Energy prices could spike this winter, the head of the International Energy Agency has said.
If the Chinese economy strengthens quickly and there is a harsh winter, gas prices could rise, putting pressure on consumers, Fatih Birol said.
Mr Birol told the BBC’s Today programme that many European governments made “strategic mistakes”, including an over-reliance on Russia for energy, and that foreign policy had been “blindfolded” by short-term commercial decisions.
He said this winter “we cannot rule out” another spike in gas prices.
“In a scenario where the Chinese economy is very strong, buys a lot of energy from the markets, and we have a harsh winter, we may see strong upward pressure under natural gas prices, which in turn will put an extra burden on consumers,” he said.
