Scholz inspects the Nord Stream turbine: Shortly thereafter, Russia suddenly speaks of further problems

Created: 2022-08-04 04:49

By: Patricia Huber

Chancellor Olaf Scholz inspected the turbine for Nord Stream 1. He also confirmed that nothing was standing in the way of transport.

All information about the gas crisis in the news ticker.

• Russia

  speaks of further

  problems with Nord Stream 1

  : However, Siemens Energy would not be in a hurry to remedy them.

• Weil

  continues to

  reject

  fracking : He does not see natural gas fracking as a solution to the energy problems - and also gives a dig at Markus Söder.

• Gas prices have tripled

  : While experts expect a further increase, the government does not want to make a forecast on price developments for the time being.

• This news ticker on the gas crisis is constantly updated.

Update from August 3, 3:21 p.m .:

The coalition is examining the elimination of VAT on the planned state gas levy.

The spokesman on energy policy for the FDP parliamentary group, Michael Kruse, told the German Press Agency on Wednesday after a special session of the Bundestag's energy and climate committee.

“The levy must not be a basis for further tax revenue.

That's why it's currently being checked whether the VAT can be applied to the levy," said Kruse.

"If this is not technically possible, it is clear to me that the additional government revenue must be returned to consumers together with further relief," says Kruse.

There are also legal problems with the implementation of the gas surcharge.

Specifically, the question is whether customers with fixed-price contracts have to pay the levy.

A spokesman for Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) spoke on Wednesday of a detail that had to be clarified.

Russia speaks of further problems with Nord Stream 1

Update from August 3, 2:27 p.m .:

Russia has again rejected any blame for the still uninstalled turbine in the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.

The turbine is now in Germany, but the Russian state-owned company Gazprom, as the owner, still lacks the necessary papers, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, according to the

news agency .

Peskow also warned against sanctioning the turbine and possibly switching it off remotely in the end.

Another machine is having problems, but technicians from a Siemens subsidiary "are in no hurry to fix it," the Kremlin spokesman claimed.

Russia only ever speaks of Siemens, but what is meant is the company Siemens Energy.

Weil continues to reject fracking: Söder "unfortunately cut himself"

Update from August 3, 1:49 p.m .:

Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) has confirmed his rejection of the controversial gas fracking.

With a view to the question of how energy can be made available in Germany as quickly as possible, Weil said on Wednesday in Hanover: "Fracking will simply not be able to contribute to this." In the best case, such projects can be made common in three to five years.

Weil was convinced that the energy crisis had long since been overcome by this time.

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A few days ago, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU)

raised the question of using domestic gas reserves in the

“Nobody wants yesterday’s fracking.

But it makes sense to check whether there are new and environmentally friendly methods," said the CSU leader.

“According to experts, there are large natural gas fields in Lower Saxony in particular,” he added.

Weil said that if Söder thinks he can solve Bavaria's current problems with it, "unfortunately he cut himself."

Lower Saxony's Prime Minister Stephan Weil spoke out clearly against the fracking of natural gas in Germany.

© Julian Stratenschulte/dpa

Gas prices have tripled: government is reluctant to make forecasts

Update from August 3, 12:02 p.m .: According to the comparison

, consumer prices for gas have

reached new record values.

Gas costs have tripled year-on-year,

announced on Wednesday.

Although the federal government stated that further developments on the energy market are not foreseeable, the portal nevertheless assumes further price increases.

"However, the price will rise significantly higher, because the wholesale prices for gas are currently well above this level," analyzed the portal.

"Therefore, consumers must be prepared for further price increases in the coming months."

In addition, there is the gas levy announced by the government, with which additional costs for importers due to missing deliveries from Russia are to be passed on to all gas customers, explained

.

For the example family with an annual consumption of 20,000 kilowatt hours, “taking VAT into account, this means additional costs of between 357 and 1190 euros”.

However, the federal government explained that "in view of the uncertain and volatile situation on the energy markets", the development of end consumer prices for gas, electricity and fuel cannot yet be mapped.

Nuclear power plant extension "can make sense"

Update from August 3, 10:48 a.m .:

Olaf Scholz has made it clear that from a technical point of view there is no reason to reduce gas deliveries from Russia to Germany.

"There are no technical reasons for non-compliance with the supply contracts," he explained when Siemens Energy visited the turbine planned for Nord Stream 1.

The Chancellor also addressed the issue of nuclear power plants and their lifetime extension.

Since part of Germany's electricity is also produced using gas, this is now being discussed.

In this way, the power supply can become more independent again.

The power plants are "only relevant for electricity production and only for a small part of it," said Scholz in Mülheim an der Ruhr.

"But it can still make sense."

Scholz referred to the "different" expansion of renewable energies in the federal states.

"You know that in Bavaria in particular, progress was very slow with the expansion of wind energy." The expansion of the transmission grids in the south also "did not progress as quickly as planned".

All of this must be taken into account.

Before making a decision, however, the result of the current renewed stress test on the energy supply should first be awaited, said Scholz. 

Scholz considers the turbine situation to be "clear and simple"

Update from August 3, 9:37 a.m .:

During his visit to the Nord Stream 1 turbine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz explained that nothing stood in the way of the turbine being transported further.

Only Russia would still have to approve the delivery.

He describes the situation as "clear and simple".

But Scholz also knows: "It must be clear that there are always presumed reasons that something does not work." Germany must be prepared at all times for gas supplies to be further curtailed.

Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz inspecting the turbine for Nord Stream 1. © Bernd Thissen/dpa

Olaf Scholz inspects turbine for Nord Stream 1: "Blow up Putin's bluff"

First report from August 3, 9:31 a.m .:

Berlin/Mülheim an der Ruhr/Montreal – In the gas dispute with Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to visit the turbine for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline on Wednesday, which is on the way from Canada to Russia temporarily stored in Mülheim an der Ruhr.

This was announced by the energy technology group Siemens Energy on Tuesday.

The turbine is ready for onward transport to Russia, it said.

Gas crisis: Delivery of the turbine by Canada as a "strong sign"

In an interview with the Canadian newspaper

, Scholz defended the delivery, which is controversial because of the circumvention of sanctions.

"By delivering the turbine, we blew up Putin's bluff," he said.

"He can no longer use this pretext and no longer bring up technical reasons for the lack of gas deliveries."

Scholz defended Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was under pressure because of the turbine deliveries.

"For me, the criticism of Justin Trudeau and his government is completely unfounded," he said.

"The decision to supply the turbine is hardly a favor to Gazprom, but rather a strong sign of support for Germany and Europe."

Gazprom justification: Turbine as reason for throttled gas supply

Since June, Russia has cut back gas supplies via Nord Stream 1.

The energy company Gazprom justified this with the missing turbine.

According to the Russian energy company Gazprom, it is important in order to build up the pressure required to pump the gas through.

Gazprom has repeatedly accused its contractual partner Siemens Energy of not having sent the necessary documents and information to repair the machine.

Siemens Energy had denied Gazprom's allegations.

According to the Kremlin, Russia is hoping for a speedy return of the repaired gas turbine in view of the reduced gas supplies through the pipeline.

According to Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, she has been in Germany since July 18.