Energy Sec. Perry urges more European countries to diversify gas suppliers

Nov. 26, 2018
US Energy Sec. Rick Perry congratulated the Czech Republic on breaking free of its dependence on the Russian Federation for natural gas in the 1990s and called on other European nations to similarly diversify their suppliers now.

US Energy Sec. Rick Perry congratulated the Czech Republic on breaking free of its dependence on the Russian Federation for natural gas in the 1990s and called on other European nations to similarly diversify their suppliers now.

“The dangers of excessive dependence were highlighted in 2006, 2009, and 2014…[when] Russia cut off gas supplies to and through Ukraine, harming that nation as well as other European allies and friends,” he said in Prague on Nov. 14.

That is the main reason US President Donald Trump and his administration oppose the proposed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, Perry said.

“Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream are not commercial projects as their proponents proclaim,” Perry said. “They are naked political gambits aimed at driving a wedge between Europeans. They would increase Russia’s leverage over Europe’s foreign policy, and Europe’s vulnerability to a supply disruption.”

Projects like Nord Stream 2 would deliver multiple blows to Europe’s energy diversity and security, Perry warned. “We encourage our European partners to view these projects with appropriate skepticism, and to seek sources for their energy besides the Russian Federation.”

While the US does not oppose Russia’s continuing to export gas to Europe, “we believe Russian producers must abide by the same rules as other suppliers,” he added.

Transatlantic energy partnership

Perry noted that while he was in Bucharest in September for the Three Seas Summit, he announced the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation. “Through this partnership, we’ll work with Europe to catalyze investment for the north-south energy corridor and beyond in order to ensure access to diverse energy sources of all types and origins,” he said.

He said the US endorses key pipeline interconnectors across Central and Eastern Europe, a region which relies heavily on imported Russian gas. He also commended the Czech Republic for showing the world how a former Soviet satellite can break its reliance on a single gas supplier.

“By building pipelines with your neighbors, and by having adequate storage facilities, you have the infrastructure you need to import energy from multiple sources, making you far less vulnerable to supply disruptions or threats to create such disruption,” Perry said. “And let me also applaud you for reforming your gas market so your prices are now driven by supply and demand, not political negotiations with the Kremlin.”

He also urged European countries to look west across the Atlantic Ocean as they diversify their gas supply sources.

“By any measure, the US has plenty of LNG to provide,” said Perry. “Last year, we became a net exporter of gas for the first time since 1957. We have already shipped LNG to 31 nations on five continents,” he said, adding, “Simply stated, no one has more LNG than America, and America is open for business.”