EU Aims to Control Russian Natural Gas Prices
2022-09-08
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The European Union has proposed price controls on Russian gas.
2The group made the proposal Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin threatened to halt all energy supplies if the EU took such a step.
3The price dispute raises the possibility of energy rationing in some of the world's richest countries this winter.
4The rising tensions could cause European gas prices to rise even more.
5EU governments are planning to spend billions of dollars to support energy providers and to prevent citizens from going without heat this winter.
6Europe has accused Russia of using energy supplies as a weapon in response to Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
7Russia blames those sanctions for causing the gas supply problem, which it says is a result of damaged pipelines.
8Putin has said that energy contracts could be canceled if price limits are put in place.
9He also warned that gas supplies could be frozen.
10But the EU plans to move ahead with price limits on Russian gas.
11The EU is also controlling the price of electricity from generators that do not use natural gas.
12EU energy ministers plan to hold an emergency meeting on Friday.
13Ursula von der Leyen is the European Commission President.
14She told reporters: "We will propose a price cap on Russian gas... We must cut Russia's revenues which Putin uses to finance this atrocious war in Ukraine."
15Putin said Russia would react to price caps by cutting off supplies.
16"We will not supply anything at all if it contradicts our interests,"Putin said at an economic meeting in Eastern Russia.
17"We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil - we will not supply anything."
18Europe usually imports about 40 percent of its gas and 30 percent of its oil from Russia.
19There were signs of division among EU members over the plan to control prices.
20A Czech minister said it should not be discussed during Friday's meeting, saying it would not be helpful.
21"It is not a constructive proposal... It is more another way to sanction Russia than an actual solution to the energy crisis in Europe," Minister Jozef Sikela said.
22The Czech Republic is helping to guide discussions as the current holders of the EU's presidency.
23Eurelectric is a group representing the European electricity industry.
24It criticized plans for a cap of 200 euros per megawatt hour on the price of electricity from generators that do not run on gas.
25A megawatt hour is a measure of electrical power.
26Kristian Ruby is the Secretary General of Eurelectric.
27Instead of price limits, he said EU governments should deal with the gas supply shortages and Europe's dependency on fossil fuels.
28Europe's energy crisis has gotten more severe after an additional supply cut by Russia's state-owned Gazprom.
29The company fully suspended gas supplied through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany.
30Gazprom had said it found an engine leak in the pipeline last week.
31Putin has rejected claims that Russia was using gas as a weapon.
32He said Western sanctions were affecting the supply of replacement parts.
33He said a shortage of parts was to blame for the pipeline not being operational.
34I'm Dan Novak.
1The European Union has proposed price controls on Russian gas. The group made the proposal Wednesday after President Vladimir Putin threatened to halt all energy supplies if the EU took such a step. 2The price dispute raises the possibility of energy rationing in some of the world's richest countries this winter. 3The rising tensions could cause European gas prices to rise even more. EU governments are planning to spend billions of dollars to support energy providers and to prevent citizens from going without heat this winter. 4Europe has accused Russia of using energy supplies as a weapon in response to Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Russia blames those sanctions for causing the gas supply problem, which it says is a result of damaged pipelines. 5Putin has said that energy contracts could be canceled if price limits are put in place. He also warned that gas supplies could be frozen. 6But the EU plans to move ahead with price limits on Russian gas. The EU is also controlling the price of electricity from generators that do not use natural gas. 7EU energy ministers plan to hold an emergency meeting on Friday. 8Ursula von der Leyen is the European Commission President. She told reporters: "We will propose a price cap on Russian gas... We must cut Russia's revenues which Putin uses to finance this atrocious war in Ukraine." 9Putin said Russia would react to price caps by cutting off supplies. 10"We will not supply anything at all if it contradicts our interests,"Putin said at an economic meeting in Eastern Russia. "We will not supply gas, oil, coal, heating oil - we will not supply anything." 11Europe usually imports about 40 percent of its gas and 30 percent of its oil from Russia. 12Disagreement in EU 13There were signs of division among EU members over the plan to control prices. A Czech minister said it should not be discussed during Friday's meeting, saying it would not be helpful. 14"It is not a constructive proposal... It is more another way to sanction Russia than an actual solution to the energy crisis in Europe," Minister Jozef Sikela said. The Czech Republic is helping to guide discussions as the current holders of the EU's presidency. 15Eurelectric is a group representing the European electricity industry. It criticized plans for a cap of 200 euros per megawatt hour on the price of electricity from generators that do not run on gas. A megawatt hour is a measure of electrical power. 16Kristian Ruby is the Secretary General of Eurelectric. Instead of price limits, he said EU governments should deal with the gas supply shortages and Europe's dependency on fossil fuels. 17Europe's energy crisis has gotten more severe after an additional supply cut by Russia's state-owned Gazprom. The company fully suspended gas supplied through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany. Gazprom had said it found an engine leak in the pipeline last week. 18Putin has rejected claims that Russia was using gas as a weapon. He said Western sanctions were affecting the supply of replacement parts. He said a shortage of parts was to blame for the pipeline not being operational. 19I'm Dan Novak. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters. 21_______________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23ration - v. a set amount of something that the government lets you have because there is not enough of it 24sanctions - n. (pl.) measures meant to force a country to obey international law by limiting or stopping trade with that country 25generator - n. a company that creates electricity 26cap - n. a limit on the price a seller can ask a buyer to pay 27atrocious - adj. very bad, very evil or cruel 28contradict - v. to not agree with 29megawatt (hour) - n. a measure of electrical power equal to one million watts (during a period of time) 30fossil fuel - n. a carbon-based fuel such as coal, oil or natural gas