After a relatively mild fall in which more natural gas was saved than the emergency plan called for, the cold weather late last week sounded the alarm as consumption increased
Germany is saving less natural gas than needed to rule out shortages this winter, the head of Germany’s grid agency warned, as the country missed its crucial 20% consumption cut target last week amid plummeting temperatures. .
Germany, which got about half of its natural gas needs from Russia before the start of the war in Ukraine, has been scrambling to acquire new sources of energy for the past ten months. However, in the summer, Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced a target for overall savings of 20% across Germany, higher than the 15% target set by the European Commission.
After a relatively mild autumn in which German businesses and households saved more gas than the emergency plan required and storage tanks rose to nearly 100%, the cold snap late last week sounded the alarm. as consumption increased.
“Right now, the overall savings is only 13%,” Klaus Müller, head of the federal network agency for utilities, Bundesnetzagentur, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper on Monday.
“If this was an exception, we don’t need to worry yet. But if the cold continues for the next few days with temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius, gas consumption will increase dramatically.” he reported according to the Guardian website.
Currently, Germany’s natural gas storage tanks remain 95% full.
“Now we get natural gas from a variety of sources,” Mueller said. “Soon we will have three LPG terminals and we will receive good deliveries from Norway, Holland, Belgium and also through France.”
He also ruled out the possibility of households switching to electric heaters overloading the grid.
“I think it is important for governments to be clear with their citizens: without a significant reduction in natural gas use we will not get through this winter without problems,” Müller concluded.
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