Oktoberfest may be AXED due to Putin gas crisis
Aug 1, 2022 22:12:36 GMT -5
Post by Pink Rose on Aug 1, 2022 22:12:36 GMT -5
Oktoberfest may be AXED due to Putin gas crisis, and Bavarian breweries told to stop making BEER as it’s revealed Germans must pay £1,000-a-year 'gas surcharge' ON TOP of bills and Hanover turns off hot water
Germany officials desperately trying to save energy as Russia chokes gas supply
Oktoberfest could be cancelled along with Christmas markets, politician admits
Breweries could also be shut down so essential industry can keep running
Germans told they will have to pay gas surcharge of up to £1,000 per household
By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 05:08 EDT, 29 July 2022 | UPDATED: 05:34 EDT, 29 July 2022
Germany could be forced to scrap Oktoberfest celebrations and its famous Christmas markets as officials desperately search for ways to save energy after Russia began throttling gas supplies to Europe.
Hanover yesterday became the first major city on the continent to announce it will turn off all hot water in public buildings to conserve energy, while Berlin has begun dimming streetlights and Augsburg has turned off public water fountains.
But as winter approaches the crisis will almost certainly deepen, forcing leaders to make stark choices about what to cut to stop people freezing in their homes.
Rosi Steinberger, a member of Bavaria’s regional parliament, admitted to the New York Times that Oktoberfest celebrations could face the chop. The idea of scrapping Christmas Markets is also being floated.
Non-essential industries such as Bavaria's famous breweries could also be asked to shut down to keep the lights on.
Meanwhile Germans have been warned they will have to pay a 'gas surcharge' on top of their already-soaring bills for at least the next 18 months and which could cost the average household up to £1,000-per-year.
Oktoberfest celebrations could be called off in Germany this year and breweries may have to stop making beer as desperate politicians try to save energy
Germans have been told they will have to pay a gas surcharge on top of already-soaring bills, with the average household facing a bill of up to £1,000-per-year
The charge will take effect on October 1 and last until at least March 2024, and is designed to stop suppliers going bust as the cost of buying gas soars.
Exact amounts have yet to be calculated, but economic minister Robert Habeck warned the average household can expected to pay a sum in the 'mid-hundreds' of euros while experts calculated some could pay up to £1,000 per year.
It will affect about half of homes in the country which are heated using gas.
Europe is scrambling to get to grips with an energy crisis brought about by Vladimir Putin choking gas supplies. Yesterday, Hanover became the first large city on the continent to turn off hot water in public buildings to conserve energy.
Claudia Kemfert, an expert who spent 15 years warning Angela Merkel that Germany was over-reliant on Russian gas, yesterday predicted the crisis will last three years.
While the energy crisis has been brewing for some time, things escalated this week when Russia reduced the amount of gas coming through the Nord Stream 1 pipe - the main route into Germany - to 20 per cent capacity.
Officially, Moscow says flows are being choked off because of repairs to turbines which pump the gas, but Germany says this is merely an excuse.
Instead, most believe Putin is exacting revenge on European leaders for defying him over the war in Ukraine.
The move is a desperate one. Russia relies on revenue from energy to keep its economy afloat, and will almost certainly face a deep recession without it.
But Putin appears to be betting that European unity over Ukraine will break before the worst effects are felt back home.
If Kyiv loses its Western backing, then it may be forced to seek a peace deal that would favour Putin - or may lose more ground to his troops.
All of Europe is likely to suffer as Putin turns the taps off, with the continent getting around 40 per cent of its gas from Russia before the war.
But Germany is uniquely vulnerable: Last year the country got around 25 per cent of its total energy from gas, 95 per cent of which came from overseas.
Continued at the link
Germany officials desperately trying to save energy as Russia chokes gas supply
Oktoberfest could be cancelled along with Christmas markets, politician admits
Breweries could also be shut down so essential industry can keep running
Germans told they will have to pay gas surcharge of up to £1,000 per household
By CHRIS PLEASANCE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 05:08 EDT, 29 July 2022 | UPDATED: 05:34 EDT, 29 July 2022
Germany could be forced to scrap Oktoberfest celebrations and its famous Christmas markets as officials desperately search for ways to save energy after Russia began throttling gas supplies to Europe.
Hanover yesterday became the first major city on the continent to announce it will turn off all hot water in public buildings to conserve energy, while Berlin has begun dimming streetlights and Augsburg has turned off public water fountains.
But as winter approaches the crisis will almost certainly deepen, forcing leaders to make stark choices about what to cut to stop people freezing in their homes.
Rosi Steinberger, a member of Bavaria’s regional parliament, admitted to the New York Times that Oktoberfest celebrations could face the chop. The idea of scrapping Christmas Markets is also being floated.
Non-essential industries such as Bavaria's famous breweries could also be asked to shut down to keep the lights on.
Meanwhile Germans have been warned they will have to pay a 'gas surcharge' on top of their already-soaring bills for at least the next 18 months and which could cost the average household up to £1,000-per-year.
Oktoberfest celebrations could be called off in Germany this year and breweries may have to stop making beer as desperate politicians try to save energy
Germans have been told they will have to pay a gas surcharge on top of already-soaring bills, with the average household facing a bill of up to £1,000-per-year
The charge will take effect on October 1 and last until at least March 2024, and is designed to stop suppliers going bust as the cost of buying gas soars.
Exact amounts have yet to be calculated, but economic minister Robert Habeck warned the average household can expected to pay a sum in the 'mid-hundreds' of euros while experts calculated some could pay up to £1,000 per year.
It will affect about half of homes in the country which are heated using gas.
Europe is scrambling to get to grips with an energy crisis brought about by Vladimir Putin choking gas supplies. Yesterday, Hanover became the first large city on the continent to turn off hot water in public buildings to conserve energy.
Claudia Kemfert, an expert who spent 15 years warning Angela Merkel that Germany was over-reliant on Russian gas, yesterday predicted the crisis will last three years.
While the energy crisis has been brewing for some time, things escalated this week when Russia reduced the amount of gas coming through the Nord Stream 1 pipe - the main route into Germany - to 20 per cent capacity.
Officially, Moscow says flows are being choked off because of repairs to turbines which pump the gas, but Germany says this is merely an excuse.
Instead, most believe Putin is exacting revenge on European leaders for defying him over the war in Ukraine.
The move is a desperate one. Russia relies on revenue from energy to keep its economy afloat, and will almost certainly face a deep recession without it.
But Putin appears to be betting that European unity over Ukraine will break before the worst effects are felt back home.
If Kyiv loses its Western backing, then it may be forced to seek a peace deal that would favour Putin - or may lose more ground to his troops.
All of Europe is likely to suffer as Putin turns the taps off, with the continent getting around 40 per cent of its gas from Russia before the war.
But Germany is uniquely vulnerable: Last year the country got around 25 per cent of its total energy from gas, 95 per cent of which came from overseas.
Continued at the link