With the fear of new gas supply bottlenecks, the call for further relief is growing. You will have to “think about instruments to make life easier for low earners in particular,” said Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday on ZDF. DGB boss Yasmin Fahimi had previously demanded that energy prices be capped, at least for some kind of basic supply. “A basic need for electricity and gas is set for every adult and every child,” said Fahimi picture on sunday. A price guarantee must then apply for this amount of energy.
Concerns about a real price explosion have grown since Russia throttled the flow of gas through the Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 1 in mid-June – on the pretext that important turbine parts that are in Canada for maintenance are missing. Since then, only 40 percent of the usual amount has flowed through the pipeline. The missing gas has to be procured expensively on the world market. Germany’s largest gas importer Uniper is therefore negotiating state aid.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) had already warned of a further escalation last week. In a week, the entire pipeline will be temporarily shut down for routine checks. It is conceivable that this maintenance would be used as an excuse for further restrictions, he said at an SZ event. “It can be really problematic.” In concrete terms, there could be a risk of drastic price increases if gas importers and municipal utilities passed on rising procurement prices to their customers. This would even be possible in the short term if the Federal Network Agency determined a “significant reduction” in gas imports; Laws allow it. The federal government is currently working on a change in the law to distribute this burden more evenly among all gas customers.
In view of the critical situation, the head of the Federal Network Agency advises households to explore possible savings now. Maintenance of the heating system can help to save ten to 15 percent of energy, said the head of the authorities, Klaus-Peter Müller spark-media group. There is still some time left before the start of the heating season. Families should also talk at an early stage about whether all rooms really need to be heated as usual, “or whether it can be a bit colder in some rooms”.
According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the situation is socially explosive. This Monday he is meeting with unions and employers to discuss the situation as part of a “concerted action” – not only with regard to energy prices, but inflation in general. However, he blocked calls for further relief in an ARD interview on Sunday. A “trial” is now pending, “in which everyone will join hands,” said the Chancellor. The relief provided so far is only just beginning to take effect. They would cushion a large part of the additional burdens, said Scholz. Incidentally, one shouldn’t forget: “Next year will be the biggest challenge.”