German officials said that they were confident that Berlin could survive the winter without having to ration its supplies.
Germany is turning to the UK to prevent blackouts this winter and is looking to strike a post-Brexit energy pact that would allow the two countries to help each other in the event of a gas shortage.
Together, the two countries are Europe’s largest consumers of natural gas and have been among the worst impacted by the fossil fuel energy crisis that was triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Germany was heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies, accounting for 40 percent of its energy mix in 2021. Now, Berlin is looking to the UK for help, as German officials said that were were “keen to talk” to the UK about striking a solidarity pact, where both countries could bail each other out if they faced extreme gas shortages this winter.
While Germany is looking to the UK for help, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is said to be close to sealing a gas deal with the US as Britain attempts to shore up sufficient energy supplies for the looming winter.
Mr Sunak is expected to announce the major gas deal with the US once the COP27 climate summit in Egypt draws to a close as talks over an “energy security partnership” enter their final stages.
The US is expected to sell Britain billions of cubic metres of liquefied natural gas (LNG) over the coming year.
If this deal comes to fruition, it will release some of the energy-related pressure on Russia, after Putin warned he will “freeze” Europe and bring supplies to a grinding halt.
While the UK does not import gas from Russia, it has been severely hit by the crisis because of how heavily it depends on natural gas for heating. Meanwhile, Britain also has some of Europe’s lowest gas storage capacity.
The above summary was derived from the story linked below
Source: Scholz turns to UK to sign ‘mutually beneficial’ deal to share gas to prevent blackouts
