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The Minister of Economy announces his firm intention to become “globally” independent of Russian coal, by the fall, and oil, by the end of the year.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
REUTERS
Germany announced on Friday that it would drastically reduce its heavy dependence on Russia’s energy resources, doing without its coal by the fall and its oil by the end of the year. The process looks slower on the other hand for gas.
“Important first steps have been taken to free ourselves from the grip of Russian imports,” Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck told a news conference. “By the middle of the year, Russian oil imports to Germany should have halved, by the end of the year we are aiming for virtual independence,” according to his ministry. He added that “by autumn we can become globally independent of Russian coal.”
Before the invasion of Ukraine, Germany imported a third of its oil and some 45% of its coal from Russia, according to German government statistics. But now, companies buying hydrocarbons “let contracts with Russian suppliers expire, do not renew them and turn to other suppliers”, according to the government.
Already reduced from 55 to 40%
For gas, on which the country depended more than 55% before the crisis, the process should however be longer. “There is still a long way to go and we will only be able to do without Russian gas at the cost of a collective effort”, considers the government. According to Berlin, Germany can be “largely independent” of Russian gas “by mid-2024”.
The country has already reduced its imports in recent weeks, which now represent only 40%, against 55% before the invasion of Ukraine. The country released 1.5 billion euros, at the beginning of March, for massive purchases of liquefied gas, delivered by the ocean, and coming from diversified producers, such as Qatar, or the United States. But Germany does not currently have a terminal to transport this gas, and therefore depends on the infrastructures located in its European neighbours.
Three floating LNG terminals, huge boats allowing the reception of liquid gas on the coasts, must therefore be reserved by the companies Uniper and RWE, at the request of the government, the ministry said on Thursday.
(AFP)