[ti:Europe's Governments Set to Spend Billions as Energy Crisis Deepens] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Europe is being hit with very unusual, [00:04.84]recovery-related energy increases. [00:09.92]This is causing worry that some families [00:13.88]will not be able to remain warm this winter. [00:19.40]Politicians are also concerned about the effects on elections [00:25.36]and the possibility that price increases [00:29.92]will cause inflation to increase. [00:34.56]The higher price of natural gas [00:37.64]is largely due to an increase in demand in Asia [00:42.64]and low supplies in Europe. [00:46.76]This has caused a 280 percent increase in the price of natural gas. [00:56.08]Electricity prices are also increasing because Europe [01:01.52]produces much of its electricity from natural gas. [01:08.00]The Russian government has decided not to increase gas supplies [01:13.96]that flow through Ukrainian pipelines, worsening the situation. [01:21.60]European neighbors are accusing Russia of extortion, [01:27.32]saying Russia is using the situation to get approval [01:32.96]of the newly completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline [01:38.40]that does not flow through the Ukraine. [01:42.88]The International Energy Agency and United States officials [01:49.80]have called on Russia to increase gas exports. [01:55.56]Amos Hochstein is a senior adviser [01:59.36]for energy security at the U.S. Department of State. [02:05.52]"The reality is there are pipelines [02:08.64]with enough capacity through Ukraine to supply Europe. [02:14.44]Russia has consistently said it has enough gas supply [02:19.88]to be able to do so, so if that is true, then they should, [02:26.88]and they should do it quickly through Ukraine," [02:30.52]he told Bloomberg TV. [02:34.36]Some members of the European Parliament [02:38.36]want the European Commission to examine Russia's [02:43.00]majority state-owned energy company Gazprom. [02:48.36]Lawmakers believe it is possible that Gazprom [02:53.08]is using the market for its advantage [02:56.28]and breaking EU competition rules. [03:00.72]In the not-too-distant future, [03:03.80]Europe could see factories and businesses reduce production, [03:09.56]which has caused warnings about food shortages. [03:15.24]British ministers have called emergency talks [03:20.32]with industry representatives on the problem [03:24.68]of increasing gas and electricity prices. [03:30.20]Seven natural gas suppliers [03:33.44]have gone bankrupt in the past six weeks [03:37.16]from a gas price increase of 70 percent in August. [03:43.56]Three others may face bankruptcy as well. [03:49.00]That is because suppliers cannot pass the full price increase [03:54.80]on to customers due to government restrictions on energy prices. [04:02.20]British households will see prices increase [04:06.40]several hundreds of dollars this winter. [04:11.32]British officials are considering giving some [04:14.96]of Britain's largest energy companies [04:18.52]state-backed loans to help ease the difficulties. [04:23.80]Other officials are not ready to use taxpayers' money. [04:30.12]Britain's business official, Kwasi Kwarteng, [04:34.36]told a group in parliament that the energy industry [04:39.16]must first "look to itself" for answers. [04:44.40]Other European governments are considering ways [04:48.48]to intervene in energy markets to keep lights on and homes warm. [04:55.92]They are considering billions of dollars of aid. [05:01.32]In Spain and Portugal, average energy prices [05:06.36]are three times what they were 6 months ago. [05:11.56]Spain's government plans to cut taxes on energy bills. [05:18.12]Norway offered some relief [05:20.96]by saying that its state-owned energy company [05:24.68]will increase production of natural gas in the North Sea. [05:31.32]In Italy, ministers have warned of electricity prices [05:36.40]jumping by 40 percent in the last three months of 2021. [05:43.76]They are creating emergency plans to deal with the increases. [05:50.52]Some Italian officials say $5.27 billion [05:57.24]is being considered to aid families. [06:01.56]Italy imports two-thirds of its energy needs. [06:07.04]I'm Gregory Stachel. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM