After shutting down the gas taps in Poland and Bulgaria, German authorities argue that supplies to German customers are not currently at risk. – The Ministry of Economy stated that the security of supplies is now guaranteed.
The most important connection between Russia and Germany is Nord Stream 1 . gas pipelineAnd It extends to the bottom of the Baltic Sea bypassing Poland and Belarus. In recent years, Germany covered 55 percent of your gas needs Delivery from Russia. right Now They try to reduce this dependency in a hurry.
However, the report of the Ministry of Economy submitted to the Bundestag mentions “There is a serious risk that the situation will escalate And Russian suppliers will either stop fulfilling their obligations under the treaty, or they will only perform to a limited extent.”
The German government does not want to immediately abandon Russian gas, because it fears negative repercussions on the economy. Chancellor Olaf Schuse has made it clear on numerous occasions that in such a situation entire sectors of Germany’s economy would be at risk. The Ministry of Economy expects a recession in the event of a halt in supplies.
But dependence on Russia is waning. – Currently, the share of Russian supplies is already 35 percent – Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced. German gas storage facilities are also slowly starting to fill up. From Federal Agency data. The networks show that the mobilization level is the same as in the spring of 2017, and is higher than last spring.
According to the announcement, by the end of the year, the share of Russian gas in Germany’s supply will decrease to about 30 percent, essentially. Thanks to the purchase of LNG. Habek says extensive work is underway to commission the LNG plants. By the summer of 2024, the share of Russian gas is expected to reach 10 percent.
LNG plays a central role as an alternative supply from RussiaImported from all over the world by ship. The Minister of Economy was, among other things, in Qatar, Dubai and Norway to negotiate related agreements.
The German government relies on the so-called floating stations. In simple terms, private ships collect gas in front of the port and pump it via short connections on shore. These vessels are able to recycle the liquefied gas back to its original form. The Germans secured three such ships – there are not so many of them in the world.
However, ground stations are a problem, receiving liquefied gas and changing the assembly status. European options are limited. There is no such station in Germany. With state support, it will be built in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel. There are also talks about a third – near Hamburg.
The first works at the station are scheduled to begin in Wilhelmshaven next week. LNG imports will start here at the beginning of next year.
The government in Berlin also wants to amend the energy security law. It provides for the possibility of expropriation by companies of importance to critical infrastructure. It also describes who will be able to rely on gas in the event of a supply disruption. Parliament has yet to approve changes to the law, and the government hopes that will happen in May.
Warehouses also play an important role. To ensure that it was sufficiently full, unlike the previous winter, the Warehouse Act was adopted. According to the new regulations, gas tanks must be 90 percent full at the beginning of November.
At the same time, the Ministry of Economy insists on the largest gas saving. However, it seems that due to the high prices, the savings potential of this move has already been exhausted. It was also decided that for the time being coal-fired power plants – although harmful to the environment – would also support gas-fired power plants. The use of renewable energy sources is also being accelerated, and buildings are equipped with heat pumps. However, these decisions need time to be effective.
Dirk Ulrich Kaufmann / Deutsche Welle Polish editors
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