Europe's Covid-19 impact to stretch into 2021
Forecaster predicts that countries will take a managed approach, spreading the outbreak over many months
Consultancy Rystad Energy expects the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on European countries, and thus their energy demand, to last “the entirety of 2020 and, in some cases, into 2021”, as nations opt for a more gradualist quarantine method of tackling the outbreak rather than the East Asian lockdown approach. CEO Jarand Rystad concludes that the lockdowns rolled out by countries such as China to slow the rapid spread of the virus are not sustainable in the long term in Europe as injection rates will simply spike again once the measures are withdrawn. Instead, Rystad expects countries to have to manage widespread exposure with measures tailored to limit infections to a manageable burden
Also in this section
2 April 2026
Alongside a rapid continued build-out of renewables, China’s latest five-year plan stresses the value of domestic hydrocarbon production for energy security and calls for increased Russian gas imports
2 April 2026
The government is taking important steps to revive domestic production, lift investment and benefit from the geopolitical crisis even if more needs to be done in the longer term
1 April 2026
Golden Pass’s startup offers QatarEnergy a timely boost but may also force a difficult choice between honouring disrupted contracts and capitalising on soaring spot LNG prices
1 April 2026
It is not a case of if or when, but the length and magnitude of economic damage from elevated oil prices






