Germans Panic-Buy Electric Heaters As Authorities Warn Of Winter Gas Shortage

German authorities have issued another dire warning about a possible shortage of natural gas over the winter, with fears that German households might be left in the cold, driving sales of electric heaters to soar in a spree of panic shopping.

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck told Deutschlandfunk radio on Sept. 30 that the country is in an “extremely tense situation” when it comes to energy supply.

“If we don’t save, if households don’t reduce consumption, we still risk not having enough gas in the winter,” he said.

Europe’s biggest economy is struggling to cope with surging gas and electricity costs caused mostly by a collapse in Russian gas supplies to Europe, which Moscow has blamed on Western sanctions.

Germany’s network regulator Bundesnetzagentur, which would be responsible for gas rationing in case of a supply emergency, said in a statement on Sept. 29 that household consumption was too high to be sustainable. – READ MORE