The German government took the first step this Wednesday to prevent a potential crisis in natural gas supplies. According to Berlin, this is an “initial warning” because it is trying to reduce the risk of interruption or failure of the supply of natural gas from Russia. In the case of Germany, 55% of last year’s natural gas was imported from Russia.
The Berlin announcement, revitalizing the first step of the three-step emergency plan, comes at a time when the European Union is trying to reduce Russia’s dependence on the bloc’s energy mix.
According to Reuters, under this plan, this step does not yet mean the state’s intervention in gas rationing.
However, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck urged consumers and businesses in the country to reduce consumption, stressing that “any kilowatt-hour matters”.
For now, the German governor asserts that gas supplies are safeguarded, but the country must “increase precautionary measures to be ready for escalation on the part of Russia.”
This is the first announcement that the EU is preparing for possible disruptions to natural gas from Russia, as the country is the bloc’s main supplier. Recent pressure from Russia regarding natural gas indicates that the Kremlin wants “enemy” countries to pay for transactions in this “good” in rubles. And soon the G7, including Germany, rejected this request from Russia.
Natural gas prices are accelerating in Europe after falling slightly in the previous session. Gas advances by 10.72% in Amsterdam to 120 euros per megawatt-hour. During this Wednesday, they reached 123 euros.
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