The Economy Minister said Germany would limit its use of natural gas to generate electricity and burn more coal instead.
Germany’s Economy Minister said the country will limit use natural gas for electricity production amid concerns about possible shortages due to supply cuts from Russia.
The move comes after Russia drastically reduced the flow of natural gas in pipelines to Western Europe, drive up energy prices.
“To reduce gas consumption, less gas must be used to generate electricity. Instead, coal-fired power plants will have to be used more,” Robert Habeck said in a statement on Sunday.
Russia’s state gas giant Gazprom says supply cuts through the Nord Stream pipeline are the result of repair work, but European Union officials believe Moscow is in punish allies of Ukraine, where Russian forces launched an invasion in February.
Berlin’s temporary use of coal marks a shift to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s ruling coalition of the Social Democrats, the Greens and the liberal FDP, which has vowed to stop using coal by 2030.
“It is bitter but indispensable for reducing gas consumption,” says Habeck.
The government has insisted that Russian gas will be needed for some time until alternative energy sources, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) by ship, are available.
Over the past months, the German government has taken measures to fill gas storage facilities to 90% of capacity by November to ensure there is enough gas for heating fuel throughout the European winter. .
Habeck said the storage facilities, currently 56.7% capacity, could still make up the shortfall from Russia by buying from elsewhere, but he described the situation as “serious” and said the Further measures may be necessary.
The German government recently called on people to cut down on energy use due to a tight supply situation.
“Obviously [Russian President] Putin’s strategy is to annoy us by raising prices and dividing us,” Habeck said. “We’re not going to let that happen.”
Gazprom said exports to countries that were not part of the former Soviet Union fell 28.9% from January 1 to June 15 compared with the same period last year.
After cutting off daily gas supplies to Germany and Italy, last weekend Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Moscow would play by its own rules.
“Our products, our rules. We don’t play by rules that we didn’t create,” he said during a discussion at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia’s second city.
