Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine War on the EU’s Energy Sourcing
Ethan Lee ’25
Ellen Chen ’25
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drastically influenced the global energy industry since its beginning in February 2022. To develop a strong understanding of the situation, one must first consider Russia’s significant role in the European Union’s (EU) energy supply. Before the war, the EU imported approximately 90% of its needs in natural gas. Of this 90%, 41% came from Russia. Additionally, 27% of the Union’s oil and 46% of its coal imports are from Russia. Undeniably, the EU heavily depended on Russia for energy before the Russia-Ukraine conflict (Besson V., 2022).
As a result of the EU’s sanctions on its imports, Russia has re-directed the flow of its energy exports to Asia, making it difficult for member nations to ensure energy security. The International Energy Agency (IEA) defines energy security as “the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price” (IEA, 2023). It is crucial to address how European nations are working to secure both long-term and short-term energy security. So far, in the short term, many EU countries have ramped up their supply of non-Russian energy resources and rapidly reduced consumption. However, this likely won’t be sustainable, as the EU is projected to face a potential shortfall of almost 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas this winter (IEA, 2023). To address long-term threats to energy security, nations have been considering alternative energy sources.
Only a handful of producers, including Russia, supply the majority of highly polluting fuels, especially high-carbon energy sources. As a result, countries that depend heavily on Russian energy imports will likely shift to low-carbon energy sources like renewable and nuclear energy (IEA, 2022). Renewable energy is derived from natural resources, with wind and solar being two common examples. Nuclear energy and most forms of renewable energy produce little to no greenhouse gasses when generated, making them more sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels (United Nations, 2023). In addition to renewable energy sources, susceptible countries will have to focus more on energy efficiency to succeed in the long term (Besson V., 2022).
In conclusion, the Russia-Ukraine conflict deprived the EU of its primary energy supplier, leaving nations with little choice but to consider transitioning heavily into renewable and nuclear energy. In theory, the conflict should make EU nations more sustainable, as they may foresee futures in low-carbon energy sources. However, one question remains: is the transition to these alternative sources feasible? Only time will tell if renewable alternatives have what it takes to dominate the global energy market.
References
Besson, V. (2022, October 21). How the Russia/Ukraine crisis impacts energy industry? KPMG.
IEA. (2022). Russia’s War on Ukraine. IEA. https://www.iea.org/topics/russias-war-on-ukraine
IEA. (2023). Energy security. IEA. https://www.iea.org/topics/energy-security United Nations. (2023). What Is Renewable
Energy? United Nations; United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-renewable-energy
