Germany further reduces dependence on Russian energy

Germany's dependence on gas, coal and oil supplies from Russia continues to decline. This is the result of the second progress report on energy security in Germany, which has now been presented by Robert Habeck, Germany's Minister of Economics.

With a reduction to 8 percent, there has been the largest decline to date in coal imports from Russia due to contract conversions. At the beginning of this year, the figure was still around 55 percent. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWK), dependence on Russian gas fell from 55 to 35 percent in the same period. In the case of oil imports, there had been a decline from 35 to 12 percent.

"Intensive efforts"

"Germany is in the process of reducing its energy dependence on Russia at a rapid pace and putting its energy supply on a broader basis," the ministry said. Since the first progress report on energy security was published at the end of March, supply chains have been further diversified, it said. "We have made further intensive efforts in recent weeks, together with all relevant stakeholders, to import less fossil energy from Russia and to put the supply on a broader basis," Minister Habeck said.

In the case of coal, he said, the German government had worked with power plant operators to push ahead with procurement and reserve building from other countries in preparation for the hard coal embargo decided by the EU.

In the oil sector, further steps have been taken in recent weeks to end supply relations with Russia: Contracts, for example, will no longer be renewed and will expire as a result. "As a result of all the measures taken, Russian oil imports have essentially been reduced to remaining quantities required by the refineries in Leuna and Schwedt (a total of about 12 percent)," the ministry said. Moreover, ending dependence on Russian crude oil imports by late summer is realistic, it added.

Gas is a sticking point

The reduction is most challenging in the case of gas. Currently, natural gas purchases from Norway and the Netherlands have increased, and LNG imports have increased significantly. This is a "national tour de force". Thus, "simultaneous steps by many players - federal, state, local, corporate and private households" are necessary. The German government plans to put the first floating LNG terminals into operation this year.