Germany upbeat on energy security; Russia cuts gas to France

By FRANK JORDANS, BARBARA SURK and JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Germany is well-prepared to tackle a possible energy shortage due to Russia’s squeeze on European gas supplies. Fears are growing about the juggernaut of rising prices that will likely hit consumers across the continent this winter. Scholz says gas storage facilities are already fuller than they were at this time last year. Germany expected to agree a further package of measures in the coming days to help consumers cope with steeply rising energy prices. Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom further reduced gas deliveries to the France on Tuesday, raising fears that Moscow might cut off gas completely as political leverage over the war in Ukraine. Baltic Sea nations plan to announce a seven-fold increase in wind power production by 2030.