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Germany may face shortages of such staples as toilet paper and cardboard if Russian gas supply dwindles in the coming months, German outlet Zeit Online reported on Wednesday.
Operating paper plants may become unprofitable if they are forced to produce at reduced capacity because of gas shortages, the publication cites Jürgen Schaller, Chairman of the Board of the Bavarian Paper Associations, as warning.
Producing paper requires a lot of water, electricity and gas, Schaller explained, adding that the technology is tried and tested and cannot be changed quickly.
“Many employees in my company are already very worried. I can’t blame them. Because if we can only produce 50 or 60 percent, the operation is not worthwhile for us. To be honest, I worry too.” Schaller told Zeit Online.
Germany and the EU as a whole have recently seen a reduction in natural gas supplies from Russia, which led to numerous warnings of possible industrial shutdowns.
The Nord Stream 1 pipeline is currently operating at 20% capacity due to technical issues with turbines at the Portovaya compressor station. Gazprom is unable to use another transit route, via Ukraine, to full capacity because, according to the Russian energy giant, Ukraine’s gas transport network has been rejecting its transit applications.
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