German Economy Minister Habek called “SP-2” a reason for the vulnerability of German energy
Photo: Dado Ruvic / Reuters
The commissioning of the Russian gas pipeline “Nord Stream-2” (SP-2) will increase Germany’s dependence on gas and will cause vulnerability of German energy, said Vice Chancellor of Germany and Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habek in an interview with the Funke media group.
“From a geopolitical point of view, SP-2 increases not only dependence on Russian gas, but also concentration on one supply route, which is extremely vulnerable. SP-2 increases the need to diversify the sources of our gas supply,” the minister said. Habek also cited the growing tension in relations between Russia and Ukraine as the reason for such measures.
“[The EU and Germany] should prepare better for next winter. The geopolitical situation also creates the need to create other opportunities for importing [gas] and diversifying supply routes, which includes infrastructure development issues. If we don’t do this, we will turn into a [puppet] toy,” Habek concluded.
The Vice-Chancellor also noted the lack of state regulation of the gas market in Germany and said that this state of affairs should change soon.
On February 5, a journalist from the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza called the situation with the fullness of European gas storage facilities “aggravated” and said that with the onset of cold weather, Russian Gazprom could get a monopoly on the use of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline.
Earlier, Germany called the condition for the resumption of certification “SP-2”. The representative of the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection of Germany, Beate Baron, stressed that appropriate documents are needed to return to the procedure.
