Turmes stressed that “energy sanctions are what hurts Putin the most”. However, Luxembourg cannot take a unilateral approach, the Minister stated, but the government intends to work towards a European solution.
The Minister for Energy acknowledged that Luxembourg imports “practically no gas from Russia” and instead gets most of its imports from Belgium. Nevertheless, Turmes emphasised that energy sanctions must be “well thought out” on a European level.
The Green Party politician confirmed that sanctions on coal have already been decided. These would also pose “no problem” to Luxembourg, as the Grand Duchy does not really use coal anymore. As for oil and diesel, Turmes stated that Europe should start looking “elsewhere”.
Sanctions on gas imports, on the other hand, would lead to more severe consequences for the European economy. Even if the Grand Duchy would be less impacted by them, as Turmes acknowledged.
The Minister explained that if the EU were to stop all gas imports immediately, people should be aware that several industrial companies would have to be shut down “over the next few winters” in order to guarantee gas supply for private households. This problem would particularly affect Germany, according to Turmes.
Turmes stated that he remains in contact with his German counterpart, Robert Habeck, about this particular issue but also stressed the importance of finding a European solution.
A unilateral approach, such as the one announced by Lithuania, is not an option for Luxembourg, Turmes said. “The war has already done enough to divide Europe,” the Minister explained, adding that it would “send the wrong message” if every country started taking its own decisions.
Turmes nevertheless agreed that accelerating the transition to renewable energies is a key element of climate policies. The long-term storage of power is a particular challenge in that regard.
According to the Minister, one potential solution is green hydrogen, which can be stored in underground caves to be used in times when there is less solar or wind energy. Turmes added that the electricity grid itself also acts as a storage and runs across the entire European continent “from Portugal to the Baltic countries”.
The Green Party politician thinks that rather than a lack of storage capacity, the main challenge is moving forward with solar and wind energy. While saving energy is generally an “efficient” approach, Turmes once again spoke out in favour of a European campaign.
“We should try and save energy out of solidarity with Ukraine, but also for the sake of climate protection,” the Minister said.
European approaches could include lowering speed limits across European motorways or two mandatory days of telework per week, according to Turmes.
