Habeck on the gas supply: "It's a tense, serious situation"

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck once again emphasized the difficult situation for Germany in view of the shrinking gas flows from Russia.

"I don't want to beat around the bush: it's a tense, serious situation," said the Greens politician on Sunday evening on ZDF's "heute journal".

"It was always clear that we were heavily dependent on gas."

Habeck was also confident that the supply could be secured for the coming winter.

“It is crucial that the gas storage tanks are full by winter – and that they are 90 percent.”

It is currently 57 percent – ​​the difference has to be made up through purchases and thrift.

If the memory is full, this is enough for about two and a half months - without any further sources.

However, it is planned that Germany will continue to import gas from abroad in winter - even if there is no more flow from Russia.

It was "a kind of arm wrestling" in which Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin initially had the longer arm.

"But that doesn't mean that we can't get the stronger arm through exertion," said Habeck.

The Vice Chancellor wants to reduce the use of gas for power generation and industry and more coal-fired power plants are to be used.

They are intended to replace electricity generation in power plants fired with natural gas as far as possible in order to save natural gas.

The Russian state-owned company Gazprom had significantly reduced the flow of gas through the Nord Stream Baltic Sea pipeline in the past few days.

Industry supports Habeck's plans

Industry supports Habeck's plans.

"We have to reduce gas consumption as much as possible, every kilowatt hour counts," said Industry President Siegfried Russwurm of the German Press Agency: "The priority must be to fill the gas storage tanks for the coming winter."

The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, told the "Tagesspiegel" about the plan to temporarily rely more on coal-fired power plants for electricity generation, that this was not an easy decision in terms of climate policy: "But it is necessary to reduce gas consumption in power generation."

Habeck wants to take additional measures to save gas and increase precaution.

He described the situation as serious.

To counteract this, the use of gas for power generation and industry is to be reduced and more coal-fired power plants are to be used.

They are intended to replace electricity generation in power plants fired with natural gas as far as possible in order to save natural gas.

The filling of the gas storage is to be promoted in order to be prepared for the winter.

Russwurm said that Germany had to open up as many other sources as possible.

Companies would have to switch to oil, for example, where that could be done.

“But a number of industrial processes only work with gas.

A gas shortage threatens to bring production to a standstill," said the President of the Federation of German Industries.

Gas generation had to be stopped and coal-fired power plants had to be pulled from the reserve immediately, Russwurm affirmed.

“Currently it is about short-term bridging measures to secure the energy supply, not about a date for the coal phase-out in 2038 or 2030.” Renewable energies must be massively accelerated.

"Germany must finally say goodbye to paralyzing small-small debates and blockade attitudes and off the brakes on the expansion of renewables." Politicians and administration must switch on the turbo as soon as possible for the designation of new areas for wind and solar power plants and for faster approvals.

“It will probably take three to five years”

Despite all efforts to compensate for the lack of gas deliveries from Russia, the Essen-based energy company RWE expects high gas and electricity prices for years to come.

"It will probably take three to five years," said CEO Markus Krebber of the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (Monday) on the energy bottlenecks in Germany.

"Because it takes time before new capacities are created and other countries can supply additional energy." Krebber welcomed the plans of Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) to start up coal-fired power plants again in order to save natural gas.

"Everywhere where you can switch to other energy sources, this should happen."

The throttling of gas supplies from Russia is already having an effect.

"We also get significantly less than the agreed amounts," says the RWE boss.

The group, which operates gas and coal-fired power plants in Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, must now “buy the fuel at significantly higher and further increasing prices”.

Krebber ruled out continued operation of the last nuclear power plants in Germany beyond the end of 2022.

However, as planned, RWE is banking on the expansion of the Garzweiler II opencast lignite mine in the Rhineland.

"Planned open pit mine progress is important - especially as we prepare for gas-saving scenarios."