Germany activated on Wednesday the first level of its emergency plan to guarantee the supply of natural gas in the face of threats to suspend Russian deliveries, the Economy Minister announced.
(Read: Moscow promises de-escalation in kyiv, but the West asks not to lower its guard)
“A crisis cell has been opened in the ministry” to monitor the situationafter the G7 rejected the Russian demand to pay in rubles, explained Robert Habeck at a press conference.
(You are interested in: G7: Europe will not pay Russia for gas in rubles)
This emergency plan has three levels of alert and for the moment, “security of supply” in gas is guaranteed in Germany, he specified. The reserves are currently at 25% of their capacities, added the minister, who warned that if deliveries were suspended there would be “serious consequences” but the country could “face it.”
“Gas and oil are currently arriving according to orders” and “the measure taken today (Wednesday) is preventive“, Habeck pointed out. Only at the third level of alert, the highest, will it be necessary for the State to “intervene” in the market to “regulate” distribution.
Austria also activated the first level of alert to “ensure the supply of gas in homes and businesses,” reported the head of government Karl Nehammer. The Kremlin insisted on Tuesday on payment in rubles for Russian gas delivered to Europe, rejecting criticism from the G7, for whom the demand is unacceptable.
On Thursday, the Russian government, the Central Bank and the Russian energy giant Gazprom are due to present President Vladimir Putin with a report on the implementation of a ruble payment system.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that el payment in rubles for sales of Russian gas to the European Union, demanded by Moscow in response to western sanctions, It will be done gradually.
“We’ve already talked about it, payment and delivery [de gas] it is a long process,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a news conference.
On March 23, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would stop accepting payments in dollars or euros for gas it sells to the EU, giving Russian authorities a week to work out a new ruble-based system.
However, Peskov assured that finally the new system will not come into full force as of Thursday, with new rules for European consumers. “We’re not talking about delivering tomorrow and getting paid tonight.
No, it is a longer process in time, technically speaking,” Peskov stressed, while insisting that Putin’s order had to be “implemented.”INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from EFE and AFP
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