A technician checks meters at VNG's underground natural gas storage facility in Germany. File photoBERLIN, Jul 25More businesses are forced to shut down or reduce production as gas prices soar, the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) says in a new study.
" ;A total of 16% of industrial companies are forced to respond to the current energy situation by reducing production or partially abandoning some areas", a press release on the DIHK website says.
The energy-intensive economy is hit particularly hard, according to the study, where cuts are twice the industry average, with 32% of companies experiencing them. The study also showed that many companies have yet to purchase significant volumes of gas for the current year, and only half have entered into contracts that are designed to cover these needs. «These are alarming numbers. They show how much the persistently high energy prices burden our production. Many companies can only close or move production to other locations,» DIHK President Peter Adrian commented on the results of the study. Earlier, the German authorities, as part of the fight against the energy crisis and plans to phase out Russian gas, passed a law allowing coal-fired power plants mothballed for climate protection reasons to return to operation. . At the same time, as a last resort, Berlin is ready to consider the possibility of restarting thermal power plants operating on the most environmentally harmful lignite. At the same time, the government does not plan to extend the operation of existing nuclear power plants, which, after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant «Fukushima» in 2011, it was decided to close until the end of 2022. At the end of June, Berlin announced the activation of the second stage of the gas emergency plan, which involves measures for his savings. If a third phase is announced, the Federal Grid Agency will itself regulate who gets gas, giving priority to households and their electricity and energy supply. The EC urged to prepare for the cessation of Russian gas supplies