Germany depends on Russian gas to cover half of its needs, and it is now looking for an alternative in the short term, and it may be represented mainly in the State of Qatar.
And the German newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung" says, in a report by its correspondent in Beirut, Thor Schroeder, that Germany now still has enough gas reserves until the end of this winter, even if Russia decides to stop exporting gas in response to Western sanctions. This is the conclusion announced by the German Foundation, which brings together energy storage companies in Germany.
The writer points out that during the past year, natural gas was relied on to generate 10% of the electricity, and 88.4% of this gas was imported, and half of the imported gas came from Russia.
Generating electricity from gas is an important solution
Generating electricity from gas is an important solution in this transitional period in which German companies seek to develop renewable energy technologies.
Despite this importance, German policymakers have remained highly dependent on Russian energy resources.
The writer points out that Germany, unlike its other neighbors, does not have - in the first place - a station for storing liquefied natural gas.
After years of project delays, it appears that a plant for this purpose will finally be built in the area of the city of Stadt in Lower Saxony, northern Germany.
However, the approval procedures for the project will take at least a year or a year and a half;
That is why German energy providers will continue to rely on natural gas charging stations located in neighboring countries, as a medium-term solution.
The writer cautions that Russian gas is a dangerous weapon, and Germany's dependence on Russian raw materials could eventually lead to its exposure to great damage, stressing that the Ukrainian crisis should be the last wake-up call for the European continent, which needs to find other alternatives, although it may be at a cost. More expensive.
Regarding questions about the quantities and sources of alternative energy for Russia, the writer says that 40% of natural gas imports in Europe so far come from the country that attacked Ukraine last Thursday morning.
The United States contributed to filling the shortfall
Currently, it is difficult to find alternatives to deliver gas from within Europe, as Norway reached its maximum production capacity before this crisis, and the Netherlands wants to stop production after the earthquake in Groningen.
But fortunately, the United States in particular contributed to filling the shortage this winter, thanks to increased production of shale gas, and the United States has become the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and this has so far enabled Western countries to avoid any shortage of supply.
The writer adds that at the end of February, Europe will be the first destination for US gas exports for the third month in a row.
As 3 quarters of this gas crossed the Atlantic Ocean towards Europe last January, which is twice the amount supplied in the corresponding month of last year.
But many members of Congress are now pushing to reduce exports, in order to control price inflation in the domestic market.
The writer says that this is one of the reasons why US President Joe Biden welcomed the visit of the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at the White House last January, with so many words of praise, that Qatar was declared a major ally of the United States from outside the NATO alliance. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
It is expected to play a larger role as a major gas supplier to the European Union during the crisis.
But it remains unclear whether this will be possible in such a short period of time;
As Europe has not yet been a stable market for liquefied natural gas, according to Georg Zakman of the Bruegel Foundation for Studies, who says that Germany, for example, plans to produce 80% of electricity with renewable energy by 2030.
On the other hand, the Qataris - just like the Americans - are interested in long-term purchase deals, and not just playing a temporary role to fill the void.
Zackman explains that the reason behind this desire is the high cost of investing in the production and conversion of LNG.
The writer explains that liquefied gas is produced by cooling the gas to minus 162 degrees, until its volume shrinks to 1 600th of its original area, which is a prerequisite for storing and transporting it in special containers.
Diversification of energy sources
The writer mentions that with the beginning of the new year, some shipments of liquefied natural gas were diverted from East Asia towards Europe, and Biden also sought to persuade South Korea and Japan in this matter, since the main problem is that the quantities produced by Qatar were contracted to be sold in advance to countries including China. Energy hungry.
Last week, the Qatari ambassador to Germany announced that his country was ready to help diversify energy sources, and he also welcomed direct talks between Berlin and Doha.
The writer adds that the countries producing natural gas met at a summit in the Qatari capital, Doha, last Monday and Tuesday, and Emir Tamim announced that his country would raise production from 77 to 126 million tons by 2027.
It should be noted here that the Qatari Minister of Energy, Saad bin Sherida al-Kaabi, had disappointed European hopes with regard to the issue of reliance on Qatar as a transitional solution.
As his country does not intend at the present time to divert more than 10 or 15% of its pre-sold production.