The expert spoke about the energy crisis in Germany against the background of the refusal of gas from the Russian Federation

Germany is facing serious economic difficulties due to the energy crisis, which worsened after a reduction in Russian gas supplies in 2022, Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, an expert and lecturer at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia on March 4.

Earlier in the day, the agency Bloomberg reported that three years without Russian gas have not been in vain for Germany. Europe's largest economy has shrunk significantly. Companies are forced to move production abroad or close their businesses altogether.

"Germany has suffered not only because of the cessation of gas supplies from Russia, but also because many sectors of its economy have historically depended on cheap Russian gas. This applies to both energy and industry, where gas is used as a raw material," Yushkov explained.

According to him, many sectors of the German economy, including the chemical industry and the production of nitrogen fertilizers, are in a difficult situation.

"For the production of nitrogen fertilizers, methane is needed, the cost of which in Europe at peak times reached $3 thousand per 1 thousand cubic meters. At the same time in Russia and USAThe price of gas remained at around $100, which made European enterprises uncompetitive," the expert said.

Freezing in the middle of winter: Europe decided to limit gas prices

Euro politicians' venture met with harsh criticism from businesses

As a result, many energy-intensive production facilities in Germany were forced to reduce volumes or completely stop. This affected not only the chemical industry, but also metallurgy, glass production and other industries.

"The high cost of energy has led to an increase in the cost of production, which has weakened Germany's position in the global market," Yushkov added.

According to the expert, the economic consequences of the crisis became apparent as early as 2023, when Germany showed an economic contraction. According to his forecasts, this trend will continue in 2024.

"The energy crisis has become a serious challenge for the country, which continues to look for ways out of the current situation," Yushkov summed up.

In addition, on January 13, the chairman of the Alternative for Germany party, candidate for chancellor of Germany Alice Weidel stated that in the country href="https://iz.ru/1821172/2025-01-13/predsedatel-adg-nazvala-tceny-na-elektroenergiiu-v-germanii-samymi-vysokimi-v-mire"> the world's highest prices in the energy sector, Berlin buys nuclear energy from Paris and power outages in Germany will continue. The politician stressed that an industrial state cannot live like this.

Later, on February 16, The Economist newspaper reported that Europe is "greedily" eyeing Russian gas. For example, German chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said he "cannot rule out the possibility" of returning to gas purchases in Russia.

On February 14, Focus reported that gas reserves in German storage facilities are being used up faster than usual. So, on February 5, large reservoirs in the country were filled by 46.97%, which is the worst result since 2017..