Environmental Minister Robert Habeck said the government was “bitter” as it promised to phase out coal by 2030.
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As the war in Ukraine rages on, energy is at the heart of a standoff between Russia and Western countries. Faced with Gazprom’s delivery cuts, Germany will take emergency measures to secure its supply, Berlin announced on Sunday (June 19th). These measures notably involve increased use of coal, the fossil fuel that emits the most greenhouse gases and is responsible for global warming. “It’s bitter, but it’s essential to reduce gas consumption”, reacted the Ecologist Minister of the Economy, Robert Habeck, in a press release. The government of Olaf Scholz has indeed promised to phase out coal by 2030.
“The situation is serious”
Germany’s gas reservoirs are currently at 56%. “Security of supply is guaranteed” but “the situation is serious”, summed up Robert Habeck, while Gazprom reduced deliveries via Nord Stream this week by 40%, then 33%, citing a technical problem. But for the German government, this is a “political decision”intended to weigh in the showdown between Moscow and Western countries over the war in Ukraine.
Despite the conflict, Germany continues to import nearly 35% of its gas from Russia, compared to 55% before February. The package of measures announced on Sunday also provides for a system “auction” for the sale of gas to industrialists, allowing, according to Berlin, to reduce the consumption of the powerful German manufacturing sector.