What’s 40%?

June 16, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings, Hypocrisy Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germany, Greens, Oil, Pipelines, Renewables, Russia, Solar, Ukraine, Wind Leave a comment

“We’ll just build some more of those solar windmill thingies to compensate and make Germany greener than ever,” an unnamed German Green government minister said. “The rest of the world really marvels at our green energy utopia here, you know,” he added. “They’re like totally green with envy.”

Russia‘s announcement that it would reduce natural gas flows through a key European pipeline by roughly 40% appears to be a political move rather than a result of technical problems, Germany’s vice chancellor said Wednesday.

The reduced flows follow Russia‘s halt of natural gas supplies to Bulgaria, Poland, Finland, Netherlands, Denmark as Europe works to reduce its dependence on Russian energy amid the war in Ukraine. Gas demand has fallen after the end of the winter heating season, but European utilities are racing to refill storage ahead of next winter with prices high and supplies uncertain.

“We Were All Wrong”

June 2, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, History, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Defense, Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germany, Nuckear, Oil, Pipelines, Putin, Renewables, Russia, Trump Leave a comment

That’s right. All you Germans were.

‘We were all wrong’: how Germany got hooked on Russian energy – Germany has been forced to admit it was a terrible mistake to become so dependent on Russian oil and gas. So why did it happen?

Why? That’s easy. Because Germans always want an Extrawurst (an extra sausage, as in special treatment). Well, they’re sure getting special treatment these days.

When Putin invaded Ukraine in February, Germany faced a particular problem. Its rejection of nuclear power and its transition away from coal meant that Germany had very few alternatives to Russian gas. Berlin has been forced to accept that it was a cataclysmic error to have made itself so dependent on Russian energy – whatever the motives behind it. The foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, says Germany failed to listen to the warnings from countries that had once suffered under Russia’s occupation, such as Poland and the Baltic states.

And then, of course, there were the warnings from EVIL US-Trump-Amerika itself. Those just had to be ignored. Well, wake up and smell the Kaffee is all I can say now.

Germany’s Coal Doesn’t Stink

May 25, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Coal, Gas, German, Germany, Greens, Language, Pipelines, Reality, Renewables, Russia, Utopia Leave a comment

That’s because it’s Green Coal. No, not Grünkohl. That’s kale.

Anyway, Germany’s Green Utopia will soon be here, no matter what. Just ask Germany’s Green Economy Minister. Of course, it might take a little longer than the Greens originally planned, but still.

Germany to Bring Back Coal Power Plants If Russia Cuts Gas – Germany plans to bring back coal- and oil-fired power plants should Russia cut off natural gas shipments to Europe’s largest economy.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck will on Tuesday present an emergency decree enabling the government to bring back the facilities in case of gas shortages, according to the proposed legislation seen by Bloomberg.

German Of The Day: Gaslobbyist

May 18, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Gas, Gazprom, Gerhard Schroeder, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Lobbyists, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, Vladimir Putin Leave a comment

That means gas lobbyist.

Germany to close Schroeder’s office in repudiation of ex-chancellor – Gerhard Schroeder’s publicly funded office is to be closed and its remaining staff reallocated amid mounting dismay at the former German chancellor’s refusal to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gerhard Schröder to lose Bundestag office this week. The SPD, the Greens and the FDP want to strip the former chancellor (SPD) of some privileges immediately: In a draft for the budget committee, he will be deprived of offices and staff.

He’s A Green Economy Minister

May 13, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Dependency, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Greens, Pipelines, Putin, Renewables, Russia, Ukrain Leave a comment

So, of course “Germany Can Survive Without Russian Gas.”

The Greens think Germans should do without any form of gas, other than the kind you get from being a vegatarian. They don’t think Germans need any of that yucky energy and industry stuff at all, in fact. Just sunshine, wind, tweeting birds and apple trees. And a treehouse for everyone in the forest. And butterlies. And a cozy campfire every once in a while. But not too many of those because of the CO2.

Economy Minister: Germany Can Survive Without Russian Gas – Germany will be able to withstand a halt of Russian natural gas supplies as long as it manages to fill up its gas storage, Economy Minister Robert Habeck told German media this week.

In an interview with WirtschaftsWoche cited by Bloomberg, Habeck explained that the country would be able to weather the effects of a potential suspension of gas supplies from Russia under three conditions: that it fills up its gas storage facilities before the next heating season begins, that it finishes adding its planned LNG import capacity, and that Germans reduce their energy consumption.

Smell That Coffee

May 11, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hypocrisy Tags: Fracking, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Language, LNG, Pipelines, Putin, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

Suddenly, for some odd reason, “LNG” is no longer a dirty word/acronym in German anymore. It used to mean “dirty, awful US-Amerikan fracking gas.”

It looks like they changed that definition recently so it probably won’t be long before the Germans will be explaining to the rest of the world how to do LNG the right way.

The Cabinet approves bill to speed up construction of LNG terminals – The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill to speed up the construction of floating and fixed LNG terminals and the pipelines needed to connect them to the gas grid. The Bundestag and Bundesrat still have to approve it.

Is 55% Dependency?

May 10, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, Germans, Germany, Government, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

55% percent of your energy needs coming from Russia?

Might be. But don’t worry for Germany. The government has “a plan” if Putin turns off the supply. And the government, as you know, is from the government and they’re here to help. Just like they helped you get into this mess in the first place.

German officials are quietly preparing for any sudden halt in Russian gas supplies with an emergency package that could include taking control of critical firms.

The preparations being led by the Ministry for Economic Affairs show the heightened state of alert about supplies of the gas that powers Europe’s biggest economy and is critical for the production of steel, plastics and cars.

Russian gas accounted for 55% of Germany’s imports last year and Berlin has come under pressure to unwind a business relationship that critics says is helping to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine.

German Of The Day: Beleidigte Leberwurst

May 4, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Olaf Scholz, Pipelines, Politicians, Russia, SPD, Ukraine Leave a comment

Literally: Insulted liverwurst. It means to be offended, to sulk, to be in a huff.

Like German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He’s an insulted liverwurst and won’t visit Ukraine because Kyiv refused to invite his Parteifreund (fellow SPD party member) and Germany’s head of state, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

German opposition leader visits Kyiv, Scholz refuses to go – Germany’s conservative opposition leader has traveled to Kyiv for meetings with Ukrainian officials including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

German Of The Day: Bremser

May 3, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Bans, Dependency, EU, German, Germans, Germany, Language, Oil, Pipelines, Russia, Ukraine Leave a comment

That means brakeman or somebody who drags his feet and won’t get with the plan.

Germany, a world-class Bremser, has now dropped its opposition to an EU ban on Russian oil because, well, 1) they want to improve their image of being a Bremser and 2) they know that this ban won’t happen anyway because Hungary and Slovakia, being even more dependent upon Russian oil than Germany is (which is saying a lot), are being even bigger Bremser than the German Bremser is and for the ban to take place, all 27 EU countries must agree to it.

Two senior ministers in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government on Monday said Germany would be ready to back an immediate European Union ban on Russian oil imports, and that Europe’s biggest economy could weather shortages and price hikes.

As Tough As Jell-O

April 29, 2022 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Dependency, Energy, Gas, German, Germans, Germany, Pipelines, Putin, Rubles, Russia Leave a comment

Jermany is.

When it comes to standing up to Vlad Putin himself. Hey, dependency has its price.

German energy firm Uniper ready to meet Russian pay demand – One of Germany’s biggest energy firms has said it is preparing to buy Russian gas using a payment system that critics say will undermine EU sanctions.

Uniper says it will pay in euros which will be converted into roubles, meeting a Kremlin demand for all transactions to be made in the Russian currency.

Other European energy firms are reportedly preparing to do the same amid concerns about supply cuts.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

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