"The situation can become very serious": Network Agency warns: Gas consumption is increasing too much

Apparently, the federal government's appeals to save gas are not yet having an effect on many consumers.

The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, warned in Bonn on Thursday: "Gas consumption increased too much last week."

According to the figures from the supervisory authority, the gas consumption of private households and smaller commercial customers in the 39th calendar week was 618 gigawatt hours, almost 10 percent above the average consumption level for the years 2018 to 2021. According to the Federal Network Agency, the consumption of industrial customers last week was 1370 Gigawatt hours are only a good 2 percent below the level of previous years.

Germany will hardly be able to avoid a gas emergency in winter without at least 20 percent savings in the private, commercial and industrial sectors, emphasized Müller.

"The situation can become very serious if we don't significantly reduce our gas consumption."

Private households and smaller commercial customers are responsible for around 40 percent of gas consumption in Germany.

The remaining 60 percent are accounted for by large industrial customers.

Klingbeil assures quick decision on gas price brake

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil has meanwhile promised a quick decision to introduce a gas price brake.

"I urge that the relief really reaches the citizens this year," said Klingbeil in the "ZDF morning magazine" on Thursday.

The federal government asked the commission of experts on the gas price brake “to make proposals by next Monday.

We will then implement the whole thing very quickly."

The gas price brake is an essential part of the 200 billion euro "defense shield" announced last week by the traffic light government in the energy crisis.

Here, a “basic consumption” of gas is to be subsidized by the state.

The details are still open.

Experts in the Gas Commission are currently discussing various models.

Klingbeil rejected criticism from Union faction leader Friedrich Merz at the inconclusive meeting with the federal states on Tuesday to relieve the energy crisis.

In these times, "nobody should play party political games," said the SPD leader.

He accused Merz of "not taking a responsible position".

After the federal-state meeting, the CDU leader spoke of an "evening of missed opportunities".

The meeting of the heads of government with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was about the distribution of the costs for further relief.

No decisions were made - also because many countries insisted that the details of the gas price brake had to be clarified first.