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The Dutch city of The Hague will ask to be allowed to stick to its natural gas supply contract with Gazprom beyond October 10, when all EU governments and public institutions are required to end their deals with the Russian energy giant.
The Hague is asking for a temporary exemption from the EU’s sanctions against Russia as it struggles to find a replacement for Gazprom’s gas supplies.
The Dutch city is finding it difficult to secure alternative supplies
The city invited bids for a new supplier from within the EU in June and July, but failed to draw any bids. It is now conducting individual negotiations with potential suppliers, but an agreement is not expected to be reached by October 10, according to reports.
The Hague will ask for a temporary exemption until January 2023
The Hague is hoping to be allowed to keep buying gas from Gazprom until January 1, 2023 in order to ensure the security of supply during the upcoming winter. Although it is one of many Dutch municipalities buying Russian gas, The Hague is the first to announce plans not to end its supply contract with Gazprom.
The EU is seeking to end its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine. In May, the European Commission unveiled the REPowerEU plan, which aims to speed up the process, but the bloc is now faced with gas shortages.
The commission has also published a document on energy savings, detailing “short-term behavioral changes which could cut gas and oil demand by 5%.”
March 10, 2023
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Pretty embarrassing that the Hague is forced to buy gas from war criminals. And this is the location where Russian war criminals are supposed to be tried some day in the future? Unbelievable that they put themselves in this position. What is particularly galling is that it has been 8 years since Russia shot down an airliner full of Dutch citizens and has taken zero responsibility for it, still denying it to this day, and these people are still buying gas from Russia just because it’s cheaper? Wow. I don’t even know what to say about that. Sleazy.