Despite the resumption of Russian gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, the president of the German federal network agency, Klaus Müller, is not seeing everything clearly. If some 40 percent of the pipeline’s capacity is used in the coming weeks, the worst fears would not be confirmed, Müller said on Thursday. “It wasn’t the worst-case scenario, but I can’t speak of being completely clear yet.”
Müller pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently made statements that could indicate a reduction of up to 20 percent. “We are currently at the mercy of Russia” because it determines how much gas flows through Nord Stream 1. Savings and purchases from other sources are all the more important.
After ten days of maintenance work, the flow of Russian gas started again on Thursday morning. However, the full capacity is still far from being used, only about 40 percent of it. Austrian gas company OMV said that about half of the agreed amount of gas should flow on Thursday. This is the level before the pipeline was serviced.
Warning: now think about winter 2023/24
Despite the relatively high level of delivery, the head of the network office warns against future-oriented actions. You have to put in “a lot of effort to get through the first winter well,” he said. In addition, when considering the gas storage levels, you should think of the winter of 2023/24.
In its forecast calculations, the Federal Network Agency assumes an average winter of 2022/23 and that the new terminals for liquefied gas in the North Sea will be ready for use from January 2023. However, if the winter turns cold and the terminals are not commissioned soon enough, “this should be compensated by additional savings to avoid gas shortages or too low fill levels in the spring,” says Müller.
“Mass must be saved”
Partly due to the warm summer, progress is currently being made in the area of gas savings – Germany has made “considerable savings on gas”. But: “The most difficult is autumn and winter,” said the head of the authorities. “Then it comes to real consumption, then the masses have to be saved.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
