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.’
For hard-core environmentalists and countries that have already weighted their energy production away from both gas and nuclear, the taxonomy is considered ‘greenwashing.’
An expert from an Austrian think-tank has predicted that European gas prices—despite already having skyrocketed across the continent following the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war—may double or even triple by next year.
An opinion from the Committee on Industry, Research, and Energy expressed doubts about the ban on combustion engines. It pointed out that uncertainty still surrounds the future of electric cars.
