EU agrees to cut natural gas use amid Russian supply fears

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union governments have agreed to reduce consumption of natural gas this winter to protect against further supply cuts by Russia as it pursues its invasion of Ukraine. EU energy ministers on Tuesday approved a draft law intended to lower demand for gas by 15% from August through March, although the measure contains exemptions for some countries. The legislation entails voluntary national steps to reduce gas consumption. But if they don’t yield enough savings, mandatory actions in the 27-member bloc would be triggered. Russian energy corporation Gazprom energy has said it would cut gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany to 20% of capacity starting Wednesday.