As Russia threatens to cut off gas supplies during the winter, some European countries are trying to secure energy for the coldest period of the year.

On the other hand, it means giving up on climate promises in favor of reviving coal-fired power plants.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that Europe must be prepared for the fact that Russia will cut off all gas exports during the winter.

While acknowledging that this is not the possible scenario, it could be on the table as the country seeks to gain ground in relation to the invasion of Ukraine.

IEA chief Fatih Birol told

that measures taken by European governments have not gone far enough to guarantee the readiness of the power supply for a possible outage.

He added that the bloc needs a new plan - especially when it comes to gas.

And while the EU is working to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuels, some member states warn that this could mean burning more coal to bridge the energy gap.

Last week, Russia reduced the capacity of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline by 60 percent, blaming a technical problem.

This is one of the main ways in which the country brings its gas to Europe.

Germany and Austria announced an emergency resumption of coal-fired power plants on Sunday.

The Netherlands is following suit, removing all restrictions on fossil fuel power plants.

Previously, they were limited to just over a third of the country’s electricity generation.

Other EU countries, including Italy, are expected to put their old coal-fired power plants into operation as the energy crisis worsens.

In a recent report, the IEA announced that nearly 2.3 trillion euros would be invested in the energy sector this year - including record spending on renewable energy.

The agency found that investments in oil and gas could not meet the growing demand for energy without a shift towards cleaner technology.

"We can not afford to ignore today's global energy crisis or climate crisis, but the good news is that we do not have to choose between them - we can deal with both at the same time," Birol said.