Ukraine war
Ongoing debate about redesigning the energy supply
Energy supplies from Russia have been under scrutiny since the outbreak of the Ukraine war Photo: Nicolas Armer/dpa
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Should Germany stop buying oil and gas from Russia because of the Ukraine war? Immediately, say some. If there is enough replacement, say the others.
Former Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble has spoken out in favor of stopping Russian oil and gas supplies to Germany.
“It’s going to be bitter, but I think we have to give up Russian gas and oil supplies as soon as possible. We must not always be the brakeman in the western alliance, »said the CDU politician of the «Welt am Sonntag»: The Atlantic solidarity that Germany was allowed to enjoy is not a one-sided thing. “We mustn’t back down when things get uncomfortable for us.” Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin must know: “For our way of life, for our freedom, we are willing to make substantial sacrifices.”
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing warned against a hasty stop to Russian energy supplies. “It makes sense to make energy policy independent of a state like Russia, which breaks international law and destroys human lives without batting an eyelid,” said the FDP politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “But we have to take the necessary time to redesign our energy supply.”
Inability to act warning
Wissing warned that otherwise processes would be triggered “that would make us unable to act”. «Our social cohesion
must not erode. Mr. Putin would like nothing more than that we drive our energy policy against the wall and face him weakened.”
The upheavals on the international energy markets and also speculation have caused the cost of electricity, refueling and heating to rise sharply. This affects consumers and business alike. Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) referred to the planned reduction in taxes on petrol and diesel as well as the one-time special payment of 300 euros for every employed person in the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. However, the state cannot compensate for a loss of prosperity due to rising energy import prices in the long term. “He can mitigate the consequences in the short term and limit the damage,” said Lindner.
Schäuble emphasized that it was a mistake to launch the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline despite the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014. “I have never made a secret of the fact that I thought this pipeline construction was wrong. It was also wrong that we agreed to sell the German gas storage facility to Gazprom.” The Germans should have noticed that the stores were half empty last fall. “From today’s perspective, it stinks to high heaven.”
Habeck reports progress
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) reported on Friday of progress on the way to fewer Russian gas, oil and coal imports. Germany is in the process of putting the supply on a broader basis, according to a “Progress Report on Energy Security” by its ministry. Accordingly, Russian oil imports to Germany are expected to be halved by the summer. With the end of the summer and towards the fall, Germany could completely do without Russian coal, said Habeck.
The energy industry is also optimistic when looking for alternatives to Russian hard coal. “A complete conversion of the supply chains for the hard coal supply of the power plants in Germany is not easy, but it is possible within the next few months,” said Kerstin Andreae, general manager of the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), the newspapers of the Funke media group. The operators of the power plants are in talks with other supplier countries. Potential suppliers are the USA, Colombia, South Africa, Indonesia, Canada and Australia.
With gas, the situation is more complicated. According to Habeck’s ministry, the share of Russian gas deliveries has already fallen from 55 to 40 percent. Habeck said it could be possible to become independent of Russian gas by the summer of 2024, with the exception of a few shares. But that also depends on the pace of the expansion of renewable energies – and on a reduction in consumption at all levels.
The BDEW said that around 50 percent of Russian gas could be replaced within about a year. This corresponds to about 20 percent of the annual gas requirement in Germany. Imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) could make a contribution. In the long run, however, more reliance must be placed on renewable energies and a rapid ramp-up of hydrogen.