Letter from Europe: Retail gas market intervention safer than wholesale
The EU’s proposals to cap wholesale gas prices could result in unintended consequences
The European Commission has an impossible task: to advance a legislative proposal that seeks to limit upside to gas prices without simultaneously endangering security of supply. Any price cap is market distortionary by nature and entails very significant risks as it can limit Europe’s ability to attract LNG. Additionally, a cap set at or below market prices could curtail the market’s ability to trigger the demand reductions necessary to inject enough gas into storage over the course of next summer in preparation for winter 2023–24. As a result, there are only two ways in which a price cap could be implemented while still limiting its dangers to Europe’s security of supply. One option would b
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy






