Germany activated the alarm phase of its gas emergency plan on Thursday for fear of a shortage next winter, economics minister Robert Habeck said on Thursday. The country is allocating 15 billion euros to replenish gas supplies.
A kind of auction is also being held in which companies can bid against each other in order to save as much gas as possible as cheaply as possible. They get subsidies for that. A similar measure was introduced in our country earlier this week. A clause whereby companies may immediately pass on cost increases to consumers has not yet been activated.
In recent months, Russia has been busy cutting off gas supplies to western countries. The gas taps have been turned off completely in five countries, including the Netherlands, and seven other countries receive less gas, European climate commissioner Frans Timmermans reported on Thursday.
Ten countries, including the Netherlands, have activated the first of three phases of the gas emergency plan in recent weeks. In our country, this means that companies must report on their gas supplies and stocks on a daily basis. If they get too low, the second phase is activated. The government is also conducting a campaign to encourage households to consume less gas.
All EU member states are required to have a plan for what they will do if gas supplies stop. That starts with warning campaigns. In extreme cases, companies or entire areas are cut off from the gas.
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