The Germans must dress warmly!
SPD party leader Lars Klingbeil sees a difficult time in Germany in view of the looming gas crisis. “We are facing dramatic months,” said Klingbeil on Monday in the RTL / ntv program “Frühstart”. He called on citizens to save energy: “We also have to save in the private sector.”
The aim must be not to rationalize the gas for the industry. “That would have dramatic consequences for the labor market,” he said. “We have to avoid that, and everyone can contribute to that.”
With a view to the upcoming maintenance work on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Klingbeil says: “There is a likelihood that Putin will no longer open the gas tap after the maintenance work.” This would have dramatic consequences for Germany and Europe – so the country must deal with this scenario : “You have to expect the worst with Putin.”
The chancellor and the economics minister are also alarmed.
The federal government increasingly fears social and political upheavals as a result of the sharp rise in energy prices.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of “social explosives” if many people were faced with energy bills with increases of several hundred euros by autumn at the latest. “I’m very worried,” said the SPD politician on Sunday on ARD. That is why the government is trying every means possible to keep the energy supply stable and, starting Monday, also wants to discuss further relief with the social partners because of the high inflation.
According to Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens), the feared stop to all Russian gas deliveries could result in a price explosion at some municipal utilities.
Habeck and the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, fear a total failure of deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline. Müller told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Many consumers will be shocked when they receive mail from their energy supplier. With what Putin is giving us with Nord Stream 1, we can triple it.”
cost explosion
Consumers are already suffering from the increasing price burdens.
The average annual energy costs for a model household in June 2022 were 6,589 euros. That is almost two percent less than in the previous month, but 58 percent or EUR 2,422 more than in June 2021. At that time, the costs were EUR 4,167.
“Energy costs have been rising steadily since 2020 and have literally exploded since the end of 2021,” says Steffen Suttner, Managing Director Energy at CHECK24. “The war in Ukraine and sanctions against Russia have pushed energy prices higher. A complete halt to deliveries could exacerbate the situation.”