Macron: France, Germany to provide each other with gas, electricity, to weather crisis

PARIS -

France will send gas to Germany if needed while Germany stands ready to provide it with electricity, President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, saying this showcased European solidarity in the face of the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine.

European gas prices surged, share prices slid and the euro sank on Monday after Russia stopped pumping gas via a major supply route, in another warning to the 27-nation EU as it scrambled to respond to the crisis ahead of winter. read more

"Germany needs our gas and we need power from the rest of Europe, notably Germany," France's president told a news conference following a phone call with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The necessary connections for France to deliver gas to Germany when needed would be finalised in the coming weeks, he said, adding that France, which had long been a net exporter of electricity, will need help from its neighbours because of technical problems its nuclear plants face. read more

Macron, however, said that he did not understand demand for a third gas link between France and Spain, rejecting calls to increase capacity with a new pipeline.

He added he was open to changing his mind on that point, should Scholz or Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez argue convincingly for it.

Ahead of a meeting on Friday of EU energy ministers, Macron said France was in favour of buying gas at a European rather than a national level and called for European Union measures to control energy prices.

He said it was necessary to act against speculation on energy prices at EU level and also said France was in favour of putting a cap on the price of pipeline Russian gas.

Macron also repeated calls for all to turn down air conditioners when it's hot and to limit heating to 19 degrees Celsius this winter.

"Everyone has to do their bit," he said.

Related News

tokyo electricity

Analysis: Out in the cold: how Japan's electricity grid came close to blackouts

TOKYO - Japan's worst electricity crunch since the aftermath of the Fukushima crisis has exposed vulnerabilities in the country's recently liberalised power market, although some of the problems appear self-inflicted.

Power prices in Japan hit record highs last month as a cold snap across northeast Asia prompted a scramble for supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG), a major fuel for the country's power plants. Power companies urged customers to ration electricity to prevent blackouts, although no outages occurred.

The crisis highlighted how many providers were unprepared for such high demand. Experts say LNG stocks were not topped up ahead of winter and…

READ MORE
japan boimass plant

Japan to host one of world's largest biomass power plants

READ MORE

Offshore wind

Offshore wind is set to become a $1 trillion business

READ MORE

ev cost trend

GM president: Electric cars won't go mainstream until we fix these problems

READ MORE

site c protestors

Site C dam could still be cancelled at '11th hour' if First Nations successful in court

READ MORE