Scholz believes that Germany will cope without Russian gas supplies

BERLIN, Sep 1 – PRIME. Germany has taken a big package of measures, and even if Russia no longer supplies gas to Germany, the country will “probably” still cope this winter, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a meeting with fellow citizens in Essen, Germany.

“First of all, we need to make sure that we have enough energy sources, that we have coal, oil, gas … and that we do not suddenly have a shortage of something …, gas remains from Russia, from Norway, the Netherlands, through Western European direction, little by little from any other sources. But if Russia stops deliveries, and it keeps reducing them, then we can increase deliveries from Norway, the Netherlands, from the Western European direction, “the chancellor said during a conversation with fellow citizens in Essen, which broadcast the portal of the government of Germany.

As Scholz noted, the country is now building LNG terminals on the North German coast, on the North and Baltic Seas, as well as pipelines, so that additional products can be imported. The first of them will be put into operation in January next year. In addition, a decision was made to fill the country’s gas storage facilities, the chancellor recalled. Another measure that was not easy for the government is the resumption or continuation of the operation of coal-fired power plants.

“And in this regard, we can now say that even if it is very difficult, we will probably manage this winter,” Scholz said.

During a series of dialogues with fellow citizens, the chancellor plans to visit all 16 federal states of Germany. The first of these meetings have already taken place in the summer in Lübeck, then in Magdeburg. Dialogues with fellow citizens of Scholz usually take place in the format of a city meeting.

Nord Stream, the main route for gas supplies from Russia to Europe, has been operating with restrictions since mid-June, and since the end of July, it has been operating at only 20% of its nearly 170 million cubic meters of throughput capacity per day. The Russian side emphasized that the limitation of supplies was due solely to foreign sanctions, which caused problems with the maintenance and repair of Siemens gas pumping units. Only one turbine provides work. Now the pipeline has been completely stopped due to maintenance for three days, from 04:00 Moscow time on August 31 to 04:00 Moscow time on September 3. This is due to routine maintenance at the only operating gas compressor unit at the Portovaya compressor station Trent 60.