Klaus Müller fears neither cold apartments nor widespread power failures this winter. In the talk show “Maischberger”, the head of the Federal Network Agency still advises to save energy – and to stock up on a few groceries.
In many parts of Germany, meteorologists expect minus degrees for the weekend at the latest. Bundesnetzagentur boss Klaus Müller does not believe that Germans will have to freeze in their homes this winter. The gas storage facilities are currently 98.88 percent full and the citizens saved a lot in October and the first weeks of November, praises Müller in the ARD program “Maischberger”.
Energy consumption in private households has fallen by 17 percent and in industry by as much as 25 percent. “Our gas storage facilities are at an all-time high. That helps us for private customers and for industry,” says Müller. If Germany had no more gas inflow, you could make ends meet for the next two and a half months. But Germany mainly gets gas from Norway and Belgium, and three liquid gas terminals will be added at Christmas.
If the temperatures were to drop below minus twelve degrees for a longer period of time, the filling level of the storage tanks could fall below 70 percent. But then, according to European law, private households, hospitals or police stations should be given special protection. “If there were a gas shortage, many other savings potentials would have to be leveraged first,” says Müller. “At the moment there is no scenario where we assume that we will have to reach out to private households.” For Müller, however, the following still applies: “The incentive to save must continue to exist.”
Germany has a very, very good power supply, emphasizes Müller. That’s why he doesn’t expect blackouts this winter. “There was a stress test in the summer, there were five assumptions that were disputed. The situation improved for four of them,” reports the head of the network agency. “There are more coal-fired power plants, we don’t have any problems with gas-fired power plants, the fan heaters we’ve sold up to now have not been connected, and low water is no longer a danger either.” But one problem remains: the situation of the nuclear power plants in France. “We have to keep that in mind.”
However, limited power cuts are possible, but you can prepare for them. “The federal government has started everything that is necessary, even the nuclear power plants will continue to run until April,” says Müller. Nevertheless, he advises people in Germany to stock up on at least a few food supplies for emergencies.
