Posted on 12/17/2022 6:50:24 PM PST by House Atreides
Germany’s gas reserves are emptying at record speed: 1% per day as the current wind/solar energy lull means more gas gets burned for electricity, heating.
Pleiteticker.de here reports how Germany’s natural gas reserves “are emptying at record speed” because wind and solar power have been on the scarce side over the past few weeks. This means gas turbines have had to jump in to pick up the slack in electricity production – not one the German government had hoped as it wrestles with the heightening energy crisis.
“Germany is converting gas into electricity in record quantities,” pleiteticker.de reports. “Thanks to high pressure system ‘Erika’, the current December is colder than it has been for years. […] In recent days, gas storage facilities have therefore been emptying much faster than before. From December 12 onwards, more than one percent was withdrawn from gas storage facilities in Germany every day.”
“Last week, almost one third of all electricity was generated from natural gas. These are record figures,” writes pleiteticker.de.
If the cold persists through the winter, gas reserves threaten to become extremely tight before spring arrives.
But instead of blaming the energy woes on failed government policies, federal network agency head Klaus Müller criticizes the situation on the consumers, and worries “the gas storage may not last the whole winter.”
“A national gas shortage in winter can be avoided if, firstly, the savings target of at least 20 percent continues to be achieved,” the Federal Network Agency says. Here the government’s solution clearly is that citizens should accept freezing even more when it’s bitterly cold out.
(Excerpt) Read more at wattsupwiththat.com ...
That many zeros you lose track of it and sense of it.
Starting with crazy Greta.
Americans didn't "choose" Biden in the election. He lost by a huge margin. But the election was stolen by criminals. However, Americans "accepting" the theft by their "leaders" is another way of choosing the thief.
Coal and nukes. Russian nat gas was a latecomer, long after rationality had left German policy. Russian nat gas was just one aspect of madness.
If only there was some way to design natural gas systems to account for rare weather events. If only there was some way to hedge contracts. If only there was some way to properly manage risk. If only there was some way to build additional capacity.
If only...
Heh, we left our home in the San Fran Bay Area five years ago because if the absolutely insane environment. We didn’t head south though; we headed north to sane Idaho. We hedged our bets and kept the California place for the time being, though. But the new reparations crap is likely to be the final straw on this camel’s back.
The wood-burning “renewable” energy plants get their wood chips largely from imports, from Finland, the Baltics, and even the US. Logging in Germany is, as I understand it, highly regulated.
Yes, its another absurd aspect of the “green”, but there you go.
They have x-amount of natural gas reserves. But they figure now, with this arctic front underway (supposed to end Monday morning)...they are burning around 1-percent each day. For at least five days (Monday on)...it’ll be 35 to 45 degrees (F), and the burn rate will be a lot less.
Supposed to be meeting next week between SPD, Greens, and FDP to talk over fracking. SPD and Greens have vowed it stays banned. FDP will ask how this is not logical to resort to it.
This natural gas deal with Qatar (the LNG ships) is a done deal. First ship arrived Friday, and off-loading started yesterday. For the scheduled situation...Qatar can only supply 10-percent of what Russia sent via the Nord Stream I pipe. Unless they can get a 2nd and probably 3rd deal in the works....there’s no way to have reliable natural gas, unless you go back to fracking on German soil.
Based on what I read, via the fracking angle, there’s two or three major areas in Germany with potential, and they believe sufficient natural gas for 20-plus years. It’d help lower the price and cease dependence off Russia or anyone else.
If you peel back the layers...just a lot of companies and businesses on the verge of bankruptcy because of the cost of natural gas now. Bakeries are charging a fairly shocking amount now. A number of older homes/apartments (from early 1900s) with high ceilings...are on the market now (takes more heat).
For 2023, no one is going to have money for vacations/trips or new cars...so a serious recession period will be starting up. It is fascinating how all of these things connect up. Public sentiment will be fairly negative by the end of 2023.
There isn’t nearly enough LNG infrastructure in place to replace pipelined natural gas from Russia.
https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/17/first-liquid-natural-gas-terminal-opened-in-germany
There is still a backlog of LNG tankers awaiting unloading in Germany. This should help. The main issue with LNG is the rate of unloading. Since there are another two terminals that should open this winter it should mitigate that a lot.
And this is a really big deal for next winter - when the gas problems are likely to really bite - This will be done by next August, or earlier, as its just a short hop over the Pyrenees from Hostalrich to Marseilles.
Spain has the biggest LNG facilities in Europe; with this plus some Franco-German pipeline work there should be no unloading backlog.
Do we have a good Trump "I toldja so."?
It's not the vote that counts,
It's the count that votes.
“Germany is bleeding cash to keep the lights on. Just under half a trillion US dollars of government subsidies and counting, to make Germany’s broken energy system affordable for end users.”
Here’s the problem: At least for this winter and likely for next winter, there is only a FINITE amount of natural gas that Germany can access (thanks to us blowing up their pipeline).
They literally risk running out of gas. So, when the government makes gas more ‘affordable’ than their present situation should dictate, what do people do - they use MORE GAS (or at least don’t cut back nearly as much). What’s needed is PAIN, which means gas costing enough to force the usage cuts. At a 20% reduction target it is doable, but will likely cost every household $5k to $10k per year (but that’s the least they can do for Ukraine).
Germany is going with the ‘subsidize’ route and are thus playing with fire as far as running out, completely.
A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: How can you expect a man who is warm to understand a man who is cold. That there is governments throughout the world.
And LNG is about 5 times as expensive. That shock goes through the whole European economy. And we blew up Nordstream with the Brits and poles. Enjoy!
Ach so. So traurig.
Oh and it’s.......”because wind and solar power have been on the scarce side over the past few weeks”......
Our power and gas bill for this last month is over 30% higher this year than last. The price per therm for gas went up and the price per KWH for electricity went up as well. The average temperature for the 30 days billed went down 6°F as compared to last year which caused our consumption to go up. The combination of higher prices for energy and increased consumption from colder weather resulted in the 30% increase as compared to last year. But our plight is much better than those in Germany and even those living in other regions in our own country.
“ Almost half a trillion dollars, and counting…”
For that much money, Germany could be the fracking natural gas supplier to all of Europe.
Gee. Too bad. Embrace the suck, Krautland.
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