Several European gas-consuming organizations have filed for bankruptcy due to the high cost of this energy carrier, the Independent newspaper writes.

Four small energy companies have not been able to withstand price increases in Britain in recent weeks. It is hard for fertilizer producers who use natural gas as a raw material. Heavy industry, which consumes large amounts of heat, and aluminum and cement producers are also suffering, the article says.

The head of the US National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) Mark Wolfe noted that people are used to the low cost of fuel during the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The resumption of industrial production and other sectors of the economy has increased the demand for raw materials and spurred its price, he added. According to experts, the wars that have been staged by the electric power companies for ships with LNG lead to a rise in the price of gas.

The article clarifies that consumers in the US, Europe and Asia will have significantly higher heating bills this winter. According to NEADA, the cost of energy in the United States could rise by 30%, and the average cost of heating households will soar to $ 750, compared with $ 572 last winter.

Gas prices in Europe have been growing since last year and are breaking records. A month ago, the estimated cost of fuel slightly exceeded $ 500 per thousand cubic meters, and at the end of September it reached $ 1,200. This is happening despite the fact that Russia is fulfilling all contractual obligations for supplies to the continent: their volume has already approached the historical maximum.