To improve the gas supply, FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki has spoken out in favor of opening the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. “We should open Nord Stream 2 as soon as possible to fill our gas storage facilities for the winter,” Kubicki told the editorial network Germany (RND/Friday). There is “no good reason not to open Nord Stream 2”.
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If Russia’s President Vladimir Putin then stops supplying gas, Germany has lost nothing. “If more gas reaches us in this way, perhaps even the entire contractually guaranteed quantity, that will help people not have to freeze in winter and our industry will not suffer serious damage,” emphasized Kubicki. Ensuring this is the top priority of the federal government.
Precisely for this reason, other pipelines from Russia were not cut. “Once the gas storage tanks are full, we can close Nord Stream 2 again – and the other pipelines too, once we have become independent. But we’re not that yet,” emphasized Kubicki.
When the interviewer pointed out that Putin would exploit this as a great success, the Bundestag Vice President said that everything that ensures that more gas gets here is of more use to Germany than to Putin. “By the way, Putin’s greatest propaganda success would be if we ran out of gas while he was still making good money from us. This must be prevented.”
The federal government has put the commissioning of the finished Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold. Russia currently only supplies around 20 percent of the possible quantity via Nord Stream 1. The Russian gas company Gazprom blames technical reasons for this, the federal government considers this to be a pretense.
Kubicki also advocated exploring the possibilities of fracking in Germany in order to become less dependent on natural gas supplies. “Fracking can make a significant contribution to security of supply in Germany for decades,” said the FDP politician.
Fracking uses pressure and chemicals to extract gas or oil from rock layers. Critics see environmental dangers here. The method is banned in Germany, only test drilling is permitted.
The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, has meanwhile called for gas to be saved further, despite the progress made in filling German gas storage facilities. One cannot rely solely on the memory, said Müller on Thursday evening in the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”.
“These alone would not get us through a winter if it gets particularly cold or if Putin should turn off the gas completely,” emphasized Müller, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The gas storage tanks are currently almost 78 percent full. According to the regulation, it should be at least 75 percent on September 1st, at least 85 percent on October 1st and at least 95 percent on November 1st.
Müller compared storage to inflating a bicycle tire. The first percent are the easiest. Reaching 85 and 95 percent is physically more strenuous.
The winter can only be managed well with a triad, warned Müller. In addition to storage, these are the purchase from additional gas sources and savings. You will have to save at least 20 percent across all sectors.
“Then we’ll get through the next few months without a shortage – with a bit of luck if the winter stays normal.” At the same time, Müller made it clear that you have to survive at least two winters in order to become independent of Russian gas afterwards.
