DThe federal government was relieved that Canada had cleared the way for the delivery of a Siemens turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. “We welcome the decision of our Canadian friends and allies,” said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The government in Ottawa had previously stated that it would make an exception to the sanctions against Russia and send the turbine serviced in Canada back to Germany. Reuters reported exclusively on Thursday that Canada would be returning the turbine.
The background to the negotiations between the German and Canadian governments is that Russia justified the throttling of gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, among other things, with the missing turbine. Gas deliveries to Western Europe are currently severely curtailed. However, the federal government had emphasized that it considered this to be a pretense. Russia uses gas supplies as a political weapon.
“It’s an excuse. And we try to take this pretext. And maybe that will solve something,” said Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) on Deutschlandfunk. Russia, on the other hand, had said that gas supplies to Europe would be increased again when the turbine repaired in Canada was returned.
In view of a possible complete stop in deliveries, Habeck warned of a “political nightmare scenario”. The government is trying to prepare for the worst with its measures in order to avoid exactly that, he told the broadcaster on Sunday. In view of the sharp rise in gas prices, he also warned that there would be too much social division “without further political support”.
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told an economic conference in Aix-en-Provence, southern France, on Sunday that the French government was also preparing for a complete disruption to Russian gas supplies. It is true that France is significantly less dependent on Russian gas supplies than EU neighbors such as Germany or Italy. But a supply disruption would be particularly problematic because France’s nuclear power plants would be struggling to fill the gap at this time, with many reactors shut down for maintenance.
Habeck referred to the necessary mix of filling the gas storage tanks, rescuing the gas suppliers and savings for citizens, companies or in administration buildings. He indicated on Deutschlandfunk that the 15 billion euros provided by the government for the purchase of more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) may not be enough to fill Germany’s gas storage facilities to the hoped-for 80 percent in October. The government may have to provide more money. He criticized the fact that some gas suppliers are even selling gas from their storage facilities again, which is legal. “The problem is that the large storage facilities, which are partly owned by Gazprom and are now held in trust, … are comparatively empty. So, the 63 percent average doesn’t tell us the whole story,” he said, referring to the current level.