As of: 03/19/2022 6:45 p.m
Economics Minister Habeck wants to talk to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates about energy supplies – although human rights are not good there either. Nevertheless, he sees a difference to Russia.
After talks in Norway, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck is now trying to secure additional gas supplies in Qatar and then in the United Arab Emirates. The Green politician first arrived in Doha today. The trip is part of an effort to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian gas in the face of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Against this background, according to Habeck, Germany will not only be able to work together with democracies in the future to cover its energy requirements. Many OPEC countries are problematic, he told the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung” before the start of his trip.
World market for gas “tense”
“But there is another difference between a non-democratic state, where the human rights situation is problematic, and an authoritarian state, which is waging an aggressive, illegal war on our doorstep. We cannot exclude all countries from deliveries.” The human rights situation in Qatar has been the focus of international attention, especially since the 2022 World Cup was awarded.
In general, the world market for gas is tense, Habeck said on Deutschlandfunk. “The delivery quantities can of course be increased, but the supplying states have no interest in that at all.” You would have maximum profits, the prices are high with the same production costs. “In this respect, you’re already encountering some resistance.” However, this can be overcome, for example, with longer terms of supply contracts.
Coming winter not sure yet
For the coming winter, Habeck does not yet see the gas supply in Germany as being completely secured, as he said on Deutschlandfunk before his trip. “That means if we don’t get more gas by next winter and the supply connections from Russia are cut or tear off, we wouldn’t have enough gas to keep all houses warm and all industry running.” The Economics Minister warned: Gas is mainly used in industry at the beginning of the supply chain and then there could be a kind of domino effect. Regarding a one-sided dependency on a supplier like Russia, Habeck said: “That was just stupid.”
Economics Minister Habeck promotes alternatives to Russian gas when traveling abroad
Justus Kliss, ARD Berlin, daily news 5:00 p.m., March 19, 2022
His visit to Qatar will focus primarily on LPG. The Gulf State is one of the world’s largest exporters. So far, however, the largest part has gone to Asia. Habeck primarily wants to talk to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) about green hydrogen.
Greenpeace called for exit from natural gas
Immediately before his departure, Habeck was confident about short-term contracts and deliveries. The hunger for gas is so great “that a good solution will certainly be found for Europe,” said Habeck in Berlin.
The environmental organization Greenpeace demanded that replacing Russian natural gas with LNG imports should only be a temporary emergency solution. At the same time, drastic measures are now necessary to reduce gas consumption. “It is unacceptable that the installation of gas heating systems in Germany is still being subsidized by the state. The federal government must now implement a rapid ban on new gas heating systems, an expansion campaign for 500,000 heat pumps by next winter and a major energy-saving campaign,” said Greenpeace -Energy expert Gerald Neubauer. The Economics Minister should make it unmistakably clear that he sees the phasing out of natural gas in Germany as a priority.