Germany “prepared” to get through winter – econ min Habeck

German leaders see the country well-equipped to get through the coming winter in the ongoing energy crisis. The government had initiated the necessary preparations to secure energy supply early on, economy and climate minister Robert Habeck said after a two-day cabinet retreat near the capital Berlin. “That’s why we have answers and progress that allows us to be prepared for the winter,” he said. Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed that his government is doing what is needed. “We have taken very far-reaching decisions very quickly, the result of which is that one can say with all caution that we have probably set in motion what is necessary and can also set in motion further measures in order to get through this winter and also through next winter,” he said during a press conference with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez one day earlier (30 August). The chancellor named gas storage rules and the construction of domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals as key examples. He cautioned that while the job was not yet done when it comes to gas supply, “we look at the situation much more relaxed.” Scholz also said the government would “soon finish the work” on a third relief package to help citizens deal with rising prices.

The war against Ukraine is shaking the foundation of Europe's energy and security architecture, as a decade-old reliance on Russian fossil fuel imports is set to come to an end. Among the government’s actions to secure Germany’s energy supply in the coming winter and beyond are a faster rollout of renewables, fossil fuel supplies from countries other than Russia also with the help of domestic LNG terminals, and energy saving measures like reduced heating in public buildings and campaigns directed at citizens.