Why is the heating bill skyrocketing?

Britain is in a hurry, Italy is in a hurry! Natural gas shortage swept across Europe, and heating costs soared.

It is freezing in winter, and the temperature drops sharply. In this 65438+February, the European continent trembled collectively.

Since winter, the climate in Europe has been cold. These two days, the "Caroline" storm brought the first snow in London in five years; From Switzerland at the foot of the Alps to the fjords in Norway, the temperature since winter this year has been lower than the average level in previous years.

Met Office, the British weather forecast department, reported that the temperature in Britain is likely to be "quite low" this winter. Age UK, a charity dedicated to the elderly, warned that cold weather would have a "devastating impact" on the health of some elderly people.

However, sometimes "the house leaks and it rains all night", which is really what you are afraid of.

On June 2nd, 65438, at about 9 am local time, a natural gas pipeline exploded in Baumgarden, which is only 25 miles from Vienna, Austria, killing at least 1 person and injuring 2 1 person.

The pipeline where the accident occurred is the largest gas pipeline in Europe, and it is also the gateway for Russian natural gas to enter Western Europe. One tenth of Europe's natural gas consumption must be transported through this pipeline.

After the accident, European oil and gas commodity prices soared across the board!

In the London International Oil and Gas Exchange, natural gas futures for delivery next month soared by 23% in half a day, and the price of 73.7 natural gas futures for delivery on the same day once rushed to 73.7 p/therm even soared by 40%, with a price of 92 pence per gram.

Brent crude oil also hit a two-and-a-half-year high of $65.7 a barrel. European coal and gas prices traded in Leipzig, Germany, also rose.

Britain just closed a major North Sea oil and gas pipeline (1 1) on Monday, and Britain's largest gas storage base also closed this year. It can be predicted that the energy shortage in Britain will be a headache this winter. "Hungry for food" Britons even began to import canned liquefied natural gas from Qatar, and the voyage took several weeks.

This "gas shortage" has also spread to Central and Southern Europe. Italy's Ministry of Industry declared the country into a "state of emergency", and the natural gas futures delivered in Italy on the same day soared by 97%.

When winter comes, the heating costs in European countries will rise sharply in the future. This winter may be difficult for many people.

Age UK even called on the British people to pay special attention to the physical and mental health of the elderly around them in this winter when heating may be very difficult.

The largest natural gas pipeline in Europe exploded.

Austrian authoritative media APA reported that at about 8: 45 am local time (Beijing time 16: 45), there was a loud noise in Baumgarten-sur-March, and it was later determined that the gas pipeline exploded.

In the video uploaded by netizens, I saw that the scene of the explosion was full of flames, and it seemed that the situation was quite serious.

The media initially reported that more than 60 people may have been injured or killed in the accident, and one of them was missing and suspected to have died. The figures released by the police later were 1 dead and 18 injured. As of 0: 00 Beijing time (13), the latest figures released by Washington Post are 1 person killed and 2 1 person injured.

The police reported that the cause of the explosion was a "technical failure" of the pipeline. At present, the police have evacuated the area around the accident and sent 240 police officers to maintain order.

It is reported that the Baumgarden pipeline occupies a key position in the European natural gas transportation network. The natural gas imported by the EU from Russia will be imported into the Austrian natural gas network through this pipeline and then enter other European countries.

Swedish energy industry expert Bovik said, "The timing of this explosion really couldn't be worse. The energy supply this winter has been quite tight, and the energy price will remain high after the explosion. "

European energy prices have risen, and Italy has entered a state of emergency.

As early as September this year, there were signs of insufficient energy supply in Europe.

It is reported that the wholesale price of electricity in Germany rose by 34p per kWh this autumn, and the wholesale price of electricity in France rose by 40p per kWh. The wholesale price of electricity in Britain has increased by 50p per kWh, which is about RMB 4.3 yuan.

The reason for the continuous price increase lies in the market's concern about Europe's energy supply capacity. Germany still relies on burning coal to generate electricity to a large extent, and with the closure of coal mines in the future, the power supply will be affected; EDF provides 20% of France's electricity. This year, the French government ordered EDF to re-examine the protection measures of more than a dozen nuclear power plants, which made the outside world worry about the safety of nuclear power. Countries like Britain rely heavily on energy imports from the European continent.

After the explosion of 12, the prices of energy commodities in Europe also rose. At the European Energy Exchange in Leipzig, the price of natural gas rose by 3.8%, and the price of coal rose by about 2%.

Affected by this, on June 5438+02, the Italian Ministry of Industry issued a statement announcing that Italy entered a state of emergency and the transportation of natural gas imported from Russia was temporarily frozen.

The statement pointed out that "natural gas imported from Italy should be transported from Baumgarden to Travierso, Italy, so as to be connected to Italy's national energy network. Because of the explosion, this part of the transportation was temporarily frozen.

We hereby declare a state of emergency according to the regulations of the European Union on the national energy emergency plan. "

According to the Italian Ansa news agency, this trans-Austrian natural gas pipeline carries 30% of Italy's natural gas consumption, which is about/kloc-0.07 million cubic meters per day.

At present, the Italian Ministry of Industry claims that natural gas reserves can still be supported to ensure that consumers will not be affected.

The energy gap is huge, and Britain is looking for imports all over the world.

This winter will bring an unprecedented test to the "elasticity of energy supply" that the British are proud of.

In June this year, Centrica, the parent company of British Gas Company, announced the closure of Rough site which had been used for 32 years. This base is responsible for storing 70% of Britain's natural gas reserves, which is equivalent to 10% of Britain's winter peak consumption.

According to reports, for the energy gap caused by the closure of this base, many people in the British energy industry thought that Britain had great "supply flexibility" and could easily import energy without worrying.

However, on Monday (1 1), the Forties Pipeline, the main oil and gas pipeline in the British North Sea, cracked, and the pipeline operator Ineos announced that it would temporarily close the pipeline for technical inspection. Affected by this, Apache, which owns this pipeline, announced that it could not achieve this year's output target, and its share price fell by 10%. Brent crude oil price hit a two-and-a-half-year high, once reaching $65.7/barrel.

Last winter, 40% of Britain's heating energy came from North Sea oil and natural gas. The British people now have to be dissatisfied with the world's search for imported substitutes, but they are all "far away from water and not thirsty."

It is reported that Britain is currently seeking to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar, but the supply is difficult to guarantee.

According to the data of the shipping website Sea Distance, only one cargo ship from Qatar arrived in the UK with canned LNG last month, and another LNG cargo ship from the Russian Arctic Ocean may arrive this week. It may take several weeks to import canned LNG.

In this regard, Age UK is very worried about the winter situation of the elderly in Britain this year.

Age UK appealed for this.

"Some old people live in houses with inconvenient heating or high cost. The cold this winter may worsen their health.

In addition, the elderly may give up going out because of the cold weather, which will further aggravate their mental depression.

We need to pay attention to every old man around us to ensure that they can spend the winter safely. For example, visiting them at their home, chatting with them, or driving to help them buy daily necessities are of great help to the elderly suffering in the cold winter. "