France begins supplying natural gas to Germany

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Oct. 13 () –

The French authorities have reported this Thursday that the country has begun to supply natural gas directly to Germany after making a series of technical adjustments to the gas pipeline that connects the two countries.

The French gas network operator GRTGaz has confirmed that the gas is already flowing through the gas pipeline, the only gas interconnection point between the two countries and that it is located in the city of Niedergailbach, in southern Germany.

“In an unprecedented energy situation linked to the war in Ukraine, France stands in solidarity with its German neighbor by supplying it with gas directly,” the company said in a statement. According to GRTGaz, 31 gigawatt hours a day will initially pass through the border. The maximum capacity is 100 gigawatts per hour per day.

Initially it was planned that the only gas pipeline between the two countries would be destined to supply gas from Germany to France and not the other way around, for which a series of reforms have been carried out.

The measure has been taken in the face of the sharp drop in Russian gas supplies to Europe in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led the international community to impose sanctions against Moscow.

As part of the deal, France will in exchange receive electricity from Germany to get through the critical winter months.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has announced that due to maintenance work, only 30 of the 56 nuclear power plants are currently operating, although 40 power plants are expected to be operating in the coming weeks. By January, this figure would rise to 46.