric power is generated through the burning of hydrocarbons to heat water for steam to run turbines. 3 Analyzing energy by source, EU usage breaks down into the following categories: oil 43%, natural gas 24%, nuclear 14%, coal 13%, hydroelectric 4%, and other renewable sources (such as geothermal, biomass, wind, and solar) 2%. The EU accounts for 17% of world energy consumption and uses the same proportion of annual world natural gas production. Natural gas plays a critical role in energy consumption worldwide; Europe is no exception. Why Natural Gas is so Critical in the Energy Mix This article also discusses these factors, in particular in the context of the kind of steps greater Europe could take to ensure Russia does not realize its goal of reasserting coercive influence through its ‘energy weapon.’ Several factors could mitigate Russia’s capability to monopolize natural gas markets on the European continent. Europe’s dependence on Russia for natural gas already profoundly affects the freedom of action of certain European states and will increasingly erode European sovereignty. Russian domination of the European natural gas market would give the Kremlin incredible leverage in its dealings with its European neighbors. Europe must undertake such a strategy not only because over-reliance on any one source represents unsound policy, but more importantly because domination of the European market has been a clear and calculated goal that an unreliable Russian administration has been working towards for several years. This paper proposes a diversification strategy with concrete steps that can be taken in a variety of energy policy areas to create, over the long-term, a more balanced approach to meeting energy needs. While the current EU energy policy is forward thinking in its targets for renewable energy, economizing, and emission reduction, it falls short in its failure to recognize the security threat of the increasing dependence on Russian hydrocarbons – in particular, natural gas. These countries must work together now to produce a coherent diversification strategy. 2 The EU and greater Europe will soon find themselves in an extremely dangerous position due to the ever-increasing dependence on Russian natural gas. With plans to phase out nuclear power in several European countries, the EU goal to reduce coal consumption thereby lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and the depletion of domestic sources of gas, reliance on Russia will rise to 50 to 60% of all gas imports within the next two decades if different energy policies are not adopted. The European Union 27 currently rely on Russia for almost 38% of their imported natural gas; 1 this dependency will become significantly greater if European states implement their currently formulated energy policies. Masters Program in International Security Studies - MISS.Fellows / Joint Professional Military Education - JPME. ![]() ![]()
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