The federal government's emergency plan: In which cases will consumers be turned off the gas tap?

Created: 03/25/2022, 10:26 am

In the event of a supply stop from Russia, the gas could become scarce.

In this case, there is an emergency plan that determines who would have to go without gas first.

Around half of all households in Germany have gas heating.

Should Russia stop supplying gas as a result of the Ukraine conflict*, the

.

This was also confirmed by Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck.

After all, half of the gas consumed in Germany comes from imports from Russia.

But what would happen if the gas was no longer sufficient as a result of a delivery stop?

Would tenants and owners then have to do without gas for their heating?

Before consumers are turned off the gas for heating, it is the turn of others.

This is what the federal government's emergency plan provides for.

© photothek/Imago

The Federal Government's "Gas Emergency Plan": Households are particularly well protected

It is actually relatively unlikely that consumers will have to freeze in the event of a gas freeze next winter.

In the event that the gas is no longer sufficient for the supply in Germany, the federal government has an emergency plan ready.

The

regulates, among other things, who is to be turned off first in the event of a gas shortage.

Three crisis levels are defined in the regulation.

Only in the last phase, the emergency phase, when no more gas should be available for free sale, would the federal government intervene and allocate gas.

would then be

responsible for distribution.

According to

the order for gas distribution looks like this:

• First, the

  economy

  would have to do without gas in an emergency.

  "Industry is one of the non-protected customers who, according to European regulations, must be the first to be taken off the network," informs

  tagesschau.de

  .

  The emergency plan has not yet determined the order of the companies that would be affected first.

  However, talks are currently being held with industry and the energy sector.

• Finally,

  households

  and

  social facilities

  (e.g. hospitals) or

  gas

  -fired power plants , which are required for generating electricity, are taken off the gas.

Are tenants actually allowed to take in refugees from the Ukraine?

Tenancy law has a clear answer to this.

Gas supply in Germany is secured for the next few months

"In such a situation, household customers are subject to

and are given priority," said a spokesman for the Federal Network Agency, according to a dpa report.

Tenants and owners do not have to worry about their gas supply for the time being.

According to experts, the gas supply should be secured for the coming months anyway – the storage levels are still sufficient and there are other sources of supply available.

However, the price of gas and oil continues to rise incessantly.

Consumers have to reckon with rising costs as a result of inflation – including for rent.