In the case of a severe gas shortage, the German city of Hamburg would ration hot water for individual households and set a maximum heating temperature cap, according to the city’s environment senator as Germany prepared for potential Russian gas supply disruptions.
After Russia restricted exports through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline last month, Germany proceeded to stage two of its three-tier emergency gas plan, a step before the government began rationing fuel.
The government is urging people and businesses to reduce their energy use in order to help the nation fill its gas storage capacity before winter, but towns are also thinking about contingency plans in case gas runs short.
According to Jens Kerstan, a senator for the environment in Hamburg, ‘with an extreme gas shortage, warm water could only be made available at particular hours of the day in an emergency.’
The district’s heating network’s maximum room temperature might also be generally reduced, according to Kerstan.
Households and vital institutions like hospitals will be given priority over industry in the third stage of the federal emergency plan, but that may not be achievable everywhere in Hamburg due to technological issues.
‘In the event of a gas shortage, it will not always be easy to distinguish between commercial and individual users,’ Kerstan added.
The senator cautioned that a temporary liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Hamburg would not be operational until mid next year at the earliest. This is because Germany is scrambling to find alternative gas routes and supplies, with LNG as a potential option.
The feasibility of a temporary LNG port in Hamburg will be known by the end of July, he predicted.
According to the newspaper, which cited the economy ministry, the first two temporary LNG facilities in Germany should be operational by the end of the year in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbuettel.
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