Germany Announces to use Coal Plants as Russia Throttles Gas Supplies 

Germany has said the worsening gas market situation means Europe’s largest economy should limit the usage of natural gas for electricity production and burn more coal for a “transitional period.”

Robert Habeck, the Economy Minister, warned that the condition will be “really tight in winter” without preventive measures to control the supply shortage.

Consequently, Germany would look to compensate for a cut in Russian gas supplies by boosting the coal burning, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel in terms of emissions and, thus, the most crucial target for replacement in the transition towards renewable alternatives.

“That’s bitter, but it’s almost necessary for this situation to reduce gas consumption. Therefore, we must, and we will do everything we can to store as much gas as possible in summer and autumn,” the Green Party’s Habeck said in a statement, according to a translation.

This comes after an ominous warning from Russia’s state-backed energy giant Gazprom aggravated fears of complete supply disruption to the European Union.

Gazprom started a technical issue for the supply cut, citing the problem cropped up from the delayed return of equipment serviced by Germany’s Siemens Energy in Canada.

Habeck has rejected the claim, saying that the initiative was politically influenced and framed to create regional chaos and boost gas prices.

It is yet not known when or if Nord Stream 1 has flows that will return to normalcy.