“Putin is the only one who could prevent blackouts in Europe. That is a position of power. “
This simple but accurate statement by energy expert Professor Thierry Bros (54) from the University of Institut d’études politiques de Parisciences (Sciences Po) in the “Wall Street Journal” shows the whole misery of German energy policy! Whether for heating, power supply or gasoline – Germany is dependent on the Kremlin, because the strongest energy suppliers, the state-owned companies Gazprom and Rosneft, are at least indirectly controlled by Russia’s head of state.
But how can Germany end the misery it has created itself?
BILD spoke to energy expert Thierry Bros about Germany’s dependence on Russian gas and the most obvious way to rise from Putin’s shadow – nuclear power, which is so frowned upon in Germany, but dominant in France.
BILD: Does Germany risk power outages if Berlin doesn’t play by Putin’s rules?
Thierry Bros: “Definitive! As a Frenchman, I would say that Germany is relying on a dangerous free ticket to the EU solidarity mechanism and, in the event of a large-scale power failure, will ask its neighbors to shut down their industries in order to provide emergency power for German households. “
How dependent is Germany on Putin’s goodwill?
Bros: “Germany is with its gas supply (including from almost 100 gas-fired power plants, editor’s note) 49 percent dependent on Gazprom compared to the EU, which is 37 percent dependent on Gazprom. In addition, Germany’s gas storage facilities are only 75 percent full compared to the storage facilities in other EU countries, which are 78 percent full. So Germany gets more gas from Russia with a smaller storage facility (Puffer, Anm. d. Red.) than the EU. “
How do we escape this addiction?
Bros: “The decommissioning of German nuclear power plants in 2011 led to more coal being burned between 2011 and 2014. If you shut down the last six plants now, more Russian gas would have to be burned, which is also crazy for the climate. Since there is no way to switch from nuclear power plants to renewable energies overnight, both the climate and the citizens would thank the next federal government if Germany postpones its nuclear power plant closings and reopens decommissioned safe nuclear power plants. “
Could that also reduce Putin’s influence in Germany?
Bros: “Naturally! The more energy is offered on the German market, the greater the competition. This leads to lower prices for German consumers and curtails Putin’s power over German politics. “
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