German gas regulator: slash gas use or risk winter crisis

BERLIN (Reuters) – German households and small businesses last week used nearly 10% more gas than the four year average for that week, Germany’s network regulator said on Thursday, warning Germany risked a winter crisis unless significant cuts were made.

Usage was at 618 gigawatt hours per day (GWh/day) compared with the average for the same week over the years 2018 through 2021 of 564 GWh/day.

The head of Germany’s Federal Network Agency, which would be in charge of gas rationing in the event of a supply emergency, repeated his warning a week ago that consumption was too high.

“We will struggle to avoid a gas emergency this winter without at least 20% savings in private households, businesses and industry,” Klaus Mueller of the Bundesnetzagentur told Reuters.

“The situation may become very serious if we do not significantly reduce our gas consumption,” he added.

Germany is at phase two of a three-stage emergency plan in the wake of lower gas flows from Russia, the main gas supplier for Europe’s biggest economy.

Households and small businesses account for 40% of consumption while big manufacturing industries require 60% of the country’s gas.

In contrast to households, big industry made slight savings last week, consuming 1,370 GWh/day, versus a 1,402 GWh/day average over the past four years, the agency said.

(This story has been officially corrected to change unit to GwH/day in 2nd and final paragraphs, not GwH/week as erroneously reported by regulator)

(Reporting by Markus Wacket and Matthias Inverardi, Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More and Jon Boyle)