"The best construct is of no use to anyone if it fails in real life"

The Co-Chairman of the Gas Price Control Commission and BDI President Siegfried Russwurm emphasized the need to save gas before the expert commission's closed meeting. "There is no way around it," he told WELT AM SONNTAG. The fact that the gas storage tanks are now more than 90 percent full is better than expected. "But that alone is not enough."

Citizens would have to be prepared for the fact that energy prices would not return to previous levels in the foreseeable future. They depended heavily on supply and demand in the world market. "No gas price brake can completely undermine that," says Russwurm.

The aim is to present a first interim result at the end of the exam weekend. “Ideally there is a proposal afterwards. The criteria are known: more savings incentives are needed,” says the BDI boss. "The gas price brake must help quickly, in a targeted manner and over two winters."

And it must be "practically feasible, i.e. based on data that is available and use mechanisms that work almost immediately," said Russwurm. "The best construct is of no use to anyone if it fails in real life."

In view of the lack of gas, Russwurm criticized German energy policy. "We rely on the fact that fracking gas is produced in other countries such as the USA and Canada, but we ban it here." Even with conventional production, Germany is on the brakes. "Why should the Dutch pump more gas from their gas fields and develop a new gas field that also extends to Germany, while we ourselves refuse to take action?" asked the BDI President.

Russwurm also calls for the three nuclear power plants remaining on the grid not only to be allowed to run a little longer: "In our current situation, I think it makes sense to carry out a loading cycle with fuel elements for the three nuclear power plants that are still running." The amount of additional nuclear waste do not significantly increase the need for final storage.