{ "id": "R42405", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R42405", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 618766, "date": "2020-02-26", "retrieved": "2020-03-06T17:07:55.375195", "title": "European Energy Security: Options for EU Natural Gas Diversification", "summary": "As a major energy consuming region, Europe faces a number of challenges in addressing its future energy needs. For member states of the European Union (EU), challenges include rapidly rising global demand and competition for energy resources from countries such as China and India, tensions with Russia, efforts to integrate the EU\u2019s internal energy market, and a growing need to shift fuels in keeping with the EU\u2019s climate change policy goals. As a result, energy supply security has become a key concern for the EU. European energy security is also of significant interest to the United States.\nWhile energy policy in the EU has long been a strongly guarded competence of national governments, the EU\u2019s role in energy policy has expanded over the last few decades. An important element of the EU\u2019s energy supply strategy has been to shift to a greater use of natural gas and renewables and to move away from nuclear and coal. Russia is the most important of the EU\u2019s natural gas suppliers, holding the top spot since 2014. The EU\u2019s natural gas consumption is projected to grow as EU member states\u2019 natural gas production continues to decline. If trends continue as projected, dependence on Russia as a supplier is likely to grow. Although some countries in the EU are exploring alternative sources for their natural gas needs, it is uncertain whether the EU as a whole can, or is willing to, replace a significant level of imports from Russia. Some EU member states that feel vulnerable to Russian energy supply manipulation are working hard to achieve supply diversification and energy sector integration.\nMeanwhile, Russia has sought to protect its share of the EU natural gas market. It has attempted to stymie European-backed alternatives by proposing competing pipeline projects and attempting to increase its influence with European companies by offering them stakes in these and other projects.\nSuccessive U.S. Administrations and Congresses have viewed European energy security as a U.S. national interest. In recent years, promoting diversification of EU natural gas supplies has been a focal point of U.S. energy policy in Europe and Eurasia. The Trump Administration has opposed new Russian gas projects as tools to maintain EU dependence on Russia. At the end of 2019, Congress passed the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 116-92), which included sanctions related to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines. The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-94) includes the European Energy Security and Diversification Act of 2019, which seeks to promote the diversification of Central and East European energy sources and supply routes. \nAlthough the United States and the EU have sought to promote the export of piped natural gas from the Caspian Region and liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States, this is not being achieved in volumes sufficient to counter Russian exports. Regions such as North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean have potential as alternative suppliers but are constrained in their ability to increase exports.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42405", "sha1": "c7a9011f1c786b9fac9a7b232775f2ef88e33421", "filename": "files/20200226_R42405_c7a9011f1c786b9fac9a7b232775f2ef88e33421.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/4.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_8a29a84386d5190cf0d7eac8227ef499fcf0a061.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/1.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_a926a7220a0215978b1efd34d22009826a954d03.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/0.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_f6b3a128c7cd26e218ee0540ef33232d7b084c54.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/2.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_a8cd109fa6be477c95c728eca7d1641ff8c07635.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/3.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_bb0e7c2bb1988a85c897742fd34fcccd01c27067.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R42405_files&id=/5.png": "files/20200226_R42405_images_2a3c4111f0ea80d37b01347e584915cf37af8339.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42405", "sha1": "6c37fe9184235b43d9adb2361d8c55d0f6948112", "filename": "files/20200226_R42405_6c37fe9184235b43d9adb2361d8c55d0f6948112.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4812, "name": "Fossil Energy" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4813, "name": "International Energy & Natural Resource Issues" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 447148, "date": "2015-11-05", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:00:00.826908", "title": "Europe\u2019s Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification", "summary": "As a major energy consumer, Europe faces a number of challenges in addressing future energy needs. Among these challenges are rapidly rising global demand and competition for energy resources from countries such as China and India, tensions with Russia, persistent instability in the Middle East, a fragmented internal European energy market, and a growing need to shift fuels in keeping with European climate change policy. As a result, energy supply security has become a key concern for European governments and the European Union (EU). \nA key element of the EU\u2019s energy supply strategy has been to shift to a greater use of natural gas, even though in recent years natural gas use has declined. Europe as a whole is a major importer of natural gas. Russia remains one of Europe\u2019s most important natural gas suppliers, regaining the top spot as Europe\u2019s biggest natural gas supplier in 2014. Europe\u2019s natural gas consumption is projected to grow while its own domestic natural gas production continues to decline. If trends continue as projected, Europe\u2019s dependence on Russia as a supplier is likely to grow. And, while it could be in Europe\u2019s interest to explore alternative sources for its natural gas needs, it is uncertain whether Europe as a whole can, or is willing to, replace a significant level of imports from Russia. Some European countries that feel vulnerable to potential Russian energy supply manipulation may work harder to achieve diversification than others.\nRussia has not been idle when it comes to protecting its share of the European natural gas market. Moscow, including the state-controlled company Gazprom, has attempted to stymie European-backed alternatives to pipelines it controls by proposing competing pipeline projects and attempting to increase its influence with European companies by offering them stakes in those and other projects. It has attempted to dissuade potential suppliers (especially those in Central Asia) from participating in European-supported plans. Moscow has also raised environmental concerns in an apparent effort to hinder other alternatives to its supplies, such as unconventional natural gas, in parts of Europe. \nSuccessive U.S. Administrations and Congresses have viewed European energy security as a U.S. national interest. Promoting diversification of Europe\u2019s natural gas supplies, especially in recent years through the development of a southern corridor of gas from the Caspian region as an alternative to Russian natural gas, has been a focal point of U.S. energy policy in Europe and Eurasia. The George W. Bush Administration viewed the issue in geopolitical terms and sharply criticized Russia for using energy supplies as a political tool to influence other countries. The Obama Administration has also called for diversification. Nevertheless, although supplying natural gas to Europe from the Caspian Region and Central Asia has been a goal of multiple U.S. Administrations and the EU, it is far from being achieved in volumes significant enough to counter Russian exports.\nThis report focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, Russia\u2019s role in Europe\u2019s natural gas policies, and key factors that could hinder efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas. The report assesses the potential suppliers of natural gas to Europe and the short- to medium-term obstacles to those suppliers becoming credible, long-term providers. The report looks at North Africa, potentially the most realistic supply alternative in the near term, but notes that the region faces political, economic, and security instability and problems in the internal structure of the natural gas industry. Central Asia, which may have the greatest amounts of natural gas of any of the alternatives to Russia, would need to construct lengthy pipelines through multiple countries to move its natural gas to Europe.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R42405", "sha1": "e2f3858c7cd5cf7f02b251312ebbfd06ae8039d6", "filename": "files/20151105_R42405_e2f3858c7cd5cf7f02b251312ebbfd06ae8039d6.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R42405", "sha1": "4217382f44df5024a98b69edabe64a72763e0475", "filename": "files/20151105_R42405_4217382f44df5024a98b69edabe64a72763e0475.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227749/", "id": "R42405_2013Aug20", "date": "2013-08-20", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "Europe's Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification", "summary": "This report focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, Russia's role in Europe's natural gas policies, and key factors that could hinder efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas. The report assesses the potential suppliers of natural gas to Europe and the short- to medium-term hurdles needed to be overcome for those suppliers to be credible, long-term providers of natural gas to Europe. The report looks at North Africa, potentially the most realistic supply alternative in the near term, but notes that the region will have to resolve its current political, economic, and security instability as well as the internal structural changes to the natural gas industry.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130820_R42405_9145a55c5cccf914e9c39045bf34c14a964fd584.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130820_R42405_9145a55c5cccf914e9c39045bf34c14a964fd584.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Natural gas", "name": "Natural gas" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Economic policy", "name": "Economic policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign economic relations -- U.S. -- Europe", "name": "Foreign economic relations -- U.S. -- Europe" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227750/", "id": "R42405_2013Jul11", "date": "2013-07-11", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "Europe's Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification", "summary": "Report that focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, Russia's role in Europe's natural gas policies, and key factors that could hinder efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130711_R42405_de519fd49d4300414887a4ea1d9939a66e038ff2.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130711_R42405_de519fd49d4300414887a4ea1d9939a66e038ff2.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy security", "name": "Energy security" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy policy", "name": "Energy policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Natural gas", "name": "Natural gas" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy tax credits", "name": "Energy tax credits" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc462587/", "id": "R42405_2013Mar15", "date": "2013-03-15", "retrieved": "2014-12-05T09:57:41", "title": "Europe's Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification", "summary": "This report focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, Russia's role in Europe's natural gas policies, and key factors that could hinder efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas. The report assesses the potential suppliers of natural gas to Europe and the short- to medium-term hurdles needed to be overcome for those suppliers to be credible, long-term providers of natural gas to Europe. The report looks at North Africa, potentially the most realistic supply alternative in the near-term, but notes that the region will have to resolve its current political, economic, and security instability as well as the internal structural changes to the natural gas industry. Central Asia, which may have the greatest amounts of natural gas, would need to construct lengthy pipelines through multiple countries to move its natural gas to Europe.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130315_R42405_430d0b726a9021e8ca40f71641d7075d2b13eeb9.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130315_R42405_430d0b726a9021e8ca40f71641d7075d2b13eeb9.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Natural gas", "name": "Natural gas" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Economic policy", "name": "Economic policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign economic relations -- U.S. -- Europe", "name": "Foreign economic relations -- U.S. -- Europe" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc86605/", "id": "R42405_2012Mar13", "date": "2012-03-13", "retrieved": "2012-06-15T10:07:48", "title": "Europe's Energy Security: Options and Challenges to Natural Gas Supply Diversification", "summary": "This report focuses on potential approaches that Europe might employ to diversify its sources of natural gas supply, and Russia's role, as well as identifying some of the issues hindering efforts to develop alternative suppliers of natural gas. The report assesses the potential suppliers of natural gas to Europe and the short- to medium-term hurdles needed to be overcome for those suppliers to be credible, long-term providers of natural gas to Europe. The report looks at North Africa and Central Asia as possible sources of future energy supply.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20120313_R42405_2041fe4a802dccd9aaad505d2a5437400faaf80d.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20120313_R42405_2041fe4a802dccd9aaad505d2a5437400faaf80d.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Energy", "name": "Energy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Alternative energy sources", "name": "Alternative energy sources" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Gasoline", "name": "Gasoline" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Petroleum", "name": "Petroleum" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Energy Policy", "European Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }