All the measures taken by Berlin to guarantee its supply have “helped us to be in a much better situation today than we expected a few months ago”.
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Germany is now “in a much better position” to cope “to threats” of Russia, in particular to the gas crisis unleashed by Moscow in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. This was assured, Tuesday, August 30, Chancellor Olaf Scholz in front of the press, before the start of a government seminar in Meseberg, near Berlin.
The statement comes as giant Gazprom prepares to halt its gas deliveries via the Nord Stream pipeline for three days on Wednesday due to a “maintenance”. Germany is heavily dependent on Russian gas and has seen its deliveries drop sharply since the start of the war in Ukraine on February 24. Gas flows have fallen to 20% of the capacity of the main Nord Stream gas pipeline, with the European Union accusing Moscow of using the energy as a “armed” in the conflict.
Faced with the risk of shortages, Berlin therefore set a series of objectives in July for gas stocks to reach 95% by November 1, before the start of winter. To do this, the government has adopted a series of resource-saving measures, including increased use of coal, reduced consumption by public buildings and incentives for businesses.
Berlin has also released an exceptional envelope of 1.5 billion euros to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) in order to ensure its supply, from Qatar and the United States, in particular. On Sunday, Economy Minister Robert Habeck announced that gas reserves were filling up “faster than expected” in Germany despite drastic drops in Russian deliveries. The storage target, set by the government for October at 85%, “should be reached from the beginning of September”had detailed his ministry.