Although maintenance work and the associated throttling of the pipeline are nothing unusual, the next work was not planned until the summer. But the further throttling seems to confirm Habeck’s impression. On Wednesday, Russia further reduced gas supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
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What does this mean for the economy? As a next step, could Putin possibly stop deliveries completely and why does Gazprom Germania still get tax money from the German state? t-online clarifies the most important questions.
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Is there a gas stop now?
That cannot be ruled out. A few days ago, Russia asserted that it had no interest in stopping or reducing deliveries to other countries – but the Kremlin violated this statement shortly afterwards by reducing German imports. Russia cannot therefore be relied on as a business partner.
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So the throttling could only be a foretaste. “It’s not over yet,” said Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, with a view to possible restrictions on energy supplies by Russia. This might just be the beginning.
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The economist Jens Südekum believes it is possible that Russia only wants to increase the pressure on the West with this step. “Putin keeps igniting,” says Südekum. “He wants to cause unrest in the German economy – and with such tactical maneuvers he succeeds.”
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Expert: We have to seriously deal with the gas supply stop
For a long time, the German economy felt certain that it was not in the Kremlin’s interest to turn off the tap on Germany, a major importer of Russian gas. After all, energy export is one of the most important economic sectors in Russia and gas is one of the few commodities that have not been the focus of sanctions so far. But that could be a fallacy.
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“Thanks to the high gas prices, Putin has made his pockets so full that he can afford to stop gas supplies early,” Südekum said. “We have to seriously deal with the fact that Russia will soon finally turn off the gas supply.”
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Could gas prices continue to rise?
Yes, the throttling of the supply of Russian gas raises concerns similar to those of a supply freeze. Rising prices, bottlenecks, problems for the economy. In fact, the announcement alone has caused wholesale prices to jump.
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Expensive gas prices also affect electricity prices, since part of the electricity mix requires gas for generation. Most of the Russian gas comes to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
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Higher energy prices could further fuel inflation
The energy supply in Germany is currently secured, said the parliamentary state secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Michael Kellner (Greens), on Wednesday the television channels RTL / ntv. The question, however, is at what price.
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