The head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Fatih Birol said, “Europe should be ready in case Russian gas is completely cut off,”.

“I believe the cuts are geared towards avoiding Europe filling storage, and increasing Russia’s leverage in the winter months” he added.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) also said Europe should keep its aging nuclear plants open, even though several European governments have been adamant about closing them down.

For example, on May 31, 2022, Germany’s economy minister Robert Habeck said that it would not be an option to prolong the life of Germany’s last three remaining nuclear reactors amid an energy supply crisis because “It would help too little at too high a cost all-round,”.
Habeck said that the benefits of nuclear energy offsetting the energy Germany takes in from Russia would not outweigh the risks nuclear has citing long lead times for fuel rods and cyber security threats.