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Robert Habeck, German Economy Minister, reported that, as part of the reduction in the use of gas from Russia and in the face of a possible cut in supply, the nation will resort to burning coal to produce energy. The measure, which will be imitated by Austria and other European nations fearing a shortage before the arrival of winter, does not imply, in the case of Germany, changes in the coal elimination objectives for the year 2030.
Germany projects independence from Russian gas by the year 2024, and to achieve this it seems to be willing to use any element within its reach, such as the use of coal.
In a statement, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck reported that coal-fired power plants will be used to offset the shortfall in gas-fired power production. The situation arises due to the cut in the supply of Russian gas to Germany after it supported a series of sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.
“That is bitter, but it is almost necessary in this situation to reduce the consumption of Russian gas. We must and will do everything we can to store as much gas as possible in the summer and autumn,” the Green Party’s Habeck said in a statement.
Regarding storage, Habeck indicated that storage capacity is currently around 56.7%, but it should reach 80% by October 1 and 90% by November 1.
“Gas storage tanks must be full in winter. That has top priority,” he added.
Additionally, Germany will provide an additional 15,000 million euros in lines of credit for the purchase of gas to supply the storage facilities.
Austria authorizes use of coal to produce energy
The Austrian authorities reported an agreement with the Verbund utility company to convert a reserve power plant to gas so that it can produce electricity from coal.
The measure would be taken in case Russia’s restricted gas supply leads to an energy emergency.
“The federal government and the Verbund energy group have agreed to convert the currently closed Mellach district heating power plant so that, in an emergency, it can once again produce electricity from coal and not from gas,” the office said. of Nehammer. Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s office said in a statement.
In the Netherlands, the authorities announced that they would remove the cap on power production from coal-fired power plants as part of a first phase of the plan to deal with the energy crisis.
In Italy, a state of energy alert was declared after the oil company Eni announced that it will only receive part of its gas request.
with Reuters
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