In an article entitled "Germany's strange deal", the German magazine Spiegel notes that Qatar is expected to supply Germany with two million tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year. The problem is that at the moment the deal does not help overcome the shortages - and keeps the country tied to fossil energy resources for longer.
The article refers to the agreement between Qatar and US energy group ConocoPhillips to supply LNG, namely two million tonnes per year for 15 years, which the US company will transport to Brunsbüttel, Germany, where an LNG terminal is expected to be built.
The supply of LNG from Qatar is expected to start in 2026 and run until 2041.
According to the paper, Germany needs LNG urgently this winter and next, not from 2026 and, secondly, by 2041 the country should already have become gas-independent by 2041, otherwise the climate neutrality target will not be met by 2045.
Mixed reactions within the governing coalition to the agreement were mixed, with the SPD parliamentary group's energy and environment spokesman Matthias Mears commenting to Spiegel that it was "good news" for Germany's energy sufficiency, while he also sees the development as positive in terms of the diversification of energy sources.
For his part, Liberal energy expert Michael Kruse stressed that the agreement with Qatar makes clear "how dependent we are on states that do not share our values", which is why, in his opinion, it is important for Germany to exploit its own gas reserves, including shale gas.
The head of the Green parliamentary group, Katerina Drege, considers the agreement with Qatar to be right in principle, although, she said, the 15-year period is too long.
The magazine recalls that in recent months representatives of the German government, including Chancellor Schultz himself and Economy Minister Habeck, have visited Qatar, commenting that it is strange that an American and not a German company has signed the first long-term supply contract for Germany, although it points to American involvement in the exploitation of the giant North Field site in Qatar.
In any case, the paper continues, this deal will not ensure energy sufficiency in Germany, given that the 2 million tons of LNG volume per year corresponds to about 3% of Germany's consumption, and by way of illustration, Russia supplied Germany with 16 times as much gas in 2021. But it is important, experts note, to diversify energy sources, and it is stressed that it is not easy to substitute the amount of gas coming from Russia, due also to the fact that LNG exporting countries, such as Qatar, already export most of the gas they produce to buyers in Asia. It is also no coincidence, according to the paper, that Qatar's LNG supply will start in 2026, when the North Field site has been expanded and the terminal in Brunsbüttel, Germany, has been built.
Finally, it is noted that Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck went to Qatar last March, accompanied by representatives of energy groups, while the opposition in recent months has criticised him for the fact that no concrete supply contracts emerged from that trip. Now this is no longer the case, even if the agreement does not involve any of the companies that accompanied him on his trip. In fact, speaking at a conference in Berlin yesterday, he expressed his satisfaction with the 15-year period of the agreement for Germany to supply LNG from Qatar.
Source: CNA
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