“Every kilowatt hour counts and protecting critical infrastructure must be a priority,” said Mayor Belit Onai
Hanover is the country’s first major city to announce sweeping energy-saving measures on Thursday (July 28) in a bid to reduce energy consumption as Russia cuts exports to Europe.
New restrictions put in place to save gas include turning off hot water in bathrooms and showers in any building in the city, the Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.
“Every kilowatt-hour counts and protecting critical infrastructure must be a priority“, said the mayor Belit Onai.
According to the rules, municipal buildings will also be heated only from the beginning of October to the end of March. Some buildings, such as kindergartens, schools and hospitals, are exempt from the rules.
In Berlin, the German capital, municipal buildings and monuments were dark on Wednesday night as the city turned off non-essential lighting to conserve electricity.
“In the face of the Ukraine war and Russia’s energy threats it is vital that we manage our energy as carefully as possible“, said Bettina Jaras, a Berlin senator.
On Wednesday, Moscow’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom cut gas flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to just 20% of total capacity. Many fear the Kremlin could cut off gas exports altogether in the face of a winter surge in European demand.
“Natural gas is now part of Russian foreign policy and possibly Russian war strategy.”, Klaus Müller told Deutschlandfunk radio. Imports from Russia account for a third of Germany’s natural gas supply.
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