Europe's Gas Grids and Investors Gear Up for Reverse Flows

摘要

Europe's gas grid operators awoke six years ago to the realization that their networks were unfit to cope with a three-week cutoff in Russian gas supply via Ukraine (WGI Jan.21 '09). They quickly embarked on the ongoing task of reconfiguring pipelines built only to receive gas from the east (EC Nov. 14'14). The EU provided a clear incentive by putting up ?4 billion ($4.4 billion) to co-fund schemes under its 2014-20 'Projects of Common Interest' program, published in October 2013 (NC Oct. 17' 13). The latest annual Ten-Year Plan released last month by the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Gas shows much remains to be done to increase diversification in a system that remains over-reliant on indigenous, Russian and even Norwegian gas.