The EU will phase out the use of all Russian oil, gas and nuclear energy, the European Commission has announced.
The proposals will need to be approved by the European Parliament and EU governments including Ireland.
The European Commission says that whilst it proceeds with the phase out, it will also ensure “stable energy supplies and prices across the [European] Union”.
“We have diversified our energy supply and drastically reduced Europe’s former dependency on Russian fossil fuels. It is now time for Europe to completely cut off its energy ties with an unreliable supplier”, said European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU is planning for a big ramping up of Liquefied natural gas (LNG) to make up the shortfall.
The European Commission says global LNG supplies are foreseen to grow rapidly which will help meet increasing EU demand.
The Irish government approved the construction of its first offshore LNG terminal back in March.
Ireland’s then Minister for Energy, Darragh O’Brien, at the time said that the terminal will be used for the state’s strategic reserve and not for commercial use.
The EU has reduced its use of Russian pipeline and LNG gas from 45 percent before the war in Ukraine down to 19 percent in 2024.
The European Commission now intends to outlaw all new gas contracts with Russia with the aim of stopping all remaining imports of Russian gas by the end of 2027.
Last year, ten EU member states imported Russian natural gas, three member states imported Russian oil, and six member states imported enriched uranium or uranium services for nuclear power from Russia, according to the European Commission.
Unlike gas, the EU has not set a deadline for the phase out of oil and nuclear energy.
“The Commission will work with the Member States to ensure that the EU-wide phaseout of Russian energy imports will be gradual and well-coordinated across the Union.
They will be asked to prepare national plans by the end of this year setting out how they will contribute to phasing out imports of Russian gas, nuclear energy and oil”, the European Commission said.
The EU also hints of an increased use of renewable energy.
“All the measures will be accompanied by continuous efforts to accelerate our energy transition
and diversify energy supplies”, the European Commission said.