Haley Zaremba
Europe is facing its third energy crisis in four years, this time triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, exposing the continent’s persistent dependence on fossil fuel imports.
Renewable energy overtook fossil fuels in Europe’s energy mix for the first time in 2025, but experts say deeper investment in wind, solar, and nuclear is the only path to true energy independence.
European leaders are pivoting hard toward next-gen nuclear technologies including small modular reactors — a dramatic reversal from the EU’s previous push to phase nuclear out.
For the third time in four years, Europe is waking up to discover that it has sleepwalked into yet another energy crisis." When Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, Europe was caught in an extremely compromised position, as it was dependent on Russian producers for 40 percent of its natural gas. When energy sanctions were slapped on the Kremlin, the impact on European energy markets was dire, with many families plunging into energy poverty.
In the years since that crisis, European leaders have made efforts to diversify their energy supplies and become more energy independent – but clearly it was not enough. Europe has experienced two crises since that invasion, both involving the closure of critical shipping lanes – first from conflict choking passage of the Red Sea in 2023 and 2024, and now thanks to the extended effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This newest crisis throws into sharp relief how dependent Europe remains on fossil fuels, and particularly on fossil fuel imports, rendering the continent highly vulnerable to such disruptions of trade routes.
"We swore we’d learn. We promised things would change but here we are," a ‘highly frustrated European diplomat’ was recently (anonymously) quoted by the BBC.
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