What if Russia turns off the gas supply after all? According to the Federal Network Agency, the filling of the gas storage has been too slow. Now there should be more speed from June.
In view of an imminent gas crisis in the conflict with Russia, the largest German storage facility in Rehden, Lower Saxony, is to be filled more quickly.
If you store there “with great energy and momentum” from the beginning of June, you can comply with the filling specifications of the Gas Storage Act, said the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, to Deutschlandfunk in an interview broadcast on Sunday. So far, the filling has been too slow.
The storage facility, which is halfway between Osnabrück and Bremen, was previously in the hands of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom. Its German subsidiary is now under the control of the network agency. Müller said that on closer examination of the trusteeship, one noticed that ownership of the memory and the rights to storage are not necessarily the same. “We had to clarify that first. But we were able to clarify that in the meantime.”
In addition, you need strong interim financing because you have to buy gas at high prices today in order to be able to resell it in autumn and winter, said the head of the authority. A solution had been announced for this interim financing.
Possible Russian delivery stop should be compensated
Germany is currently trying to fill up the gas storage tanks quickly before winter, in order to be able to compensate for a Russian delivery stop if necessary. Even after the attack on Ukraine, Russia emphasized that it was a reliable supplier. However, there are fears that Gazprom could turn off the faucet in the dispute over payment terms. The federal government and business associations reject a gas embargo against Russia because they fear an economic crisis in Germany if this were to happen.
According to new legal requirements, the gas storage tanks must be 90 percent full by November 1st at the start of the heating season. According to the network agency, on Friday it was 47.5 percent. The gas storage facility in Rehden, on the other hand, is almost empty.
In the event of an emergency in winter, the federal government also hopes to already have terminals in operation with which liquid gas from tankers can be converted into normal gas. “As of today, it looks like we will be able to do that in Wilhelmshaven this year and probably in Brunsbüttel at the beginning of next year,” said Müller.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
