EU Commission looks to clobber generators and producers
Executive body puts forward a range of measures but backs away from a gas price cap for now
The European Commission has proposed demand reduction measures, a cap on generator revenues and a windfall tax on oil and gas companies to mitigate the impact of the continent’s looming energy crisis this winter. “These are all emergency and temporary measures we are working on,” says Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. Firstly, the Commission is calling for coordinated demand reduction across the bloc and proposes an obligation for member countries to cut “electricity consumption by at least 5pc during selected peak price hours”. It also suggests that member states “aim to reduce overall electricity demand by at least 10pc” until the end of the first quarter next year but has left it
Also in this section
16 January 2026
The country’s global energy importance and domestic political fate are interlocked, highlighting its outsized oil and gas powers, and the heightened fallout risk
16 January 2026
The global maritime oil transport sector enters 2026 facing a rare convergence of crude oversupply, record newbuild deliveries and the potential easing of several geopolitical disruptions that have shaped trade flows since 2022
15 January 2026
Rebuilding industry, energy dominance and lower energy costs are key goals that remain at odds in 2026
14 January 2026
Chavez’s socialist reforms boosted state control but pushed knowledge and capital out of the sector, opening the way for the US shale revolution






