Scholz Says Germany Independent From Russian Fuel After 8 Months

BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Over the past eight months Germany has successfully phased out Russian energy resources, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday.

"In just eight months, we became independent from Russian gas, Russian oil and Russian coal. In just eight months we totally changed our energy supply with the help of new compounds and liquefied gas terminals. And nobody had to freeze," he said during a Bundestag session

The German authorities had earlier announced their plans to build a total of five national floating storage and regasification units for liquefied natural gas. Scholz further underlined their significance in ending German dependency on Russian fuel.

After Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine, the West actively searched for ways to limit Moscow's energy-related income, notably from oil and gas. Moreover, the Ukraine conflict also stopped the flow of Russian gas to Europe, which led to a spike in energy prices and shortages, forcing countries to look for alternatives, in particular, the United States and its LNG exports.

In March, Shell CEO Wael Sawan said that LNG imports in Europe increased by 60% in 2022. He noted that Germany has made significant improvements in its capacity to import more LNG supplies, adding that there were two LNG terminals that had come online, but soon the country should have four LNG terminals operating.