Energy supplies from Russia have already fallen significantly. In the meantime, politicians are not ruling out the possibility that gas could soon no longer flow through the important Nord Stream pipeline.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees Germany and the EU well prepared for a possible stop in gas supplies from Russia. However, the government and the network agency are calling on consumers and companies to save energy.
Everything had been done to import energy from other countries, Scholz said on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels. “This is an effort that must now be further accelerated.” That is a big challenge though. “But we’ll hook up there.”
The gas bottleneck in Europe and rising energy prices will also be a topic at the G7 summit, which Scholz will host from Sunday in Elmau, Bavaria.
Call to save energy
The federal government and the network agency call for energy saving. Everyone in industry and privately can contribute, said Netzagentur boss Klaus Müller in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. “And yes, that includes the jumper, the shower head, turning the heating down a bit. All of that helps.” Consumer Minister Steffi Lemke said that companies and public institutions are just as challenged as households.
Economics Minister Robert Habeck announced the second stage of the three-stage gas emergency plan on Thursday because Russia had throttled the delivery volume via the most important Nord Stream pipeline. The state-owned company Gazprom only pumps a maximum of 67 million cubic meters per day instead of 167 million. Smaller quantities of gas also flow from Russia to Germany via Waidhaus in Bavaria.
Scholz does not believe in Russian justification
Chancellor Olaf Scholz considers the Russian justification for the throttling of gas supplies to be false. “None of us believe that the technical reasons that Russian suppliers are currently giving for the reduction in gas supplies are correct,” said Scholz after an EU summit in Brussels. The gas supplier justified the step with delays in repair work.
With the lower delivery volumes, fears are growing that German gas storage facilities will not be sufficiently filled before winter. According to Müller, it is also possible that Russia will completely stop deliveries through the most important pipeline, Nord Stream. “We can’t rule it out.” His authority calculated different scenarios. “Most scenarios are not nice and mean either too little gas at the end of winter or – very difficult situation – in autumn or winter.”
Habeck accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of keeping prices high in Germany and Europe by reducing exports in order to stir up unrest. The federal government’s measures should also serve to unite society so that Putin does not win. “That’s what it’s about,” said the minister on ZDF’s “heute journal”. Putin’s spokesman rejected on Thursday that the throttling was politically motivated.
Is Russia turning off the gas tap?
Energy suppliers and politicians are concerned about the ten-day routine maintenance of Nord Stream, which begins on July 11. When asked if he feared that Russia would no longer deliver gas after that, Habeck said on RTL: “I would have to lie if I said I’m not afraid of it.”
In that case, it is feared that gas prices will continue to rise. The utilities still have no “right to adjust prices”. If the network agency activates a certain mechanism, they could pass on the higher prices to end consumers within a week. Price guarantees that are concluded with one-year contracts, for example, would then no longer apply. Passing on prices is intended to prevent utilities from collapsing.
Müller warned that prices could double or triple, depending on the building. Therefore, the citizens should save money and talk to the landlords in the direction of autumn. “Now there’s still something you can do.” Consumer Minister Lemke told the German Press Agency that private households and social facilities such as hospitals are particularly protected in all stages of the gas emergency plan.
Rising energy costs are also causing concern among tenants. The President of the German Tenants’ Association, Lukas Siebenkotten, told the editorial network Germany: “We are calling for a termination moratorium that ensures that no one can be terminated who cannot pay their utility bills on time due to sharply increased heating costs.”
The President of the German Association of Cities, Markus Lewe, called for municipal utilities to be secured. If they passed on the prices unchecked, “many people will no longer be able to afford their lives,” he told the “Rheinische Post”. On the other hand, if the prices were not passed on, there was a risk of bankruptcy.
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.
