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Headquarters of the gas importer VNG in Leipzig
Photo: Jan Woitas / dpa
The gas supplier VNG should quickly receive state aid: “VNG officially said today that they need state support, and we will get it,” said Economics Minister Robert Habeck.
"We are on a very, very good path and that will be clarified in a timely manner." Several news agencies reported unanimously.
Because of the energy crisis, the gas supplier VNG got into financial difficulties and had therefore applied for help from the state.
The background is the lack of Russian gas supplies, which now have to be replaced at great expense from other sources.
According to the company, it is about "enabling the continuation of business activities".
According to its own statements, VNG, based in Leipzig, had an invoiced turnover of 18.5 billion euros in 2021 and employed around 1,500 people.
The company covered around a fifth of Germany's gas requirements last year and is considered "systemically important": the third-largest gas supplier, the second-largest long-distance network operator, and the second-largest operator of biogas plants.
VNG has already applied for payments from the controversial gas surcharge, which is to be levied from October 1st.
However, according to the company, this is not enough.
VNG explained the background in a statement: "Gas volumes affected by Russian supply failures, some of which have fixed prices, now have to be procured at massively higher prices due to the war."
Read more about this here .
ani/dpa
