|
| European Dependence on Russian Gas | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 26 2013, 03:12 AM (58 Views) | |
| winisle | Feb 26 2013, 03:12 AM Post #1 |
![]()
|
Philippe Etienne Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to the EU for France Today, the European Union, and other parts of Europe, is dependent on Russian gas for heating and energy. This is a most unfortunate situation, as Russia has shown in the past a willingness to cut deliveries of gas to promote their agenda, and because Russia over the past year has proven itself to be a most unreliable, and belligerent nation. It is the position of France that the European Union should investigate all possible avenues open to us in order to reduce our dependency on Russian gas. We know that Iraq is flaring of vast quantities of natural gas in conjunction with oil extraction, gas that could be recovered. We know that there is a maturing technology for the creation of biogas from biomass. We think that it is time for a European project that seeks replacements for Russian natural gas, and that we should strive for said replacements to be European, renewable alternatives if possible, or to be the recovery of such gas that today is wasted as an alternative. |
![]() |
|
| Jos1311 | Feb 26 2013, 09:45 AM Post #2 |
![]()
Head Admin
|
![]() Permanent Representative to the EU _____ Berlin agrees that Europe will need to find more secure sources for its energy needs. That said this is a process that will take time, however it is vital that those nations that are too reliant on Russian energy exports start looking towards other options. Germany, itself a large importer of energy from Russia, will be looking towards other sources to fulfill its energy needs. It should however also be noted that the planned nuclear phase-out will further impede the process. Berlin however believes it is vital that the European Union will play a role in this process, as it is in the interest of the entire Union that the over reliance on Russian energy will be reduced. Berlins stresses that there are several options to reduce the reliance on Russian energy, these would be Iran, through a pipeline from Iran to Europe, Iraq, Libya and Norway. Germany will therefore initiate talks with these nations in order to gage their willingness to cooperate with the European Union. At the same time we emphasize the important role that the Nabucco pipeline can play in this undertaking. |
![]() |
|
| PolishPrince | Feb 28 2013, 10:03 AM Post #3 |
![]()
|
((OOC: I'm posting from an iPhone, so apologies if its fugly)) The United Kingdom feels that even a move to biofuel, is still not a move far ebough. Europe should be actively seeking a move from traditional cars, and should be heavily invested in electric cars. Biofuels, even for running cars, is still environmentally damaging and could potentially come under threat as the global population expands and global food demands increase. There are plans being drawn up to encourage British citizens to purchase electric cars, and we believe this is also an industry which could lift economic activity throughout Europe as a whole. As nations like China, India and Brazil develop - so too will they be forced to improve air quality and cut CO2 emissions. If we invest in the industry now, in 10 years time it could be that we'll be ideally suited to exploit these markets as and when they mature. |
![]() |
|
| Jos1311 | Mar 1 2013, 02:52 AM Post #4 |
![]()
Head Admin
|
![]() Permanent Representative to the EU _____ Berlin is an advocate and front runner in the world when it comes to renewable energy, however it is illogical to think and claim that these sources can already replace traditional fossil fuels. If we are to move away from Russian energy sources, such a move requires fossil fuels being imported from other sources. That we initiate projects and programs that will stimulate renewable alternatives is obvious, however these programs should not focus upon a single type of renewable alternative. I concur with the British delegate that the view should be wider and that electric cars should also be drawn into the project. Germany is willing to allocate US$1 billion towards the establishment of a research program, based within Germany, that will focus upon researching and testing various renewable alternatives. We urge both Britain and France to take similar actions, and create such projects as well, these programs should than closely cooperate in order to achieve the highest efficiency possible. |
![]() |
|
| winisle | Mar 1 2013, 06:26 PM Post #5 |
![]()
|
Philippe Etienne Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to the EU for France We agree that with both of you to some regard, and disagree as well. Electric cars are an important area of research, but we must also look at how the electricity is generated initially. There we must look at how to replace coal, natural gas and even nuclear energy in general, but the strategically important matter is to quickly reduce our dependency on Russian natural gas. For that, we can bring in other sources of natural gas, or we can create our own gas through various biogas projects. To answer the concerns of the British representative, biogas is considered to be carbon neutral, and be created through what would be considered waste-products from the agricultural sector. |
![]() |
|
| Jos1311 | Mar 2 2013, 12:36 AM Post #6 |
![]()
Head Admin
|
![]() Permanent Representative to the EU _____ Berlin emphasizes that it will be all but impossible to replace the Russian energy that we import with biogas, or any alternative energy source. To focus upon a single alternative energy source would be unwise and the fact is that we will be reliant on fossil fuels for years to come. If we want to focus upon diversification, we need to have a broad view and not limit our scope on one single alternative energy source. If France however wants to remain committed to biogas alone, that is a, regretful, decision of Paris. I am however requesting that our research teams closely cooperate on various matters, as such will greatly increase the efficiency of the total research being conducted. |
![]() |
|
| PolishPrince | Mar 2 2013, 04:45 AM Post #7 |
![]()
|
Sir Jonathan Stephen Cunliffe, CB.Permanent Representative to the European Union _____ London completely agrees that it is not possible for us to entirely replace Russian gas, especially by solely using biogas. Presently, Her Majesties' Government has proposed legislation that will radically improve the environmental efficiency of British homes (including how many rural British homes are heated in the future). We will shortly be investing in: - Air Fuel Synthesis, an exciting project which could see the UK producing significant quantities of carbon-neutral petrol over the next 50 years - We shall also be looking to replace our ageing nuclear power plants, to reduce our dependence on gas-generated electricity We shall also be looking at the possibility of: - Increasing our offshore wind farms - Increasing UK tidal power generators - Increasing funding for micro-hydroelectricity generation projects - Upgrading our electrical infrastructure, specifically by reducing the efficiency of our electricity transmission networks We would like to see German experts more heavily involved in the fusion research taking place at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, does Berlin have any thoughts on how we could expand co-operation into this vital research field? |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · Round 1 · Next Topic » |











Sir Jonathan Stephen Cunliffe, CB.
6:11 AM Jul 11
