Friday, October 07, 2022

German NatGas Consumption Too High To Avoid Energy "Emergency", Regulator Warns As Norway Increases Gas Production

 This blog and our co - publications, Original Boggart Blog and The Daily Stirrer have commented many times on the folly of western leaders headlong rush to achieve 'net zero,' the neutralisation of Carbon Dioxide emissions from their nation's business and social activities. Germany and the UK have so far led the way, closing coal and gas fuelled electricity generating plants and for some reason nuclear reactors though these produce absolutely zero CO2, and trying to fulfill their nation's baseload requirement (the level of energy requires 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in order to keep a modern, economically developed nation running) by investing in intermittent and unpredictable sources such as wind turbines and solar panels.

Now it seems Germany is heading for a cold, dark winter as in spite of all the government's exhortations to reduce consumption now that no gas at all is flowing through the Nord Stream pipeline from Russia due to the sabotage of both pipes last month, businesses need to keep trading and domestic users need to keep warm and cook food. The result is that the European Union's biggest member and most powerful economy  may not be able to avoid an energy "emergency" in the  cold, dark months which lie ahead, the head of the country's energy network regulator warned Thursday, as reported by The Washington Post

"Gas consumption increased by too much last week," said Klaus Mueller, head of Germany's network agency.

Due to the bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline system in the Baltic Sea and reduced NatGas flows from Russia via The Balkans and Italy because of the war in Ukraine, German households and businesses need to reduce energy consumption to a bare minimum as average temperatures across northern Europe slide to near an unseaonally low 5 degrees celsius in the second half of the September. 

Heating degree data shows the heating season has started. 

Infographics via Zero Hedge

Germany's inability to reduce gas consumption due to its closing coal, gas and nuclear fuelled power stations can only result in accelerating the depletion of supplies in bulk storage and could spark a continued surge in gas prices. Gas consumption last week for households and small businesses was 10% higher than average consumption levels between 2018-21. 

"We will hardly be able to avoid a gas emergency in winter without at least 20% savings in the private, commercial and industrial sectors.

"The situation can become very serious if we do not significantly reduce our gas consumption," Mueller said.

Though there is a hint of good news coming from elsewhere it may be to little too late to help Germany, especially in view of the latest dose of bad news. Florence Rabier, director-general of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, told Financial Times that forecasts for November and December in Europe would bring "colder weather than usual with less wind and more rainfall reducing the generation of electricity from the much vaunted 'renewable' sources." 

The Germans may be able to follow the UK's lead and fire up  a few mothballedcoal and fossil fuel plants and even recommission nuclear output to prevent widespread power blackouts during peak demand hours, although al these thins take time. As for households, the cheapest way to offset energy hyperinflation is to burn the furniture. 

Meanwhile little Norway, Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, expects its oil and liquids production to rise by 15% next year with the second phase of the Johan Sverdrup oilfield development and the start-up of the Johan Castberg oilfield, the government said in its draft budget on Thursday. 

And the UK is recommissioning oil and gas rigs in The North Sea which were shut down in pursuit of 'net zero' though they still contain exploitable reserves. The UK government has also granted over 100 new exploration licences for North Sea extraction operators this week. It would not be possible to bring online these resources for a considerable time so it looks as if governments think this crisis will be around for a while.

                

Offshore Natural gas production from Norway's waters supplies around 25% of the gas consumed in the EU. Offshore production from UK waters, is expected to rise by 10% in 2022 compared to 2021, the government’s latest estimates showed, with a similar increase expected for 2023.

“The energy crisis in Europe makes Norwegian gas sales even more important for Europe than before,” Norway says.

Revenues from offshore hydrocarbon activities are expected at $132 billion (1.4 trillion Norwegian crowns) – a record high – in 2023, compared to the predicted $113 billion (1.2 trillion crowns) for 2022, and nearly five times higher than the 2021 revenues from oil and gas, according to the government’s budget draft. The high expected income from petroleum activities will mostly reflect expected high oil prices, and especially gas prices, as well as a weaker exchange rate for the Norwegian crown.

Earlier this year, Norway’s authorities approved applications from operators to boost production from several operating gas fields, to allow higher gas production as its key partners, the EU and the UK, scramble for gas supply ahead of the winter Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Terje Aasland, said, commenting on the budget.

 RELATED:

 

 

Has Putin Has Pushed Europe Into Economic Depression, Hyperrinflation and Currency Collapse?
Though it was entirely predictable and indeed had been expected for some time, the news over the weekend that the Nord Stream 1 pipeline which feeds gas from Russia to northern Europe via The Baltic route had been shut down completely by The Kremlin in retaliation for the continued financial and military support given by NATO and EU member states to Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. The European Commission, governing body of the EU, immediately put the community on something close to a war footing, ...
Continue reading >>>

The True Cost Of The Green Energy Boom Is Now Being Realized
For four decades we have been fed a constant stream of propaganda assuring us that green energy was the only way forward if we wanted to secure supplies of the energy essential to a modern society while preventing the environmental catastrophes that would be the inevitable consequence of climate change caused by the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emitted by human industrial, commercial and social activity. ... Continue reading >>>

Do We Have A Winter Of Civil Disobedience Ahead?
As many people in Britain slap on the apres sun gloop in the wake of what passes for a heatwave in these cool cloudy climes, our inept politicians caught with their pants down by unusual weather as usual have heard that that winter is coming and are making plans for a coldwave. We are in the grip of an energy crisis at the height of summer. Last week, it was reported that the UK government is laying down plans for a “reasonable worst-case scenario” including blackouts for industry and even households. And this is as energy prices spiral out of control to new records every day.

The Truth About Coal And The Lies Of The Elite
So much for all the COP 26 banter late last year. Let me remind you. The elites all flew in on their private jets and promptly told us we’re all (royal we) getting off fossil fuels and killing coal.So how’s that turning out? The usage of coal is now at record highs:

Britain is Breaking Down; The Economy Is Struggling, Living Standards Are Falling, Institutions Are Failing
Successive governments have brought Britain to its knees.This article will focus on Britain as representative of the general malaise that is afflicting almost all the developed world. Our current crop of politicians have discarded the resources that brought the country out of the post war decline ... In spite of being rich in energy resources Britain is now in an energy crisis, our leaders have sacrificed prosperity on the altar of Net Zero, committing the nation to our reducing our 1% contribution to harmful emissions still further ...

Official Advice - Prepare For Blackouts This Winter

The UK government is putting plans together for days of organised blackouts this winter, in what they call a "reasonable worst-case scenario" for energy shortages, according to reports in manstream media. Naturally they are blaming this on the embargo on importing gas from Russia but in reality Britain has never imported any more than a small amout of its gas from Russia. The real reason politicians and energy company CEOs are panicking is entirely due to their obession with obtaining all our energy from intermittent sources like wind and sunshine ...

"Revolution Has Begun": 75,000 Brits Plan To Stop Paying Power Bills In Protest At Energy Rip Off
Resistance is growing to spiralling domestic energy costs in Britain as more than 75,000 irritated people in the UK have pledged not to pay their electricity bill this fall when prices jump again. 

If the government & energy companies refuse to act then ordinary people will! Together we can enforce a fair price and affordable energy for all," tweeted "Don't Pay UK," an anonymous group spearheading the effort to have more than one million Brits boycott paying their power bill by Oct. 1.

Is Russia Selling Its Oil To The World Through An Obscure Egyptian Port?
As this blog predicted when NATO and EU member states shot themselves in the foot by reacting to Russia's invasion of Ukraine with sanctions that prevented Russia from selling oil, gas and vital raw materials to the countries that needed them most, the NATO and EU member states, the Russians have had no problems finding alternative customers for their gas and oil and no problem getting oil into the world's commodity markets through the back door.

UK Households Are Paying Wind Turbine Owners To Not Generate Electricity
On another near windless day here in the United Kingdom, Boggart Blog came across a very interesting piece if news. According to figures published by the business and management consultancy LCP, british taxpayers have been paying operators of wind turbines farms for the time their windmills were NOT generating electricity increased to record levels last year ...

"Our Country Is Facing The Biggest Crisis The Crisis We Ever Had": German Employers' Association Warns Over Russian Gas Cut
With the Nord Stream 1 pipeline closed for maintenance, with the possibility that President Putin will not allow it to reopen at the end of the scheduled 10 days downtime in retaliation for the EU's continued support or Ukraine in their conflict with Russia, Germany is facing an unprecedented crisis that could erase the prosperity Germans have grown accustomed to, warned Rainer Dulger, head of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations.

Who Blew Up The Nordstream Pipeline
So whodunnit? Sabotage of undersea gas pipe will escalate tension and move the world closer to nuclear war, but who is behind it, Russia in a bid to put more presure on Europe, Ukraine in an attempt to drag NATO into direct action, or the USA using a CIA false flag event to advance its own agenda.

UK Government Belatedly Discovers The Uselessness Of Sustainables In Relation To Energy Security
The policy that Boris Johnson's Premiership will be remembered for is nor 'getting Brexit done,' but the government's disastrous pledge to make Great Britain the first developed nation to achieve a 'net zero' national energy system. The neglect and running down of traditional energy systems (coal, gas, nuclear,) along with flushing money down the toilet by investing in intermitternt power sources (wind, solar,) rather than Putin's war in Ukraine is responsible for the current crisis.

Europe's Economy And Living Standards Are Plummeting
As the multiple crises in Europe deepen with no sign of relief in sight, Oriental Review comments that the ill-considered sanctions against Russia, far from achieving their objective of pressuiring Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine, have exposed the deep rooted problems of the European Union which is rapidly approaching economic collapse. Without offering any evidence in support of its allegation the article states that a large number of businesses are on the verge of bankruptcy.

An Energy Crisis In Tandem With A Food Crisis On Top Of An Economic Crisis And A War. This Cannot End Well
As politicians in North America and Europe try to deflect from their own failure that have contributed to the current plethora of crises by blaming Russia and Vladmir Putin for all the current problems, while the war in Ukraine is a contributory factor in each, the real blame lies closer to home.