Central and Eastern Europe beyond gas imports

The report analyzes the energy strategy of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) countries, finding that planned LNG and pipeline capacity will significantly exceed projected gas demand by 2030. It warns that this creates a risk of stranded assets and security vulnerabilities due to global price volatility. The author advocates for shifting investment from gas infrastructure to wind, solar, and grid interconnectors, noting that 3SI countries could reach a 67% renewable electricity share by 2030.

• Gas import capacity in Three Seas Initiative (3SI) countries is projected to exceed the historical volume of Russian pipeline gas imports as early as 2025, meaning consumption would need to grow beyond replacing Russian gas to justify the infrastructure.
• Based on ENTSO-E scenarios, total gas demand in 3SI countries is expected to fall by 2030, while the combined capacity of domestic production and North-South import routes (LNG and pipelines) will exceed that demand by 40%, or 24 bcm.
• The Three Seas Initiative has historically prioritized fossil fuels over electricity; of its 41 energy priority projects, 20 are focused on gas infrastructure expansion, while only one is dedicated to electricity interconnection.
• There is significant potential for renewable energy growth in the region; deploying 160 GW of solar, 60 GW of onshore wind, and 23 GW of offshore wind by 2030 could increase the renewable share of electricity generation to 67% and reduce power prices by 27%.

APA

Ember (2024). Central and Eastern Europe beyond gas imports. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/central-and-eastern-europe-beyond-gas-imports

Chicago

Ember. Central and Eastern Europe beyond gas imports. 2024. https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/central-and-eastern-europe-beyond-gas-imports.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Central and Eastern Europe beyond gas imports |date=5 March 2024 |url=https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/central-and-eastern-europe-beyond-gas-imports |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2024central, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Central and Eastern Europe beyond gas imports}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/central-and-eastern-europe-beyond-gas-imports}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }