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　　At present, the average daily gas transmission volume of "Beixi-1" is only 20% of the original, and the situation of tight gas supply in Germany is becoming more and more serious.

Recently, seven mayors jointly wrote a letter to the German federal government, requesting the use of "North Stream-2".

　　With the intensification of sanctions against Russia, the backlash against European countries has become more obvious.

In order to alleviate the energy shortage, Germany plans to adopt measures such as coal power generation.

However, analysts pointed out that these countermeasures cannot solve the fundamental problem, and the dilemma of Germany's energy crisis may continue.

　　It is recommended to enable "North Stream-2"

　　In a letter to the state and federal governments, local government officials on the German island of Rügen said the controversial Nord Stream-2 was proposed to ensure energy security.

The letter was jointly signed by seven local mayors.

　　According to DPA, one of the co-signers, Sassnitz Mayor Klacht, said on July 27 that several municipal mayors had signed the letter, and the letter had been sent to the office of the former governor of May and German Deputy Chancellor Habeck and others.

　　It's not just about reactivating Nord Stream-2 in a crisis, rather, it's about permanent energy security, Kracht said.

For example, if the use of natural gas in Germany cannot be ensured through Nord Stream-1, new methods must be found, and enabling Nord Stream-2 is one of the options.

　　In the letter, the mayors expressed concern about the backlash against Germany by sanctions against Russia, saying "we do not think the path taken by the federal government to separate energy from Russia is correct."

The mayors also criticized the German government's plan to shorten the distance between residential buildings to expand wind power alternatives, arguing that this plan is not only harmful to the environment and health, but will also cost a lot of time and money.

They also rejected money-saving proposals from federal politicians, such as limiting hot water supply, as "incomprehensible".

　　"As governor, we don't want to subject the region to any further restrictions on energy supply," said Klacht. Politicians in Rügen want a complete rethinking of the solution to Germany's current problems in relations with Russia, saying " The diplomatic route must be taken."

　　In addition to Klacht, six other mayors of Bergen and Sellin also signed the joint letter in mid-July.

　　It is reported that "North Stream-2" is a pipeline from Russia to bypass Ukraine to Germany from the bottom of the Baltic Sea. It has been completed in 2021 and is ready for use.

However, at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, under pressure from the United States, Germany suspended the approval of the "North Stream-2" operating license indefinitely in the name of "sanctioning Russia and supporting Ukraine".

　　The energy crisis continues to ferment

　　The reason why local government officials on the island of Rügen in Meiqian state put forward the proposal to use the "Nord Stream-2" is because the European Union has followed the footsteps of the United States and has continued to increase sanctions on Russia, which has exacerbated its own energy shortage and inflationary pressure.

Experts pointed out that the energy crisis is still the biggest problem facing Germany. Some experts predict that the price of natural gas will increase by 1 to 3 times this winter.

　　Analysts believe that, on the one hand, EU member states are highly dependent on Russian energy, and on the other hand, the EU itself faces structural problems such as insufficient supply of renewable energy.

Although the EU has proposed energy transition and carbon neutrality goals, including increasing the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 40% by 2030, it will take time to establish a sustainable and stable supply of renewable energy.

In addition, supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have added to the complexity of the energy transition.

　　According to reports, Zwiesel, a small city in southeastern Bavaria, Germany, is famous for its glass products.

As an energy-intensive company that relies heavily on Russian gas imports, local glass producers have suffered since the crisis in Ukraine escalated.

Andreas Fath, who runs the supply chain department, said: "Our energy costs have increased by about five times. We cannot survive without a significant increase in selling prices."

　　The predicament faced by this energy-intensive German company is a reflection of the current state of energy in the EU as a whole.

At this stage, Russia is the EU's largest supplier of natural gas and crude oil. About 40% of the EU's imported natural gas and about 30% of its imported crude oil come from Russia.

　　According to data from European think tank Brueghel, the EU currently imports about 450 million U.S. dollars worth of oil and 400 million U.S. dollars worth of natural gas from Russia every day.

　　The German steel industry association has warned that without energy from Russia, German steel production will come to a standstill, which will lead to serious problems in the construction, metal and electrical, automotive industries and more.

　　Responses to Difficulties

　　In the face of the current energy crisis, Germany plans to alleviate the energy shortage through "solar terms" and restarting coal power.

However, experts believe that these countermeasures are tantamount to stopping the boil.

　　Some time ago, EU member states reached an agreement on reducing natural gas consumption, and Germany plans to control natural gas consumption by reducing lighting and other measures.

The landmark Reichstag building in Berlin, the capital of Germany, will suspend the lighting of the glass dome and the side lights of the building at night, and about 200 buildings such as Berlin City Hall and the Opera House will turn off some lights at night.

Public pools in the northern German city of Hannover will no longer provide hot showers, and public pools in several other cities have also reduced energy consumption to maintain water temperature.

　　Due to the huge gap between natural gas supply and demand in Europe, seeking new gas sources or reducing consumption alone cannot make up the gap in the short term. Germany also announced the reopening of coal power plants or measures to support coal power.

As early as the end of 2018, Germany closed its last hard coal mine, ending the country's 200-year hard coal mining history.

Stopping mining doesn't mean stopping use, though.

Since 2007, Germany's hard coal imports have even shown an upward trend, and now it has become one of the world's major hard coal importers.

　　German Deputy Chancellor and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Habeck said: "This (referring to the restart of coal power plants) is painful, but it is a necessary measure to reduce natural gas consumption." He said that in order to avoid difficulties in heating in winter, Germany not only needs to To save the use of natural gas, but also to put the backup coal power station into operation as soon as possible.

　　Germany's "open source and reduce expenditure" has attracted international criticism.

Makarov from the non-governmental organization "Climate Action Network" accused the restart of coal-fired power generation is not conducive to combating climate change, "Because coal is the most polluting energy source of greenhouse gas emissions, this move will pose a huge threat to climate change. risk".

　　Analysts said the German government's move was contrary to its previous plan to phase out coal power.

Under the current federal government's coalition agreement, Germany will "ideally" bring forward the phase-out of coal power from 2038 to 2030.

In terms of short-term responses, Germany is running counter to its goals.

　　Generally speaking, the various measures taken by Germany to deal with the energy shortage are like "nothing but the itch", and it is difficult to solve the dilemma.