From No Trick Zone

By P Gosselin

It’s not even mid-February, and Germany’s gas storage buffer is already down to 25.5% full and faces rationing. 

LNG Supply Blocked By Sea Ice

German authorities hope to avert a supply shortage by importing gas from the Netherlands and Norway, and shipments of LNG. However, according to Blackout News, the LNG terminal on the island of Rügen is currently out of operation due to a thick layer of ice in the Prorer Wiek and the port of Mukran. Because the shipping channel is no longer safe to navigate, LNG tankers are unable to enter or leave the terminal.

The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) reports that wind is pushing the ice together, narrowing the channels. Additionally, navigation buoys have been displaced or pushed under the ice, making safe passage nearly impossible for large tankers.

Critically Low Storage Levels

In an Apollo News interview with Stefan Spiegelsberger, several critical factors are highlighted that threaten the German gas supply.

Spiegelsberger points out that gas storage levels are already very low (approx. 25.5% as of February 10) and, with a daily withdrawal rate of about 0.7% per day, they are rapidly approaching the critical limit of 20%. Below this mark, the pressure in the storage facilities drops so significantly that sufficient withdrawal becomes technically difficult, which can lead to a gas shortage, especially during cold snaps.

Consequence Of Coal, Nuclear Phaseout

Another central problem is that since the shutdown of nuclear power plants, Germany has had to use significantly more gas for electricity generation, thus diverting large amounts of gas away from the heating and industrial markets, emptying storage facilities faster than in previous years.

Germany’s energy woes were compounded by the country’s move away from coal and nuclear power as part as its transition to green energies. According to Spiegelsperger, “We have switched from nuclear and coal now mainly to gas; every day we produce an average of between 15 and 20 GW with gas-fired power plants, which naturally causes the problem that we are now in this—perhaps soon to be—gas shortage situation…”

Merz Bans Gas Debate!

According to the YouTube channel by Alexander Raue, the situation in Germany is so dismal that Chancellor Friedrich Merz has reportedly issued an official ban on debating the current gas crisis until the end of March in order to avoid negatively affecting the ongoing election campaigns.