Posted on 03/13/2022 5:56:59 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany should rethink its ban on allowing new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea as it tries to reduce its dependence on Russian energy due to the invasion of Ukraine, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Sunday.
Germany, which depends on Russia for two thirds of its natural gas imports, is urgently trying to boost alternative energy sources, including building its first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. Lindner, however, said at least for a transitional period, Europe’s biggest economy will still need oil and gas.
“Against the changed geopolitical background, I think it is advisable to examine the entire energy strategy of our country without any prohibitions on thinking,” he said.
Despite the sharp rise in fuel prices at petrol stations, Lindner rejected a temporary cut in sales tax from 19% to 7% for petrol and diesel, as suggested by some politicians.
“If the conservatives call for a fuel price brake, they must say what they want to cut in the budget. Or admit they are prepared to take on new debt for this,” he said, adding he was also against introducing a speed limit on German motorways.
(Excerpt) Read more at finnews.org ...
Too little, too late.
Maybe you can just hit the key and restart your nuclear power plants.
The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.
But green energy and SCIENCE!!!
But green energy and SCIENCE!!!
Just turn up the windmills and solar. Isn’t that what you guys say is your savior, Greenies?
Sounds like Putin is KNOCKING SOME SENSE into them, as Trump sure as hell couldn’t.
Oh no…what is Greta going to say?…better restart the nuclear plants and coal mines too…or go back to Middle Ages and learn Russian or Chinese…
Putin has really screwed up. Norway is sitting on huge reserves too.
No short term pain as Russia needs the cash for oil/NG. Russia will have to sell on the cheap to China, increasingly. Eventually, China will just go take Siberia from a weakened Russia.
“Putin has really screwed up. Norway is sitting on huge reserves too.”
No way to predict. The Greens are now VERY POWERFUL in Europe and they have to be dispatched long before another well is drilled. Assuming this ends peacefully and emotions cool down, the question is whether Europe even has the stomach to deal with the Greens. Could go either way in my book.
“No short term pain as Russia needs the cash for oil/NG. Russia will have to sell on the cheap to China, increasingly. Eventually, China will just go take Siberia from a weakened Russia.”
Overall, true, although having some ‘technical difficulties’ in deliveries lasting a few weeks will have little impact on them, given their huge hard currency reserves (and gold)...but it certainly will scare the crap of Europe.
Siberia, that simply depends on what China feels it needs. If Russia sells fuel to them at a reasonable price, they may prefer the status quo. As to ‘elbow room’ for its population, hard to tell there, now that the population has stabilized and they also have massive unoccupied housing already available and Siberia is a frozen wasteland.
The Germans appear to have turned on a Pfennig. Its amazing. They’re at least starting to sound like actual adults!.....they even appear to have miraculously discovered a working pair of testicles somewhere. I never thought I would see it.
Even if they follow through, even if they are serious about repudiating everything Germany has stood for for about 60 years, it is going to take YEARS to fix their problems. You don’t build a credible and competent military overnight. It takes years and a crap-ton of money. Fracking, drilling offshore, LNG terminals, returning to nuclear power etc are all going to take years to build.
I’m still stunned to see this complete about face from them and I’m still not ready to trust that they really are going to stop acting like arrogant petulant children and instead are going to act like reasonable adults for a change. Zeig mir Deutsche! Ich werde beobachten......
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