"To reduce gas consumption, less gas must be used to produce electricity. Instead, coal-fired power plants will have to be used more," the economy ministry said in a statement.
The increased use of coal is a reversal for the coalition government of Olaf Scholz, which had promised to abandon this source of energy by 2030.
"Bitter, but essential"
"It's bitter, but it's essential to reduce gas consumption," reacted the Ecologist Minister of Economy and Climate Robert Habeck.
A law to this effect should be adopted by the beginning of the summer, he added.
His party had made the rapid exit from coal a priority.
Concretely, the government will allow the use of so-called “reserve” coal-fired power stations, currently only used as a last resort.
The minister, however, assured that this greater use of coal was "temporary", in the face of the "worsening" of the situation on the gas market.
The Russian giant Gazprom announced this week several cuts in gas delivery via the Nord Stream gas pipeline, against the backdrop of a standoff between Western countries and Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine.
The Russian giant Gazprom announced several gas delivery cuts this week via the Nord Stream gas pipeline, against the backdrop of a standoff between Western countries and Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV AFP / Archives
Claiming a technical problem, the group reduced its shipments by 40%, then 33%.
This decision had a heavy impact on several European countries, in particular Germany, Italy and France, which no longer receives Russian gas.
For Berlin, which continues to import 35% of its gas from Russia, against 55% before the war, the situation is "serious", according to Mr. Habeck.
"We should have no illusions, we are in a showdown with Putin," he commented.
Faced with the emergency, the government also wants to focus on energy savings.
“Every kilowatt counts,” insisted the minister.
A vast communication campaign to this effect was launched in mid-June aimed at the general public and companies.
With the emergency measures presented on Sunday, Berlin rises to a higher level: a system of “auctions” will be established for industrialists consuming gas.
The State could offer, within the framework of a procedure similar to a call for tenders, a remuneration to the companies which will promise the most significant energy savings.
Rationing
"We must do everything to reduce our consumption. And industry is an essential factor", underlined Mr. Habeck.
This week, the minister even left the threat of rationing for users and businesses hanging over him, raising the idea of "other legislative saving measures" if the "quantities of storage" did not increase.
A risk that worries the manufacturing sector.
"There are many industrial processes that cannot function without gas", alerted Sunday evening on the ZDF channel the president of the industrial lobby BDI, Siegfried Russwurm, fearing "cascading consequences".
The president of the industrial lobby BDI Siegfried Russwurm at the premises of the Medef in Paris, November 10, 2021 Eric PIERMONT AFP / Archives
For the moment, "the security of supply is guaranteed", however wanted to reassure Mr. Habeck on Sunday.
Reserves are currently at 56%, a level "higher than the average of recent years".
But "we must do everything possible to store as much gas as possible in summer and autumn. Gas storage must be full for the winter. This is the absolute priority", noted Mr. Habeck.
The measures announced on Sunday also include the opening of a credit line from the public bank KfW to finance the purchase of gas by the player responsible for gas purchases for Germany, Trading Hub Europe.
At the end of April, the government had already introduced a law imposing on the owners of tanks a minimum filling, which could reach 90% at the beginning of December, under penalty of expropriation.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine at the end of February, Berlin has also been seeking new sources of supply, notably via American or Qatari liquefied gas.
© 2022 AFP