What Europe must do to get out of the gas crisis. Clò’s analysis
Sovereignty, diversification and technological neutrality. All the proposals of Alberto Clò, economist and energy expert, in his book “The blackmail of Russian gas. Reasons and responsibilities "
Putin “without the energy cleaver and without the energy crisis he had helped exacerbate, he would have had more difficulty invading and declaring war on Ukraine. The sanctions would have brought him to his knees much more than what is mildly happening ”. These are the conclusions of the book “The blackmail of Russian gas. Reasons and responsibilities ”(published by Sole 24 Ore) by Alberto Clò , Italian economist and academic. Former Minister of Industry and Foreign Trade of the Italian Republic in the technical government chaired by Lamberto Dini, Clò is one of the leading energy economists.
THE FAULTS OF EUROPE IN THE GAS CRISIS
Clò accuses, in particular, Europe that "if at every attack by Putin it had not fearfully turned away" it could have determined a different course of history. And in fact, adds the economist, "if Europe today says it is convinced of getting rid of Russian gas quickly, one wonders why it did not do it before, instead allowing things to turn for the worse". For this reason, Clò added, "it remains to be hoped that all these are at least a lesson" for the future.
ENERGY SOVEREIGNTY IS THE PRIORITY
The imperative remains, in the economist's opinion, "to get rid of Russian gas" because "there is no sovereignty, there is no possibility of peace, there is no freedom, if one is hostage in the supply of energy from countries that use them as weapon of political blackmail ". In a word, "energy security – a public good that the States must take charge of" through the policy "which must resume a decisive role, not being able to leave the achievement of objectives that the market is not able to achieve alone to market logic is a priority. discount ".
GIVE UP NATIONAL EGOISMS
In Clò's opinion, therefore, Europe, but more generally the entire West, should diversify gas supplies "by renouncing national selfishness in the name of a higher interest: the defense of the principles of self-determination of peoples and the defeat of resort to war ".
How? First of all with a policy made with "conviction, determination, will of all countries" capable of pushing Russia towards China on which "it would end up depending for the fate of its economy".
USE ALL TECHNOLOGIES
The final question, according to Clò, however, remains whether and in what times it will be possible to get rid of Russian gas: "It is possible – says the author – if we will make use of all available technologies and investing in new ones, in those that allow us to overcome the intermittency of renewable resources, so as not to require the replacement of gas plants; in the new generation of nuclear reactors; in green hydrogen: in carbon sequestration etc., actions that however require not short times ".
RENEWABLES, BIOFUELS AND SYNTHETIC FUELS
"In the meantime, it is necessary to maximize, on the supply side, the use of existing plants by developing the available options – from renewable resources to biofuels, biomethane, biogas, synthetic fuels – and on the demand side, increasing the commitment to increase the energy efficiency beyond the price effect that will contribute to it. We should strengthen the connection of the gas pipelines from Spain to the rest of Europe to have its large and underutilized regasification capacities, ”added the economist.
ITALY “HUB DEL GAS”?
Not only. For Clò, it is also necessary to develop gas transport infrastructures in the Mediterranean such as Eastmed , giving back to Italy "that role of gas hub towards Northern Europe that German domination had precluded". Finally, "the hydrocarbon reserves that Europe has at its disposal must be exploited" including shale oil.
THE RISK OF DEPENDENCE ON CHINA
And the European Green Deal? "It will have to be pursued but taking into account European interests as a priority, in order to avoid falling from the pan of Russia (for methane) into the embers of China (for renewables) (…) The environment must remain a priority but cannot be an obstacle until the goal is achieved. Because in the long term you have to get there alive ”.
ENERGY IS NOT A COMMODITY : IT IS POLITICAL
"Energy cannot be considered, therefore, as we were under the illusion it was with the opening to the market in the last nineties, a simple commodity similar to any other good, subject to normal market logic, free from constraints and obligations of interest general ”but it is“ a purely political fact ”. “The exceptional nature of the situation requires the use of exceptional measures. It would be tragic if this did not happen and we did not have to learn the lesson that comes to us from the terrible events of these days. Because our own freedom depends on this ”, concluded Clò.
(Article published on Energia Oltre )
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/cosa-deve-fare-leuropa-per-uscire-dalla-crisi-del-gas-parla-clo/ on Sun, 18 Sep 2022 06:11:32 +0000.