The Mallnow natural gas compressor station of Gascade Gastransport GmbH on April 27. The compressor station in Mallnow near the German-Polish border receives mainly Russian natural gas. (Patrick Pleul / Picture Union / Getty Images)
German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habek said his government’s goal should be to ensure independence from Russia’s energy supplies, even if it means pushing for alternative solutions that were previously considered “unrealistic”.
Following Russia’s decision to suspend gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday over their refusal to comply with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s request for payment in rubles, Habek told reporters in a briefing in Berlin that Germany’s dependence on Russian gas had declined rapidly. in recent weeks.
“Germany has already reduced its gas imports from Russia to 35 percent – up from 55 percent before the war,” he said.
Although it is “unrealistic” for Germany to ban all Russian gas before next year, given the new infrastructure needed to diversify gas imports, “we still have to try the unrealistic in some respects,” Habek said.
Habek called on Germany to speed up the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal within ten months. Habek described Russia’s decision to cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria as an example of “the reality in which energy is used as a weapon” and said “Russia shows that it is ready to become serious”.
They are ready to cut off gas supplies. “We have to take this seriously, and it applies to other European countries as well,” Habek said.
It would be cynical if a big and powerful Germany thought, “Oh, well, you can beat the boys a little – that’s a warning to you.” No, that’s a reality – that’s a reality where energy is used as a weapon and you have to let’s see that we are not defenseless when energy is used as a weapon. ”
Germany’s goal is to diversify energy infrastructures and “renew our energy infrastructure based on renewable energy and huge savings so that we are not vulnerable,” he added.
During a visit to Poland on Tuesday, Habek said Germany could tackle the embargo on Russian oil imports, hinting that the country could soon end its dependence on Russian oil imports. Habek told reporters that Germany’s share of crude oil imported from Russia had fallen from 35 percent before the war to about 12 percent, adding that the European embargo on Russian oil would be “manageable.”
Habek stressed on Wednesday that Germany will continue to make its energy payments in euros or dollars in line with its European partners.
Add Comment