“Pool weather, tropical nights – real cold seems infinitely far away in the days that Germany is going through right now. But the federal government is preparing for a winter in which literally everyone will have to dress warmly. It is already clear: it will be cold in the country.” With these words, the Munich Süddeutsche Zeitung precedes on its front page an extensive interview given by the Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy, Robert Hambeck.

Regulations are already being prepared to implement Germany’s revised Energy Security Act, according to Robert Hambek, which, among other things, calls for a maximum heating temperature of 186,000 public buildings at 19 degrees Celsius, as well as the suspension of nighttime lighting of historical monuments in Germany. “This is a preparation for winter, when natural gas will come at a lower cost, and prices will rise more and more,” the newspaper notes.

The interview begins with this question, to which the German minister replies: “No, I’m not afraid. Fear is a paralyzing emotion, but of course I’m worried about social cohesion, industry and citizens. This is an unusual time with big problems. The biggest problem is to get the country through all this well.”

Robert Habeck mainly focuses on those categories of German citizens – and there are many of them – who are unlikely to be able to survive in the winter due to rising energy prices. “Those who live on average on little money or on allowance or housing allowance should be completely exempt from additional energy costs, proportionately low and medium incomes. This is the logic by which we must act. This gives us the opportunity to meet the winter strong and united,” said the German minister.

Amid general uncertainty about the dynamics of gas prices in the coming months, journalists from SZ ask the minister if the German state has the financial means to deal with the situation.

“When prices rise, the state automatically receives more revenue, for example, from VAT on electricity and natural gas. This money should be used to help,” says Robert Habeck, adding: “It’s not a secret, I mean, I think some companies that are making big profits because of the war could contribute more. There has been a critical discussion about this. But if we are asking if there is enough money, I would like to point out that there is money. That is, money that companies or grid operators did not even expect to receive. Some of this should be used to help consumers.”

What will happen to the nuclear power plant?

Among other things, Robert Habek was asked questions about the possibility of extending the operation of the three remaining nuclear plants after December 31, the date when they should be closed.

He answered indirectly: “The debate about nuclear power plants should not hide the fact that we have to make great efforts to achieve gas savings. Nuclear power plants don’t change anything. What we test again and again is the stability of the power system in extreme cases. This is a stress test that we are running,” while announcing that the results of these tests are expected “in a few weeks” and not December 30th.

Source: DV