Hot showers only at certain times of the day? This seems to be the horizon that lies ahead for the autumn in some German cities in the face of the Russian threat of a gas cut. For now it is only a proposal but it is already being discussed. The senator of the city of Hamburg, Jens Kerstanof the Greens, interviewed today by Welt am Sonntag did not feel to exclude targeted rationing intended to involve the private homes of German citizens.
Germany entered “phase two” of its three-tier energy emergency plan last month after Russia reduced the flow of gas through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, in the face of what Moscow considers “hostile actions” of the German government as the decision to send heavy weapons to Kiev. The next level involves rationing.
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“In the event of an acute gas shortage, hot water could be rationed and made available to individuals only at certain times of the day,” the Hamburg senator explained to the German newspaper, adding that a decrease will certainly also be considered. generalized temperatures of private heaters.
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It is not a threat, but pure pragmatism. According to the federal emergency plan adopted by the Germaniaprivate homes and hospitals will be priority should the country enter the third phase. Kerstan however, he explained that there are technical obstacles: in the event that the city is faced with a shortage of gas, it will be very difficult to distinguish between individuals and companies and therefore it will be better to prepare immediately for blanket measures.
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While Germany is running for cover to find alternatives to Russian supplies, there are discussions these days to install liquefied natural gas (LNG) right in Hamburg, but here too Kerstan has dampened the enthusiasm by saying that even if a decision took place in a very short time, the terminal would not be ready before next May, and therefore would not be used to face this winter.
In this context, two more interim terminals for the LNG are expected to go into operation in northern Germany, in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuettel before the end of the year.