Explosive energy prices and a difficult supply situation threaten to disrupt Germany’s energy supply. And attempts by the federal government to negotiate with Qatar, Norway and Canada did not lead to a solution to the problem, said Markus Söder, Prime Minister of Bavaria, chairman of the Christian Social Union (CSU) party.
The head of the CSU advocates the speedy expansion of sites with renewable energy sources and declares his intention to place more than 1 thousand new wind turbines in Bavaria.
The federal state has the largest number of renewable energy sources in the country. And Söder intends to increase their number, implement plans to store natural hydrocarbons in swamps, expand bioenergy and hydropower, he said in interview To the second German television (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, ZDF) on 28 August.
However, Söder’s position also has opponents who remind that wind turbines are useless when there is no wind, just like solar panels on a cloudy day. In 2021, according to the “Specialized Agency for Wind Energy”, 1,139 wind turbines were launched in Bavaria. This is 33 less than a year earlier. For comparison, there were 3,561 in North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to Söder, nuclear power can make an important contribution to lowering electricity prices and resolving the energy crisis. Even in the event of renunciation of gas, nuclear energy would become an alternative, but for several weeks its development was postponed, the head of the CSU criticizes the country’s government.
On the same day, August 28, Vice Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Issues Robert Habeck told Der Spiegel that gas storage facilities in Germany are filling up at a record pace. So much so that the October target will be reached in early September.
On August 17, Bloomberg reported that if gas supplies from the Russian Federation to Germany are cut off, the country will have to face a serious shortage of energy resources for the coming winter. According to the agency, with this outcome, the stocks will only last for three months.
Back in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the refusal of a number of Western countries from normal cooperation with Russia, as well as from part of Russian energy resources, had already hit Western countries. He noted that prices are rising everywhere, and inflation is going through the roof. According to the President, it is absolutely unprecedented for these countries.
Gas supplies to Germany fell due to problems with the return of the turbine for the Nord Stream gas pipeline, which arose as a result of anti-Russian sanctions.
After negotiations between Berlin and Ottawa, the Canadian side returned the turbine to the German side, but so far the equipment has not been delivered to Russia. Gazprom has repeatedly noted that anti-Russian sanctions hinder the solution of the situation with the transportation of the Siemens turbine for Nord Stream.
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