Guardian: Russia's gas deal with China underlines the risks to Europe's energy security

The gas deal announced last week saw agreement between Russia and China after 10 years of negotiation. The implications of Russia's turn eastward to seek a new energy partner should raise concerns in Europe over its own gas supply and wider energy security.

Gazprom's share of Europe's gas market reached approximately 30% in 2013. As the Ukraine crisis has soured relations between Russia and Europe, both sides are looking to diversify.

Europe's need to diversify away from Russian gas is hardly new. Russia's tendency to use gas as a political tool to put pressure on Ukraine and Europe has demonstrated the risks of relying on one partner. More globally, growing concern around climate change and its impact on national security as a "threat multiplier" has lent support to the world's reduced use of fossil fuels. Yet events in Ukraine and the Sino-Russian gas deal have accelerated the urgency with which Europe needs to seek new energy sources.

We still have some time to do so. Despite the deal with China, Russia in the short term will continue to need the European market. The 38bn cubic metres it plans to export to China is small compared to the 161.5bn cubic metres it exported to Europe in 2013. It is likely that China received some concession on price, given that this was the major sticking point delaying the deal since the discussions began, but it means that Russia's exports to China will not replace the revenue Russia relies on from its European exports. Russia will also have to pay to build the pipeline infrastructure to China, and gas will only be transported from 2018.  MORE