MOSCOW, October 1 – Novosti. Sooner or later, Europe will be able to do without Russian energy resources, but only at the cost of the quality of its life and economy, Ilya Kalenkov, general director of Evropeyskaya Elektrotekhnika, told Novosti.
“To the question whether Europe will cope without Russia’s resources, we can safely answer that it will. But at what cost will this happen? After all, in general, you can heat with firewood and proudly declare that we did without Russian gas. You can close your production or transfer them to America . Naturally, this will reduce dependence on Russian gas, it will be needed less. But here the question is not to get by, but to maintain the quality of life, the quality of the economy,” the expert said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at the signing ceremony of agreements on the entry of new territories into Russia that the United States , pushing through the EU ‘s complete rejection of Russian energy carriers and other resources, is leading to the de-industrialization of Europe in order to completely “take over the European market.” The European elites understand this, but they prefer to serve other people’s interests, the Russian leader added.
As Kalenkov noted, the cost of electricity plays a key role in any serious production, be it ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, fertilizer production, or the automotive industry. Therefore, a significant increase in gas and electricity prices makes the European industry uncompetitive. A complete rejection of Russian supplies will lead to the fall of the European economy, its deindustrialization, and then to an increase in unemployment and a decrease in the quality of life in the region.
According to the expert, now no other energy source can compete with pipeline gas. “Yes, Europe has its own coal in certain quantities, there is even gas in some regions. But still, on the scale of the European economy, this is a small trifle compared to real needs,” he stressed.
“Of course, over time, everything can be overcome, some new reality will form,” the expert noted. Perhaps Europe will build nuclear power plants, but it will take 10-15 years. It can also develop wind and solar energy – but this will be productive only as an additional tool, and globally it will not help solve problems either in the short or long term, Kalenkov emphasized.
“Maybe they will agree on something with the Arabs. Maybe there will be breakthroughs in alternative energy and technologies. But in my opinion, in the next three years, European industry, first of all, and the European economy as a whole, will not expect anything good,” the expert concluded.
