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German Economy Minister Robert Habeck recently described his current energy policy as “a kind of showdown” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The latter may have an advantage at the moment, he said on Sunday, but that does not mean that “we can not advance with effort”.
Habecku, a member of the environmentalist Greens party, faces a nightmare scenario. With the reduction of gas supplies from Russia in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed after Moscow’s occupation of Ukraine, German energy security faces uncertainty.
Berlin is trying to fill German gas deposits to 80% of capacity by October 1st and 90% by November, to meet gas demand for the cold winter months. Currently, gas reserves are only 57% full. The “effort” Mr. Habeck is referring to now means saving gas wherever possible, including that used to generate electricity.
As part of the gas war between Germany and Russia, Robert Habeck distributed bitter pills to his Greens.
Electricity produced from coal and lignite
Electricity produced from gas accounts for about 16% of total electricity production in Germany. Renewable energies, especially from wind and solar, represent about 42% of current output, but it is unlikely that they will grow rapidly. A possible alternative could be existing coal-fired power plants, of which about 151 are still operating in the country, despite the government’s plan to shut them down by 2038.
Before Russia began invading Ukraine in late February, the ruling coalition parties, the center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and the Liberals even decided to approach coal abandonment, with the “ideal goal” of 2030. Although now is planned to use more coal in the short term, Habecku wants to adhere to both objectives.
A bill that provides the legal basis for higher coal consumption for electricity generation is pending in the Bundestag, with the aim of increasing production from so-called backup power plants, which are used improperly to stabilize the grid and which will dismantled over the next few years.
In addition, power plants that have been affected as part of the closure plan but are still technically operational will be returned to service. These so-called power plants as a last resort, generally burn lignite, which is the most polluting, coming from the mines in East Germany.
Coal revival is only temporary
Kerstin Andreae, director of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, told German public broadcaster ARD on Monday that spare lignite-fired power plants could be put back into operation “in a relatively short time”. This can also be done with power plants that use coal to generate electricity, but in this case it will have to be imported from abroad.
Germany closed its last coal mine in 2018 and has since depended on Russia for half of its coal needs. “Russian coal can be completely replaced by other countries within a few months. “Especially from the United States, Colombia and South Africa,” said Alexander Bethe, chairman of the board of directors of the Coal Importers Association, in a press release.
With parliament to vote on the coal bill by July 8, the government has made it clear that Germany’s fossil fuel revival will only last until March 2024. Until then, Berlin wants Russian gas supplies reduced to about 10%, from 55% before the war and 35% now.
Following the takeover of Gazprom Germania, its former Russian owners slowed down the supply of the Rehden storage center.
No return to nuclear power
Another solution would be nuclear power, but the use of this more climate-friendly energy has been ruled out by government authorities and nuclear operators. Germany is preparing to shut down the remaining three nuclear power plants by the end of the year, and Markus Krebber, director of energy company RWE, has said there will be no return to this form of energy.
Gas saving through industrial auctions
Habecku said the coal revival was a “bitter” decision, but added that it was “simply necessary in this situation to reduce gas consumption”. One of the ways Berlin hopes to achieve this is to reduce gas consumption through a new market-based gas auction model. It provides incentives to industry to reduce consumption and divert unnecessary gas supply to long-term storage.
The new measures come amid heightened efforts by Germany to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the global market – an increasingly crowded market as other countries also want to reduce their dependence on Russia. . For this, Germany plans to use floating regasification plants, as it does not have any of the facilities needed to import LNG.
In addition, the government has launched a controversial public campaign to save gas, urging Germans to reduce their heating in the coming months and take a bath with lukewarm water.
It seems that the German Minister of Economy has some ideas on how to strengthen the muscles of his country for coping with Putin. However, Russia has not yet fully utilized its power, as gas continues to flow through pipelines, though not in the usual quantities so far./DW
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