According to the Federal Network Agency, private gas users should already be paying higher monthly deductions on their consumption because of the high prices.
“Many households will only notice when they pay their heating bills next year how much the price has risen and are unable to cope with the additional payments,” said the President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. Consumers should not be confronted with the rising costs too late.
Experts expect that the war in Ukraine will make commodities such as gas, oil and wheat permanently more expensive. “In view of all the uncertainties that the beginning of the current decade brings with it, one thing is clear: we are seeing the end of an era of cheap raw materials,” said the head of the Luxembourg raw materials group Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), Benedikt Sobotka, the German Press Agency . The international sanctions are contributing to an unprecedented rise in prices.
Prices are likely to continue to rise
Sobotka cited the cost of wheat, fertilizer, crude oil, natural gas, aluminum and copper. “In the coming months, many key elements of our daily lives will tend to become more expensive – from bread and coffee to computers and cars to building materials, homes and the way we power our homes.”
The Greens continue to campaign for energy savings so that Germany can do without Russian gas more quickly. “And because otherwise there are hardly any measures that take effect quickly, we now need a temporary speed limit on motorways – for example for nine months and thus until the end of the year, i.e. the time by which we want to become independent of Russian oil at the latest.” , said party leader Ricarda Lang to the editorial network Germany. Your coalition partner FDP still rejects a speed limit. Müller advocated not relying solely on calls for waivers when dealing with gas shortages. Price signals such as higher discounts are more effective.
Colder water in the pool
The first public swimming pools are already lowering the water temperature, as the German Society for Bathing told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. Should Russia cut its gas supplies, city baths could also be closed. In Dutch authorities, the heating is turned down by two degrees Celsius. Citizens are called upon to heat their homes to a maximum of 19 degrees. “Put on a warm jacket or sweater, socks and slippers,” it is advised. Anyone who is active at home can turn the thermostat down one degree.
Companies are also preparing for the fact that gas could become scarce. “In the event of an embargo, we would first switch to oil-based fuels and power generators. And we hope that we can continue our business with the necessary supplies,” said the head of the pharmaceutical company Merck, Belén Garijo, of the “Welt am Sonntag”. The industry needs time to convert the energy supply to alternatives in the long term.
The CEO of ThyssenKrupp, Martina Merz, supported the German government’s plans to completely break away from Russian energy as quickly as possible. “Even if it gets expensive and presents many companies with major financial challenges,” Merz told the “Spiegel”. However, she rejects an abrupt ban on imports: “A minimum purchase from Russia is indispensable in the coming months.” Should there be a supply bottleneck after the Russian gas supplies were stopped, production plants would have to be shut down in an orderly manner.
metal industry against discrimination
Employers in the metal and electrical industry warned that their industry would be disadvantaged in the event of a delivery stop. “Nobody would be served if people sat at home in their apartments at 24 degrees, but the companies in which they work collapsed,” said Stefan Wolf, General Metal President of the “Augsburger Allgemeine”. Industry is the “artery of our prosperity and of jobs”.
Despite the war, the Russian state-owned company Gazprom continues to pump large volumes of gas through Ukraine to the west. The group announced that 108 million cubic meters should be delivered through the neighboring country’s pipeline system on Saturday. According to Russian information, this corresponds to the quantity ordered. Ukraine derives important transit fees from transit.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had instructed that gas should only be sold to Western countries for rubles, which they strictly rejected. As a result, Putin issued a decree obliging Western customers to open a ruble account with Gazprombank and process payments through it. In this way, Russia wants to support its currency, but also ensure that the money deposited actually arrives. Previously, payments could also be made via other accounts. Putin had threatened Germany and other countries with stopping deliveries if payments were not made. (dpa)