“The situation is serious,” Habek said in a statement. “Therefore, we continue to strengthen precautionary measures and take additional measures to reduce gas consumption. This means that gas consumption must fall even more, but more gas must be used in storage facilities, otherwise things will really tighten up in the winter. ”
Germany relied heavily on Moscow’s gas to power its homes and heavy industry, but managed to reduce Moscow’s share of its imports to 35% from 55% before the start of the war in Ukraine.
Habek said security of supply is currently guaranteed despite the “deteriorating gas market situation” in recent days. Rising prices were “the strategy of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to upset us, raise prices and divide us,” Habek said.
“We will not allow this. We respond decisively, precisely and thoughtfully, “he said.
Despite Germany’s plans to abandon coal-fired power, Habek, a Green Party politician in the center-left ruling coalition, has announced a return to “transitional coal-fired power plants” to reduce gas consumption for electricity production. .
“We are creating a reserve to replace gas on call. “It is bitter, but it is almost necessary in this situation to reduce gas consumption,” Habek said.
Gas storage rules
Habek’s ministry is preparing “a model of a gas tender to be launched this summer to encourage industrial gas consumers to save gas,” according to the press release. Industry has been a key factor in reducing gas consumption, Habek said.
In March, German lawmakers passed a gas storage law that requires gas storage facilities to be almost full at the start of the heating season to pass safely in the winter.
“For this purpose, filling levels have been set: by October 1, the warehouses must be 80% full, by November 1 90%, and on February 1 still 40%,” according to the law.
Currently, about 56% of gas storage tanks are filled to an above-average level in Germany compared to previous years, although storage levels were at their lowest levels at the beginning of the year.
“We must and will do everything possible to store as much gas as possible in summer and autumn. Gas storage facilities must be full by winter. This is the main priority,” Habek said.
In March, Putin threatened to cut gas supplies to “unfriendly” countries that refused to pay in rubles instead of euros or dollars specified in the treaties.
Since then, Russian state energy giant Gazprom has been offering customers a solution. Buyers can make payments in euros or dollars to an account at Russia’s Gazprombank, which will then convert the funds into rubles and transfer them to a second account from which the payment will be made to Russia.
But many European companies, including Shell Energy, refused to comply, prompting Gazprom to cut off natural gas supplies to Shell’s German customers in June.
On Thursday, Gazprom cut off flows through Gazprom’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline – the main artery connecting Russian gas to Germany – for the second time in days, causing prices to soar.
The Russian energy giant has said it has cut gas supplies as German company Siemens Energy has delayed the return of turbines in need of repair.
Siemens had taken the turbines to one of its Canadian maintenance plants. A statement on Tuesday said it was “impossible” to return Russia’s equipment due to sanctions imposed by Canada on its invasion of Ukraine.
In response to Gazprom’s move, Habek said the justification for announcing further cuts in gas supplies to Europe was a “pretext” and a strategy to raise prices.
Add Comment