German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday that Germany’s energy security for this winter season is guaranteed amid the energy crisis in Europe triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine, CNN reports.

“This is guaranteed because the German government has chosen a bold direction and because households and companies across the country are saving energy,” Scholz told the lower house of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin.

“Doing nothing will be very expensive. Therefore, we are eliminating the shortcomings of energy and trade policy, which led us to unilateral dependence on Russia and China in particular,” he added.

Scholz also said he shares with French President Emmanuel Macron the goal of a geopolitical Europe that is “much more able to act.”

Will there be a temporary blackout in Germany or not? Contradictory statements

The head of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK), Ralf Tischler, told Welt am Sonntag: “We have to assume that there will be power cuts in the winter.” He also referred to “regional and temporary power outages”. On Monday, the BKK denied its chief’s claim, saying that winter blackouts were “very unlikely,” according to Tagesschau.de. (more details here)