The chemical industry believes that the gas alert level declared by the federal government is correct.
The supply situation is becoming increasingly serious, said the general manager of the industry association VCI, Wolfgang Große Entrup, on Thursday.
"The federal government is acting responsibly and is making step-by-step progress." A transparent procedure must now be developed in order to distribute the burdens that are now to be expected as fairly and tolerably as possible among all consumers.
The chemical industry is particularly dependent on gas supplies.
If these are suddenly missing, many industrial processes are likely to stop working.
Then experts expect a recession in Germany.
The energy supplier Eon said: "We have prepared intensively for this situation and are doing everything we can to keep the effects on customers as small as possible." The supply to consumers continues to be reliable and safe.
Fewer Russian natural gas imports would have an impact on the supply and thus on the gas price level at the trading venues.
"There are many indications that we will have to continue to expect high or even - in the event of a complete loss of Russian gas flows - even further increasing prices at the wholesale places," it said.
Kerstin Andreae, CEO of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW), also expects prices to rise.
"It is not yet possible to estimate exactly how the declaration of the alert level will affect end customer prices.
It is clear that the pressure on gas prices will continue to increase due to the already very high stock exchange price level," she said.
In the case of significantly reduced total import quantities to Germany, the situation could arise that gas suppliers would not receive the gas quantities they had bought in the long term, but would have to procure replacements at the currently very high wholesale prices.
Andreae warned: "Then there is a risk that energy suppliers will no longer be able to finance these extremely expensive purchases and ultimately the guarantee of the energy supply would be threatened."
Greenpeace calls for ban on subsidies for fossil fuels
Many companies are concerned, said Peter Adrian, President of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), "Although the supply of gas is still secured in the short term, companies across the industries are extremely concerned." fair balance between gas suppliers and gas customers.
"Otherwise there is a risk that companies in the energy-intensive industry in particular will stop production and face insolvency as a result," he said.
In a current DIHK survey, nine out of ten industrial companies described the high energy prices as a major business risk.
"In addition, more and more contracts with low gas prices are expiring." Three quarters of the companies feel compelled to pass on the increased costs to their customers.
Greenpeace energy expert Gerald Neubauer also spoke of the right signal from the government.
"So that a Russian gas supply freeze does not lead to a supply crisis in the coming winter, consistent energy saving is now the order of the day." However, the state should no longer subsidize fossil gas.
“The government's assumption of higher energy prices in industry, subsidies for the installation of new gas heating systems and subsidies for combined heat and power generation with gas undermine the intention to use less gas.
Robert Habeck must stop this nonsense immediately.”
DIHK President Adrian added that the federal government's plans to reward gas savings in industry are correct.
“But you have to start quickly now.
In addition, companies should be allowed to switch from gas to heating oil or coal at short notice.” So far, environmental regulations have stood in the way.