The war in Ukraine has forced Germany, which is dependent on Russian imported energy, to rethink its energy supply. The country plans to give up imported Russian oil and coal this year, but natural gas will possibly be imported until the summer of 2024.
HÖNOW. A turquoise tank splits behind the bush.
Father of the family Sven Schättin retrieves the ladder and pains to read the screen of his natural gas tank.
– The occupancy rate is 32%. By this time of year, the tank should already be refilled for the winter, Schättin says.
In the back you can see the family detached house. The basement of the house, built in the 1950s, originally had an oil tank. The Schättin family replaced it with natural gas heating six years ago. Until last year, natural gas heating was relatively cheap: according to Schättin, heating a detached house cost a hundred a month.
– After the beginning of the year, the price of natural gas has tripled. It’s flickering.
It is estimated that 50% of German households will continue to heat in 2022 with natural gas.
Overall, Germany is highly dependent on gas for its energy supply. As Germany closes its last nuclear power plant this year, natural gas will account for about 10.5 percent of the country’s energy production. The majority of the energy needed by households, about 80 percent, is used to heat homes.
Before the start of the war in Ukraine, 55 percent of the natural gas needed by Germany came from Russia. At the beginning of May, the share had fallen to 40 per cent, but abandonment is slow due to a lack of alternatives.
Germany is feverishly considering alternatives to Russian gas
The German Government, and in particular the Minister for Energy Robert Habeck have been negotiating new gas supplies with Norway, the United States and Qatar in recent weeks. Last week, construction began on a new LNG or liquefied natural gas terminal on the north coast of Germany in Wilhelmshaven, which is due to be completed later this year.
However, the government estimates that Russian gas supplies will be needed until the summer of 2024 to meet the country’s natural gas needs. After Russia cut off gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria in April, Germany also fears that gas taps will be shut down on a faster schedule.
“Sudden cessation of gas supplies has become more likely,” said DIW’s research director at the German Institute for Economic Research. Claudia Kemfert To the Tagesspiegel magazine.
DIW has calculated that Germany could stop buying Russian gas on its own in 2022, but only if households consume 18-26 percent less gas than usual. Companies would also have to source some of the energy they need from other sources.
Fearing rising costs and supply difficulties, many German homeowners are now trying to switch off gas heating on their own. For example, the demand for heat pumps has increased and there are monthly order queues for the pumps.
Sven Schättin has already ordered solar panels for his home. He calculates that electricity and heating costs will remain high for some time to come, which is why the panels will pay for themselves in a few years.
In an already tight financial situation, the installation of a new system means that a family of five will have to cut back on other expenses.
– Our family can’t afford a vacation this year. The children understand the situation well and have been thinking about how we can save on our consumption, Schättin describes.
They turned off the gas heating in early April. Otherwise, the children spend most of the summer months in the yard.
Sven Schättin is worried about the pretty sunny months.
– Next winter will be difficult if gas prices remain the same.
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