Germany to rely less on Russian Gas
Germany, which has been depending on Russia's gas for a long time, is trying now to revive its plans to build a terminal for liquefied natural gas.
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The trend of rapidly declining natural gas reserves in Europe has continued since January 11 (Getty Images)
Germany has been reliant on Russian natural gas for decades, a relation that has survived the Cold War repercussions, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the European sanctions against Moscow over the Crimean crisis. However, things have changed this winter.
The amount of natural gas imported from Russia to Germany has decreased, which surged the prices and exhausted reserves - changes that Russia’s Gazprom has been constantly warning about.
“As much as 85% of the gas injected in Europe’s underground gas storage facilities last summer is already withdrawn,” Gazprom said on Twitter on February 5, adding that “facilities in Germany and France are already two-thirds empty.”
— Gazprom (@GazpromEN) February 5, 2022
The government seeks to revive plans now to build a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG) on the northern coast of Germany. That option was previously avoided for being too costly, but liquefied natural gas arriving via giant tankers from Qatar, the United States, and other locations has become in recent months an essential source of fuel for Europe as supplies arriving from Russia have diminished.
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The Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna in the port of Wismar, Germany, last year.
The government is also studying rules that require energy firms to keep a base level of natural gas in reserve.
Earlier last week, the amount of natural gas in the storage tanks of the country dropped to 35 to 36%, which is below the level considered necessary at the beginning of February to survive one week of extreme cold.
About a quarter of Germany’s natural gas capacity is held in facilities Gazprom owns, including the largest underground tank of the country.
