Angela Merkel defends her decision to make Germany completely dependent on Russian gas
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel tried to justify her energy policy in Germany which left Europe's largest economy too dependent on Russian gas, and even claimed that she had no regrets and that her policies were driven by the situation of the moment.
“ We always act in the moment in which we are. In this sense, I do not regret at all the decisions taken, on the contrary, I believe they were right from the point of view of the time “, she told reporters in Lisbon, questioned about the approach of her government to Russia.
The low-cost Russian gas has allowed Germany to proceed with the phasing out of nuclear power and coal, the former chancellor told Reuters. Too bad that the gas has also disappeared.
Europe's largest economy is in serious trouble after cornering with its energy policies. For decades, successive governments in Berlin have pursued a policy of maximizing the country's dependence on Russian oil and gas, almost completely abandoning nuclear power, with the last two functioning reactors expected to be shut down in 2022. As a result, Germany has become heavily dependent on natural gas, which accounts for 25% of the country's total primary energy consumption. Although Germany has large stocks of natural gas that could be exploited with fracking, Berlin has banned this technology and therefore has to import 97% of its gas mainly from Russia, the Netherlands and Norway.
The drastic elimination of nuclear power in Germany is part of the country's Energiewende (energy transition), as is the transition to a low-carbon economy. Not only does natural gas produce half the emissions of coal, but for Germany it has been a very affordable and reliable source of energy, which is needed by many sectors of the economy.
In Germany, 44% of gas was used for heating buildings in 2020, while industrial processes consumed 28%. Gas is the best and cheapest raw material for the production of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers, of which Germany is a key supplier. The gas is also used in refining, chemical manufacturing and many other types of production. All these activities are difficult, if not impossible, to completely replace with green energy in a short time.
There is also another problem: Ms. Merkel could also choose gas as the main source of energy, reducing diversification and increasing risks, but she also chose to go to a single supplier. Instead of helping other countries to diversify, he forced them, with enormous arrogance, to follow his directions for total dependence on Russia. Now we are paying the price. After all, skilled rulers not only act hic et nunc, but are also able to make good, long-term predictions. She got them completely wrong.
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The article Angela Merkel defends her decision to make Germany completely dependent on Russian gas comes from ScenariEconomici.it .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/angela-merkel-difende-la-sua-decisione-di-far-dipendere-la-germania-completamente-dal-gas-russo/ on Fri, 14 Oct 2022 06:00:34 +0000.