In winter: Habeck: Germany could survive gas boycott

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) believes it is possible that Germany could cope with a Russian gas boycott as early as next winter.

“If we have full storage at the turn of the year, if two of the four floating LNG tankers we have rented are already connected to the grid and if we save significantly on energy, we can get through the winter to some extent if Russian gas supplies break down,” said Habeck of the «Wirtschaftswoche».

Save ten percent

Habeck pleaded again for saving energy. “Less consumption is the be-all and end-all when it comes to gas.” If it is possible to save ten percent over the next two years in industry and in private households, according to the minister, “then these are the decisive percentages in order not to get into an emergency. Everyone should take part. More efficiency is a key lever against Putin,” he said.

According to Habeck, two of the four liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships ordered for Germany already replace almost a quarter of Russian natural gas imports. Despite the progress, Habeck warned in an interview with “Wirtschaftswoche” about the economic risks of a gas stop: “Even under the conditions mentioned, gas prices would then certainly be very high and the storage tanks would be empty at the end of winter.”

Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas. Demands for a gas embargo, for example, are therefore controversial. According to the latest information from the Economics Ministry, Germany’s dependence on Russian gas has fallen from 55 percent to around 35 percent since the beginning of the war. According to this, a gradual reduction to ten percent of gas consumption is possible by summer 2024.