Germany’s a Few Freezing Cold Days from Depleting Their Gas Storage

According to Reuters, Germany’s gas storage could be depleted after a “few freezing cold days,” an energy regulator warns.

While Germany’s gas storage levels are currently well over 90 percent of their capacity, these “storage facilities could be quickly emptied if this winter gets really cold,” Reuters reported on Friday. They cited Klaus Mueller, head of Germany’s national energy regulatory authority (Die Bundesnetzagentur).

Germany struggles to keep its citizens warm and its economy running in winter. Russia is no longer their major supplier due to the sanctions and the blowup of the Nord Stream.

Reuters reported the regulator’s grim warning to Spiegel:

Just a few freezing cold days are enough for a dramatic increase in gas consumption,” Klaus Mueller said.

They might end up rationing gas. Germany desperately wants to avoid that.

As of Nov. 2, Germany’s gas storage levels stood at 99.3%. Mueller said that Europe’s top economy could keep going for around 9-10 weeks were it solely to rely on those tanks.” That’s contingent on a mild winter, as in 2021/2022.

THE SOARING PRICES

Household energy bills will continue soaring as they search for other gas sources.

Describing the “skyrocketing” energy prices, German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported Wednesday that Germany has “to buy gas and other energy alternatives on the expensive spot market.” This led to higher prices for consumers. According to energy price portal Check24, an “annual gas contract for a household now costs 173% more than it did a year ago.”

Germans are turning to firewood to heat their homes and steal timber from German forests.

“More wood is being stolen from German forests. The reason is the high energy prices and the shortage of firewood. The Forestry departments are responding with more controls, and forest owners are reporting of increasingly brazen thefts,” Germany’s main state-run TV channel ARD reported recently.

IT’S ALL OF EUROPE

All of Europe faces a massive energy crunch as the year comes to a close, the latest news reports suggest.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that if the supply crunch continues, “Europe could face a severe natural gas shortage next year.”

“Europe could face a shortfall of 30 billion cubic meters of gas next summer, the key period for filling supplies ahead of the winter heating season when there is stronger demand for the fuel,” the AP added.

This is to protect the borders of Ukraine, not ours. All Zelensky had to do is say he wouldn’t join NATO and he’d keep Donbas independent and forget Crimea.

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