Germany and Qatar are finally ready and come upon an agreement of long-term energy partnership to help cut reliance on Russian gas over the invasion of Ukraine, German Economic ‘Robert Heback’ stated on Sunday.
Habeck was actually on a visit to two nations to the Arabian Gulf met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha.
“The day developed a strong dynamic,” Habeck said, adding that the emir had pledged more support than Germany had anticipated.
“Although we might still need Russian gas in 2022, it won’t be so anymore in the future. And this is only the startup,” said Habeck.
Qatar is one of the three biggest exporters of liquified natural gas (LNG).
Renewable energy projects touted:
While the minister’s visit was widely expected to secure LNG supplies for Germany, Habeck said the agreement also focuses on developing renewable energy projects and energy-efficiency measures.
A German Economic Ministry spokesperson in Berlin later confirmed that a deal had been clinched.
“The industries that have come to Qatar with Habeck will now contract negotiations with the Qatari side,” the spokesperson said.
Berlin intends to bring LNG into the country onboard ships. However, due to the legacy reliance on pipeline gas, there are no terminals to receive them.
Germany has also declared plans to build two new LNG terminals, but they are unlikely to be ready before 2026.
Next stop: UAE
Now, Habeck is planning to move to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), representing themselves as the hub for green hydrogen.
At the same time, UAE is also helping Germany meet with a longer-term goal to switch to cleaner energies.
Germany is finding ways to diversify its sources of natural gas in order to make the country less dependent on Russia.
Unlike the US, which has banned Russian oil exports, Germany says it will take several months, if not longer, to diversify its supplies.
Demand for Russian gas:
However, last week, the German BDEW energy industry association stated that Russia’s share of Germany’s gas supply in January-March, which is not officially published, remained at 40%.
Last week, a group of economists estimated that EU countries have transferred more than €13.3 billion ($14.7 billion) to Russia for oil, natural gas, and coal since the war began.