Europe scrambles to reduce dependence on Russian gas

The price of gas is 10 times what it was at the start of 2021

Ships are loaded and unloaded at the port of Brunsbuettel, Germany (Frank Molter/dpa via AP)

Europe is scrambling to reduce its dependence on Russia for energy and bracing for potential disruption to critical natural gas supplies as Russia’s war in Ukraine sends prices to new highs.

Natural gas prices hit a record on Thursday for a second day in a row as restrictions on oil and gas were increasingly treated as a possibility on the eighth day of the war — whether through Western sanctions or Russian retaliation.