Germany intends to restart 16 power plants running on fossil fuels, mainly coal and oil, to avoid electricity shortages due to an expected Russian cut in exports to Berlin, The Kyiv Independent reported on Sunday 17 July.
The newspaper pointed out that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that his country did not intend to return to operating nuclear plants, in the context of supporting the energy market, because it would not help provide for needs.
Germany has a plan to get rid of all nuclear power plants, which it started several years ago, and the last reactor is supposed to be out of service this year (2022).
Berlin also faces the possibility of Russia stopping its exports of natural gas, due to the deterioration of relations between the two countries after the invasion of Ukraine, and Germany’s failure to allow the operation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, according to what the specialized energy platform has seen.
Temporary Operation
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the restart of 16 coal and oil power plants would be temporary.
He added that the restart of these stations came due to the scarcity of energy sources, as a result of Russia’s war with Ukraine, “but his country remains committed to all measures to combat climate change,” according to the French agency, on Saturday, July 16.
In a video recording on Saturday, Schulz expressed his regret over the decision to restart 16 fossil fuel power plants, in addition to granting his approval to extend the work of 11 other plants, in light of fears that Russia will further reduce its exports to Germany of natural gas.
“Because of the brutal Russian attack on Ukraine, we are now forced to rely on some fossil fuel power plants, which are out of service, but that will be for a very short time,” he said.
Carbon Neutral
The German chancellor said that his country is committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, which is about 5 years ahead of the rest of the major industrialized countries.
He drew attention to the set of procedures and criteria recently approved by Parliament; With the aim of increasing electricity generation from renewable energy.
Germany is one of the most affected by the cuts in Russian natural gas exports, as it depends on meeting more than two-thirds of its needs from Moscow.
And last Wednesday, July 13, Gazprom (the Russian state-owned oil giant), sent conflicting signals, which raised doubts about whether it would resume paying its gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, after it was closed for maintenance operations, and said that it will continue until July 21, according to the Specialized Energy Platform.
Deutsche Bank (German Bank) recently warned that the aggravation of the gas crisis in Germany may push citizens to return to using wood for heating to face the severe cold during the coming winter, as stopping the flow of Russian gas threatens to fill the tanks for the coming winter.
Germany faces Russian gas shortage with austerity measures and liquefaction stations
Germany may face the worst winter in its history, this year, if the Kremlin decides to cut off Russian gas supplies to Berlin permanently; This prompted the state to consider austerity measures to preserve its energy resources and provide alternative and urgent supplies of liquefied natural gas.
And the German city of Hamburg is considering rationing the use of hot water for homes, and reducing the maximum temperature for heating in the event of an acute shortage of natural gas, according to Reuters.
Berlin was dependent on Russian gas to meet 60% of its energy needs, before Moscow launched a military attack on Kyiv last February, reducing Berlin’s consumption of Moscow gas to 40%, according to data monitored by the specialized energy platform.
Source: XglobalMarkets
