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Germany’s largest crematorium works around the clock to save on gas consumption

It is reported that prices on energy carriers in Germany have been on the constant rise since late last year and the trend went stronger after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine

BERLIN, August 9. /TASS/. Germany’s largest crematorium Rhine-Taunus, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, has switched to the round-the-clock operation schedule in order to save on the natural gas consumption, Germany’s Bild daily reported on Tuesday.

The facility stopped turning off ovens for cremation to cut additional waste of fuel required for reheating stones in furnaces.

"Our staff treated the news with understanding and greed with the new schedule of their work," Karl-Heinz Koensgen, the head of the crematorium, told Bild. "It was important for us at the moment to provide for the operation of the facility without the use of natural gas."

According to the daily, natural gas is used in the regular operational mode of the crematorium to heat up stones in furnaces to the temperature of 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit). Since early August, crematorium’s stoves burn uninterruptedly and there is no need to waste gas anymore for reheating as the stones get the energy from the continuing combustion process.

In order to upkeep this process Rhine-Taunus crematorium switched to the round-the-clock work schedule, which includes weekends as well.

Prices on energy carriers in Germany have been on the constant rise since late last year and the trend went stronger after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, fuel prices in the country soared by 38% in June alone.

In order to prevent possible disruptions in energy supplies, the German government is considering a number of measures aimed at reducing the volume of energy consumption and also studies an option of putting back into operation coal and diesel power plants, which were earlier shut down over environmental safety concerns.

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