fFor a country like Germany, the impotence with which its Economics Minister and the head of the authority responsible for the energy grid have to answer fundamental questions about the future is simply unacceptable. “We don’t know,” said Robert Habeck and Federal Network Agency Director Müller on Monday when asked whether enough Russian gas would flow to Germany in the fall. Whether the gas storage tanks, from wherever, will be filled by then in order to get the country through the winter without major upheavals – they probably don’t know that either.
In a short time, a German house of cards collapsed. Three iron principles protected by law were disregarded: economic efficiency, environmental compatibility, security of supply. Habeck and the traffic light coalition were not the first to recognize that safety plays the most important role.
Panic awakening
In order to restore it, an attempt is now being made, which should always have been a guarantee for this, the greatest possible self-sufficiency and variety of sources of supply. The oil crisis of the 1970s showed what omissions can do in this regard, unfortunately without any long-term warning.
Awakening is all the more panicky now. There is talk of a state of emergency, division, collapse. But as wrong as carelessness was in the past, thinking in nightmares would be just as wrong today.
Ordeal because of nuclear power
Gas rationing is not even the worst case scenario. What matters is the price to be paid. The state can do a lot, but not everything. At least he will not be allowed to reduce the supply of energy. The coalition is facing a crucial test as to whether nuclear power will be reactivated after coal power. The FDP goes on a collision course and joins the Union. The insists on a term extension.
Because it doesn’t care that “only” one percent of gas-fired power generation, as it is now reassuringly called, can be immediately replaced with nuclear power? Or because heating with electricity could soon make more sense than with gas heating and electricity consumption could skyrocket? Germany is waiting for July 21 like a rabbit in front of a snake with such questions.
#Energy #supply #Germany #waking #makeityourself #policy