Enlarge image
Economics Minister Robert Habeck: "More efficiency"
Photo: IMAGO/Political Moments
It is a message of encouragement, but at the same time an appeal to consumers: Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck 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 rent 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 are cut off,” said Habeck of the "Wirtschaftswoche".
At the same time, the Green politician pleaded 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 end up in an emergency devices.
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 of the economic risks of a gas freeze: "Even under the conditions mentioned, gas prices would then certainly be very high and the storage facilities 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.
EU pushes strategy for independence from Russia
Plans are also being worked out across the EU to get rid of Russian energy.
According to analyzes by the EU Commission, an additional 195 billion euros will have to be invested over the next five years.
In the middle of next week, the authority is expected to present its plan to supply the EU with long-term energy without using fossil fuels from Russia.
To this end, the Commission wants to set more ambitious goals for the expansion of renewable energies and energy saving, reports the dpa news agency, citing a draft.
At the same time, she points out that this could still be changed.
The aim of the strategy is therefore to rapidly reduce dependence on fossil fuels from Russia by driving the energy transition.
By 2030, 45 percent of the energy in the EU should come from renewable sources, instead of the previously planned 40 percent.
That would increase clean energy capacity to 1,236 gigawatts, compared to 511 gigawatts today – more than what was initially envisaged in the EU climate package.
According to the draft, the number of solar power systems should more than double by 2028, to 300 gigawatts.
The Commission also relies on climate-friendly hydrogen, which is produced from green electricity, for example.
By 2030, ten million tons of it will be produced in the EU and another ten million tons will be imported.
At the same time, it is proposed to reduce energy consumption by at least 13 percent by the end of the decade, instead of the nine percent previously planned.
The implementation of the goals is largely up to the countries, which could use money from the Corona development fund for reforms.
Overall, the strategy could save the EU around 80 billion euros a year in Russian gas imports, 12 billion in oil imports and 1.7 billion in coal imports, according to the draft.
"The lesson from the current situation must be that we should never again make ourselves so dependent on a single supplier," commented EU MP Markus Ferber (CSU) on the plans.
"But the Commission must not only develop long-term strategies for diversification, but also say in very concrete terms how we will get through next winter."
The draft is part of a larger package that will also include a detailed solar strategy and new rules for permitting green power plants.
Further plans for dealing with the high energy prices are also expected.
mmq/dpa
