Member states will be urged to curb their energy use, according to a draft seen by Reuters
The EU will urge member countries to scale back their demand for gas in order to prepare for potential Russian supply cuts, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a draft of the proposal.
The European Commission plan, due to be published on July 20, will suggest that countries launch financial incentives for industries to cut gas use, exhaust fuel switching in industry and power plants, and roll out information campaigns to nudge consumers to use less heating and cooling.
Measures targeting industry could reportedly include auctions or tenders to incentivize large consumers to use less gas in return for compensation.
“Early joint action at EU level at this critical moment of the storage filling process will reduce the need for possible and more painful demand reduction later in the winter, in case of interruption of flows from Russia,” according to the draft cited by Reuters.