10.01.2009: The European energy crisis [1]
Every year, when the temperature goes down, Russia cuts the European supply of natural gas alleging a billing dispute with Ukraine. The gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine escalated further in January leaving several countries in Central and Eastern Europe out of gas, and supplies of Russian gas to Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Macedonia had been halted. Austria and Germany are using up their reserves. The Russian Gazprom delivered meager 92 million cubic meters of gas for EU states, compared to 300 million on previous days.
Gazprom alleged that the Ukraine was to be blamed for the shortfall shutting three of the four export pipelines which cross their country.
The Caucasian pipeline bringing natural gas from Baku through Georgia was recently endangered during the military conflict between Georgia and Russia.
The pipeline through Poland has a low capacity.
The EU Nabucco pipeline is planed to transport gas from the Caucasian region and from Iran in case the sanctions against this country will be lifted. The Nabucco pipeline will excert pressure against the monopoly of Russian gas.
The Baltic Sea pipeline, a cooperation between Russia and Germany is planed to avoid bottlenecks from the Ukrainian and the Polish transit pipelines.
Reactivation of rotten nuclear power plant in Slovakia [2]
Several days are needed for restarting the second unit of the V1 Nuclear Power Plant in Jaslovske Bohunice. The reactor is an old Russian construction which was closed by the European Union as a requirement to accept Slovakia's EU membership. Slovakia argues that the country was forced by the uncertain natural gas supply to avoid a total shutdown of its economy. Austria expressed deep safety concern.
[1] Spiegel Online: A European Energy Crisis: Why Ukraine Needs Help in the Gas Row. 06.01.2009
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,599796,00.html
[2] Slovak minister recommends nuclear plant relaunch unless gas supply restored. January 9, 2009.
http://pepei.pennnet.com/news/display_news_story.cfm?Section=WireNews&Category=HOME&NewsID=172278
European natural gas supply
German energy consumption 2008
in million tons of
coal equivalents total %
Liquid petroleum 166 34,7
Natural gas 109 22,8
Coal 63 13,2
Nuclear energy 55 11,5
Lignite 53 11,1
Other 32 6,7
Total 478 mio Tons eq. 100 %
The European government must act now to avoid bottlenecks in energy. Germany has no solution to be presented in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Hydrogen economy in cooperation with the Arabian states may become be a sound solution.
An EU Initiative to support car manufacturing industry and lead to a decarbonisation of the transport business is presented here.