The Commission wants to make member states save gas and then be able to redistribute the block’s overall supply as a response to the possibility of Russia cutting off Europe’s gas supplies.
After 10 days of being shut down due to scheduled maintenance, gas deliveries from Russia to Germany have resumed via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, albeit only at 30% capacity. While operators claim full capacity will be reached at some point, German politicians are far from relieved.
With gas supplies far from secured, Germany is starting to prepare for the worst the coming winter: “We’re planning for things we hope won’t become a reality. For catastrophe, for death,” said a district fire chief in Ludwigsburg.
Germany’s largest gas importer, Uniper, has now asked for financial aid from the state, but a nationalization might bear political risks for the Greens due to ongoing lawsuits against the closure of coal plants.
Canada’s return of a repaired gas turbine to Russia has left Germans relieved that the gas flow through Nord Stream 1 may soon resume. But Ukrainian officials are disappointed about the circumvention of sanctions.
Frans Timmermans, the executive vice-president of the European Commission, said that making people suffer this winter in order to stay on track with the energy transition would ultimately be disastrous for solving ‘the climate crisis.’
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