"Every kilowatt hour saved helps": Gas alarm level - Stadtwerke boss appeals to consumers

Created: 06/24/2022, 19:00

By: Manuel Eser

In the event of a gas shortage, the taps would be turned off first in leisure facilities and industrial plants.

The situation is serious.

© Christian Ohde/Imago

In view of the impending energy bottlenecks, the Freisinger Stadtwerke boss appealed to all consumers to save energy and electricity.

"It is five to twelve."

Freising

– The situation is getting more and more serious.

After the early warning level at the beginning of March, Economics Minister Robert Habeck has now declared the alarm level - the second of three levels of alert provided for in the nationwide gas emergency plan.

"This new development is already driving us," emphasizes Dominik Schwegler, Managing Director of Freisinger Stadtwerke, which is the natural gas supplier and network operator for around 6000 connections.

The early warning level has never been declared in Germany's history.

Now the situation is even more precarious.

"It was eleven o'clock then, now it's just before twelve."

Freisinger Stadtwerke are preparing for the worst case

While Freisinger Stadtwerke has been on alert since March, they are now preparing for the worst case: that due to a possible bottleneck, not all customers can be supplied.

In principle, Freisinger Stadtwerke obtains its gas from a joint company consisting of a dozen municipal utilities.

"This company buys the gas from various dealers," reports Schwegler.

"However, the agreements made are partially invalid as soon as there is a gas shortage."

Dominik Schwegler, Managing Director of Stadtwerke: "It's five to twelve." © LEHMANN

Because should the emergency, the third stage, actually occur, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) would take over the helm under the leadership of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck as the so-called federal load distributor.

"Then the BNetzA decides how the gas is distributed and who has to save," explains Schwegler.

"The specifications of the Federal Network Agency are then decisive as to which customers we can still supply and which consumers are affected by shutdown scenarios."

“Industrial companies would then lose out”

According to the emergency plan, which is based on EU guidelines, private households and social facilities such as hospitals are given priority.

“These protected consumers should be supplied with gas for heating as far as possible,” explains Schwegler.

"Industrial companies would then lose out."

The municipal utilities are therefore in close contact with local companies.

"These are cross-industry queries, which we also carry out strictly according to the specifications of the BNetzA," says Schwegler.

The questions that management is currently confronted with ultimately revolve around the extent to which they can substitute gas, i.e. replace it with other energy sources.

The Stadtwerke pass on the answers “upwards”, as Schwegler puts it.

Threatening gas shortage: "Everyone is asked to save"

The results of the surveys are worrying.

Because many companies do not have the technical requirements at all to substitute gas.

The result: If the supply of gas and thus production has to be stopped, there is a risk of considerable economic damage, emphasizes Schwegler.

"The mood in management is correspondingly nervous."

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But private households also have a great deal of responsibility.

"Everyone is now called upon to save," is Schwegler's urgent appeal.

"This is possible with every action that has to do with electricity or heating." Shower instead of bathing.

Do not leave computers and lights on all night or when not in use.

Savings measures that always make sense.

But now it is a question of avoiding a gas shortage and turbulence for the whole country.

“We supply an extremely large part of Freising, around 75 percent.

Every kilowatt hour saved helps. "Every kilowatt hour saved helps."

Two-thirds of consumption is accounted for by private households

A look at the annual consumption also shows how important it is for each individual.

About two thirds of the approximately 385 million kilowatt hours per year generated by Freisinger Stadtwerke come from private households.

The municipal utilities themselves are also examining their savings potential, for example at the Freisinger swimming pool fresch.

"In May, for example, we didn't heat up the heat against the cold nights," reports Schwegler.

"You could tell that from the water temperatures in the competition pool." But that's nothing compared to a lack of gas.

Because then leisure facilities, regardless of whether it is about sport, pleasure or wellness, will be among the first to be turned off when gas supplies are stopped.