The Netherlands wants emergency scenarios for gas crisis with Germany
The Netherlands and Germany must quickly discuss their emergency scenarios with energy Minister Rob Jetten. If Germany ends up in the black scenario this winter due to gas shortages and companies shutting down their production, this will have immediate consequences for Dutch companies.
The cabinet is already in consultation with Dutch companies to see whether they will switch off the gas sooner if that can help to prevent a hard switch off in Germany. Companies themselves insist on this.
“Companies themselves offer that they can shut down ten percent of their income earlier, for example, if that helps to prevent German companies on which they depend from having to shut down completely,” says Jetten. “The economies are so intertwined. If the Ruhr area comes to a standstill, it will look for the port of Rotterdam the same day.”
Most extreme scenario
Since Russia again slowly supplied gas to Germany via the Nordstream pipeline on Thursday, the acute threat of gas shortages has subsided for the time being. But the transaction remains large. In the current situation, the Netherlands can save enough gas and winter supplies to get through the winter, Jetten assured. “But we have to prepare for the most extreme scenario.”
The Netherlands itself is well prepared for a winter with as little Russian gas as possible. But the situation in Germany is very different, the Dutch shutdown plans cannot be written solely on the basis of water that happens within its own borders.
“Both are down a bit earlier in use”, according to Minister Jetten, is a way to keep the economy running for as long as possible. This is about preventing the infamous ‘phase 3’ from the emergency scenarios, in which there is such a shortage of gas that the government has to ration the gas. In the Netherlands, it will not come to that, estimates the Gasunie, even if no Russian gas comes this way for a year. But for Germany, phase 3 is much earlier and the Netherlands also has a problem.
Economic interconnectedness
In discussions with 251 Dutch companies that are major consumers of gas, this economic interdependence has emerged as one of the major concerns. The cabinet is working on a ‘switch off plan’ to be prepared for all situations. It also looked at the indirect effects if a company had to shut down production completely. After the summer it should be clear which large consumers will scale down appropriately.
“The more we do with Germany for energy, the better”, is Minister Jetten’s motto. The Netherlands has already used 20 percent less gas in 2017. The aim is to store enough gas to be prepared for the winter.
The European Commission wants all EU countries to use 15% gas, a proposal that energy ministers will meet on Tuesday. For the Netherlands, this has already been achieved thanks to its own gas reserves. Other countries are struggling to achieve a 10 percent saving.
In any case, Minister Jetten will send the message that the Netherlands wants to be specific. “But other countries must take care to do everything possible to get by with less gas. Solidarity has to come from both sides.”
Also read:
Is the government preparing the Netherlands enough for a ‘tough winter’?
MPs ask the cabinet for more urgency. Energy Minister Rob Jetten is quietly working on shutdown plans, but he will not announce any new measures. It leads to discomfort in the House of Representatives. VVD MP Silvio Erkens believes that the cabinet should “communicate more openly towards the population. I understand that you don’t want to cause panic, but you can anticipate.”