BERLIN, June 26 (Itar-Tass) - Germany over decades to come will be reducing the production of natural gas in its own territory and compensating for the shortfall by greater import from foreign providers, including Russia, but the export of liquefied natural gas may affect the energy market of the Old World, Germany’s association representing the interests of industrial and commercial energy consumers, VIK believes.
The oil and gas company ExxonMobil said in a report in the middle of this month natural gas would phase out crude oil in the German market as the main fuel by 2030. Germany’s natural gas import breakdown, according to the survey, looks as follows - Russia, 34%, Norway, 31%, and the Netherlands, 19%. Many analysts are wondering in what way this proportion may change if the ExxonMobil forecast proves correct.
One can say with certainty that Russia will remain Germany’s reliable partner in addressing energy-related issues,” VIK spokesman Roland Schmid has told Itar-Tass in an interview. He would not elaborate. Germany’s own domestic gas production will most probably shrink to be replaced by export from other countries. Presently Germany’s own gas in domestic consumption accounts for 12%.
“As for hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking (Germany’s federal government is in the process of considering the effects of its use), it is unlikely to cause any tangible influence on the situation,” Schmid said.
At the beginning of June Germany’s energy concern E.ON signed a contract with Canada’s Pieridae Energy for the supply of 6.5 billion cubic meters of liquefied gas starting from 2020. The spokesman for the German concern, which is keen to persuade Gazprom to lower gas prices, described the contract as “a landmark on the road to diversification.”