EU could exit Russian gas within a year, US energy chief says

The US energy secretary told Reuters exclusively that the EU could end all Russian gas imports within a year. That is a notably aggressive timeline relative to the European Commission's own REPowerEU schedule, which targets 2027 for full phase-out. No specific volumes or member-state carve-outs were disclosed in the report, so the claim should be read as a political signal rather than a confirmed operational plan.

The backdrop matters for power markets: any accelerated gas exit tightens the TTF supply curve and raises floor prices for gas-fired generation across Central and Eastern European bidding zones still exposed to Russian supply. Replacing that gas (whether with US LNG, Norwegian pipeline volumes, or accelerated renewable build) carries different cost and lead-time profiles that affect capacity adequacy assessments through at least 2027.

Separately, Poland confirmed it will choose a strategic partner for its second nuclear plant in 2027, per Reuters. Combined with the first plant already in development, Poland's nuclear programme reduces its long-run gas dependency but adds negligible capacity before the mid-2030s, leaving the gas-exit question squarely a near-term policy and contracting problem.