Gas crisis – Kremlin blames West for new delivery stop: “Hamper service work”

Created: 08/31/2022, 06:10

By: Patricia Huber

The gas surcharge causes a dispute in the traffic light.

In view of the surging criticism, Economics Minister Robert Habeck wants to improve the regulation.

All information about the gas crisis in the news ticker.

• Olaf Scholz

  would like a

  quick decision

  on the next

  relief package

  : it should mean that nobody is left alone with their problems.

• Gazprom continues to reduce supplies

  to

  France

  because of "disagreements about the application of contracts".

• Olaf Scholz "does

  not question the

  gas levy

  at all ": It is "the right instrument" to stabilize systemically important gas suppliers.

• This news ticker on the

  gas crisis

  is constantly updated.

Update from August 30, 1:41 p.m .:

According to information from Moscow, the problems with the transit of Russian gas to Europe are of a purely technical nature.

"There are guarantees that nothing will hinder deliveries except technical problems caused by the sanctions," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday, according to the Interfax agency.

The 54-year-old responded to the question of whether Russia could guarantee the resumption of supplies after the end of maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

"Russia was, is and will be ready to fulfill its commitments," he said.

The Kremlin spokesman accused the West of impeding normal service work on the pipeline's turbines with its sanctions.

The Russian energy company Gazprom had previously announced that it would shut down Nord Stream 1 from August 31 to September 2 due to upcoming maintenance work on the only remaining turbine in the “Portovaya” compressor station.

Olaf Scholz wants a quick decision on the next relief package

Update from August 30, 11:17 a.m .:

Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to make a decision “very quickly” on the third relief package for the drastic price increases.

However, the SPD politician did not give an exact time on Tuesday at the beginning of the federal government's closed meeting at Schloss Meseberg in Brandenburg.

The deliberations will continue in the course of this week.

It is about getting a relief package “as tailor-made as possible, as efficient as possible, as targeted as possible” on the way.

It should mean that no one is left alone with their problems.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he wanted to make a decision on the third relief package "very quickly".

© Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Gazprom further cuts supplies to France

Update from August 30, 9:46 a.m .:

The Russian Gazprom group has further reduced its gas deliveries to France.

The energy company Engie announced on Tuesday that Gazprom had informed the company that deliveries would be cut with immediate effect.

The reason is a “disagreement about the application of contracts”.

Gazprom had already sharply reduced its supplies to Engie since the start of the Ukraine war.

According to Engie, it received 1.5 terawatt hours of gas per month until the new cut.

At the end of July, that was around four percent of the amount that Engie purchases each month.

The group announced on Tuesday that it had taken measures to compensate for cuts in deliveries from Russia.

The supply of customers with gas is guaranteed.

Habeck announces strict course for gas surcharge

Update from August 30, 9:03 a.m .:

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has defended the planned gas levy, but at the same time promised changes again.

You have to "push the free riders off the footboard," said Habeck shortly before the start of the federal government's cabinet meeting on Tuesday on

.

According to the Green politician, there are a few things that can be done to prevent profitable companies from receiving the levy.

Only companies that are relevant to the gas supply in Germany should receive support.

The gas business must also have a relevant size within the company itself.

Habeck also pointed out that state-supported companies are not allowed to pay out bonuses or dividends.

In order to get support, all books would have to be disclosed.

That alone could be enough "to weed out these companies."

Habeck emphasized that the gas levy was not a mistake.

It is a necessary means of distributing the high prices "as fairly" as possible across Germany.

But there must be relief for the citizens.

These would come "soon".

Robert Habeck announced that there would be further relief for citizens "soon".

© IMAGO / Political Moments

Olaf Scholz “does not question the gas levy at all”

Update from August 29, 3:27 p.m .:

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) wants to stick to the controversial surcharge for gas customers.

From the Chancellor's point of view, this instrument for securing the gas supply in Germany is "out of the question," said Deputy Government Spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann on Monday.

The surcharge is “the right instrument” to stabilize systemically important gas suppliers.

It is now only a matter of finding legally secure clarifications so that companies that do not need help do not also benefit from the levy.

Gas crisis: Uniper is applying for additional billions in aid

Update from August 29, 1:35 p.m .:

The liquidity needs of the energy company Uniper are increasing in view of high gas prices and increasing delivery restrictions.

For further stabilization, the group has applied for an increase in the KfW credit facility by four billion euros, Uniper announced on Monday afternoon in Düsseldorf.

With the two billion euros received on Monday, the existing credit line of nine billion euros from the state-owned KfW bank has been fully exhausted.

Now the company needs more capital.

Uniper applied for state aid in July and was promised it two weeks later.

The KfW credit line is part of the rescue package.

Due to the throttling of Russian deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline, the Düsseldorf-based group has to buy gas more expensively on the market in order to fulfill contracts.

This leads to liquidity problems.

Junge Union calls for “youth energy money”

Update from August 29, 10:32 a.m .:

In the debate about further relief in view of the high energy prices, the Junge Union (JU) calls for a “youth energy money” of 500 euros.

"Much more support is needed for students and trainees who only have a very low income," said JU chairman Tilman Kuban in the Düsseldorf

.

With the government's energy flat rate, for example, the students were simply forgotten.

“This is anti-boy politics.

Especially when you live in your own apartment or in a shared apartment for the first time, the price development is fatal,” criticized Kuban.

The youth energy money for this year should therefore be "500 euros for students and trainees, regardless of the type of training," he demanded.

"That would help because it's a targeted measure."

FDP warns of "worsening improvement" of the energy crisis

Update from August 29, 9.45 a.m .:

Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck has promised a change in the planned gas surcharge.

The correction is intended to prevent companies that do not need it from an economic point of view from benefiting from this levy on private households and industry.

"That's why you have to work hard on the problem now.

And we do that too," said the Greens politician on Sunday evening in the

.

"We will solve this problem." The FDP calls for corrections until the government meeting this Tuesday.

FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr demanded that technical errors should be eliminated before the cabinet meeting.

"We have to be careful that state intervention does not make the energy crisis worse," he

.

The gas levy should under no circumstances lead to extra returns for companies.

SPD leader Klingbeil is pushing for improvements to the gas surcharge

First report from August 29, 9:22 a.m.:

Berlin – SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil is pushing for corrections to the controversial gas levy.

There are undesirable developments, he said on Monday in the ARD morning magazine.

The gas surcharge was justified to avert insolvencies in the energy supply, and that was correct.

"But now we see that companies that make billions in profits are applying for this gas levy."

That was "indecent free riding", criticized Klingbeil.

It's not possible to make billions in profits and then want to get billions in tax money on top of that,

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is now examining whether this can be changed politically, otherwise the ordinance would have to be reworked, said Klingbeil.

"If the will is there, you will be able to correct this undesirable development."

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil is pushing for corrections to the gas surcharge.

© Fabian Sommer/dpa

Gas surcharge: This is how it should save energy companies

The levy from Habeck's ministry is intended to compensate for the sharp rise in costs for large gas importers due to Russian supply cuts in order to protect them from bankruptcy and the energy system from collapsing.

All gas customers should pay an additional 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour from October.

It is criticized that companies that are doing well economically could also benefit.

That is why the federal government is now examining corrections, which is legally complicated.

Habeck has promised a change in the planned gas surcharge.