With Russia squeezing gas deliveries and power-plant outages further sapping supply, pressure is growing on EU leaders to act quickly or risk social unrest and political upheaval.

Bern has been working to build up Switzerland's energy production and storage systems, but even the grand opening next month of a new, powerful pumped-storage hydroelectric plant is unlikely to help avoid problems this winter.

Japan's biggest city gas supplier Tokyo Gas Co Ltd has signed a long-term contract with a new Russian operator of Sakhalin-2 energy project to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG), a spokesperson for the Japanese company said on Tuesday.

Brent rose 65 cents, or 0.6%, to $101.64 a barrel, WTI was up $1.22, or 1.3%, at $94.28

Benchmark Dutch front-month futures fell as much as 16%, partly reversing last week’s jump of almost 40%.

The transformation of the electricity system is buoyed by three key megatrends: decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization. Together, these primary trends, the so-called ‘3Ds’, are ushering in a new era of the electricity system by converging to produce game-changing disruptions and fundamentally reshaping the electricity system.

"Today, the Paks II NPP project is taking another leap forward," said Hungary's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. "The construction licence confirms that the project complies with the international and Hungarian safety requirements. It is entirely feasible that Hungary will have two new power units by 2030, thus ensuring the stability of energy supply."

Alexander Korchagin, Atomstroyexport senior vice president for NPP construction project management, said the El Dabaa project - where construction formally began last month - is an attractive project for international companies. KHNP is joining a pool of qualified participants in the construction works, including major Egyptian companies, he added.

The station, as stated in the technical specification, must operate at temperatures from minus 60 to plus 40 degrees Celsius. The Automated Control and Management System (ACS) must ensure stable operation of the reactor or its shutdown without the participation of operational personnel.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has recently called for Japan to work to restart its idled nuclear power reactors and to look into an expansion of nuclear energy as the country tackles a crisis of tight power supply and demand.