EU slow electrification and Russian gasoline shortages highlight energy strain from Ukraine war

Fatih Birol, chief executive of the International Energy Agency, warned that the European Union’s electrification rate – only 23 % of total energy consumption – is a “grave error” that undermines competitiveness and energy sovereignty. He urged the bloc to match the 30 %+ electrification pace of Asian economies. The European Commission plans to adopt a regulatory shock package aimed at lowering electricity prices relative to gas, capping industrial electricity at no more than twice the household gas price by 2030. Birol noted that around 600 GW of clean‑energy projects are ready but idle because national grids cannot absorb them.

In Russia, extensive Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries have left only two of the ten largest plants operating. About a quarter of the country’s gas stations lack fuel, and gasoline production has fallen 26‑29 % to roughly 85,000 tonnes per day. Imports are being arranged from India and China, while limited supplies arrive from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Analysts say the shortage strains civilian mobility but does not yet threaten military operations or cause an economic collapse.