German Chancellor Olaf Scholz accused Russia of using energy as a weapon in view of the curtailment of gas supplies at the summer party of the German Renewable Energy Association on Wednesday evening.
"Germany has relied too long on energy supplies from Russia and it has been too one-sided. Today we have to realize: Russia is using energy as a weapon. No one believes that Russia is reducing its gas supplies for technical reasons alone," the German leader said.
It is now a matter of reducing dependence on Russian energy imports as quickly as possible without putting security of supply at risk, said Scholz.
The German government had already started planning for the "worst case" at an early stage. Gas storage facilities are being filled and investments are being made in terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Russia has severely curtailed gas deliveries through the Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline, citing technical problems.
Meanwhile, the problems could worsen. Annual maintenance work on Nord Stream 1 also begins on July 11 and usually lasts 10 days. The big concern is that Russia will not turn on the gas tap again after the maintenance is completed.
Scholz went on to say that the German government would go into "turbo gear" in expanding renewable energies: "Every wind turbine, every photovoltaic plant, every biomass plant is a step on the way to making our energy supply more independent and sustainable, to ensuring that it is secure and remains affordable."
The Bundestag is scheduled to vote on Thursday on a comprehensive package of laws to speed up the expansion of renewable energy.
The German chancellor went on to say: "We are currently paying a very, very high price for our dependence on Russian energy imports." This is felt by citizens and businesses. Scholz again referred to two government relief packages.
