Germany has taken a "bitter" decision to fire up idling coal power plants to reduce its reliance on Russian natural gas.
Natural gas flows from Russia to Germany were cut by around 60 percent last week.
According to the German economy ministry, coal power plants are being upgraded so they can start generating electricity again. Emergency laws would allow Germany to increase the generation of electricity from coal for a limited time.
Robert Habeck is an economy minister and a senior member of the Green party.
Germany plans to cut the use of natural gas in order to have enough for the winter.
Habeck said that the situation is serious. Additional measures are being taken to reduce gas consumption. Things will get tight in winter if more gas is not stored.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent surge in energy prices is threatening governments' climate policies, as evidenced by Germany's decision to return to coal power. The use of coal in Germany will be phased out by 2038.
Key pieces of equipment are stuck in Montreal because of Canadian sanctions, according to Russia.
Germany pointed out that there are alternatives to the argument.
Natural gas prices have gone up and there is a chance of shortages during the winter. Half of Germany's natural gas came from Russia in 2011.
The benchmark European price for Dutch TTF natural gas futures was up around 5% on Monday. That's a huge increase from a year ago.
According to the economy ministry, the return of coal plants could increase production by 10 gigawatts. According to the Financial Times, this would increase the use of coal for electricity generation by up to a third.
An auction system and government-backed loans will be introduced by the ministry to encourage industrial users to save gas.
A bright 21-year-oldUkrainian law student is building her career after fleeing the war and leaving her family.
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