Germany's current situation is very clear: if natural gas completely stops, German companies will have to stop production. Private consumers will continue to be supplied. But if a certain situation arises, the Economy Minister is now calling for adjustments to begin: We are now talking about previously unimaginable situations.
Over the past few weeks, Russia has significantly reduced the flow of natural gas through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic pipeline; as of Monday, the pipeline has been closed for maintenance. The federal government and the responsible federal network agency are now concerned that gas supplies to Germany could also stop completely after repairs are completed. Current natural storage volumes are not sufficient to provide enough natural gas for all consumers in Germany.
Some business representatives, such as NRW President Arndt Kirchhoff, have been calling for months to remove priority for private households in gas supplies and to treat them equally with industrial companies. He said, "What's the use of sitting in a warm home without work?"
The industry is anxious: It is better to work in a cold place at home when the home is warm and there is no work
2022-04-28
Economy Minister Habeck also began to question the situation of natural gas shortage. Absolute protection of private families under circumstances. During a visit to Austria on Tuesday, the deputy chancellor said current regulations, which give absolute priority to private consumers and critical infrastructure such as hospitals over industrial needs, may need to be tightened.
Habeck said, "We're talking about outages that could last for months," and current regulations are more suited to short-term outages and not applicable to the current threat of shortages. Private households must also take responsibility, otherwise there will be huge consequences for industry and the economy as a whole. However, he added: "No one should be frozen."
On Tuesday night, the Ministry of Economic Affairs made it clear that it was not entirely questioning the protection of private consumers. Habeck worries that in the event of chronic gas shortages, private consumers will simply voluntarily limit energy consumption or continue to waste energy, leaving companies alone to bear the burden. To do this, SoS regulations must be changed across Europe. "Minister Habeck commented on the so-called SoS regulations and made it clear that in the event of natural gas shortages, all consumers must contribute to energy savings," the Ministry of Economy said in response to a request.
Private households and critical infrastructure must not There will not be a complete shutdown. "This is not to say that these customers can sit back and relax, but they must also consider making a contribution."
Habeck obviously does not expect his appeal to be effective. Citizens will face severe shortages of natural gas. , voluntarily significantly limit one's energy consumption, such as lowering the indoor temperature or taking cold showers. But he wanted to stress that the time had come to discuss long-unthinkable scenarios.
