Germany aims to halve its dependence on Russian oil by the end of the summer and wean itself largely off its gas by the middle of 2024, the minister for energy and health has said. Economy.
Berlin, which relies heavily on fossil fuels from Moscow, has embarked on a race to develop alternative energy sources amid pressure for an embargo and fears Russia will cut supplies.
“Now we expect that from the summer of 2024 we can be independent of Russian gas, except for a small part,” Robert Habeck said on Friday. “By the end of summer towards autumn, we will be able to completely do without Russian coal.”
Since the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the government has reduced its dependence on Russian coal imports from 50% to 25%, oil imports from 35% to 25% and gas from 55% to 40%. , Habeck added.
He described his intention to sign lease contracts for floating storage regasification units – vessels capable of vaporizing LNG. The units would have a volume of 27 gigawatts when complete. He did not say how much Germany was aiming for.
Germany is moving quickly to build two LNG terminals, one capable of supplying 10 gigawatts and the other with 8 to 10 gigawatts of electricity.
“There is also a lot of momentum in other places, so it is something that is moving significantly,” the minister said.
A problem with reducing oil dependence, he said, is that a third of the oil imported into Germany goes to a refinery in Schwedt, which is owned by the state-backed Russian oil company Rosneft. The refinery is in the eastern state of Brandenberg and also supplies Berlin.
“This situation is more complex and it now proves that it was a mistake to entrust a Russian state company with responsibility,” he added, “for energy supply in this region and beyond. “.
Habeck said the government was preparing for the possibility of Russia cutting off supplies.
