Brussels has asked EU countries to cut their gas use by 15 per cent and set out emergency plans ahead of winter when it anticipates severe disruption to gas supplies from Russia.
The European Commission on Wednesday said the 15 per cent reduction in gas consumption should last between August 1 and the end of March next year, compared with the average in the same period over the past five years.
The plan comes as Russian president Vladimir Putin, speaking in Tehran, signalled that gas would start flowing again through a crucial pipeline to Europe, but at a reduced rate. The pipeline, Nord Stream 1, is still closed for maintenance until Thursday. Europe has been on tenterhooks waiting to see whether Russia would restart flows of gas through the pipeline as planned.