Thread by @jakubwiech

Okay, let's explain why Germany's energy policy (Energiewende) made Germany🇩🇪 structurally dependent on Russian🇷🇺 energy resources.

I have the impression that for many readers from outside Central Europe it will be a novelty - while in Poland🇵🇱 these are well-known facts.
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The German Energiewende officially started in 2000, after the introduction of the first law supporting the development of renewable sources.

This policy had three basic pillars: RES development💨☀️, exit from fossil fuels🛢, and nuclear⚛️ shutdown.

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While the first two are understandable, shutting down nuclear power is nonsense - but more on that later.

The fastest development of the Energiewende took place during the years of Chancellor Angela Merkel's rule. It was she who set the pace for this policy.
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On the one hand, she accelerated the decommissioning of the nuclear power plants, and on the other, she entered into serious business with the Russians by building two Nord Stream gas pipelines.

And this is where the problems begin.
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Broad access to Russian gas is an integral part of Energiewende.

Germany wanted to trade this resource in the EU - that’s why Berlin engaged enormous forces and resources to complete the Nord Stream projects, despite of the enormous political cost.
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Germany approached Russia according to the old principle of Wandel durch Handel - that is: change through trade.

Berlin hoped that Moscow would become economically dependent on Europe and that the West would gain influence over it.

However, the opposite happened.
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For Russians, relations with Germany were a gateway to implementing their policy of making the EU dependent on its own resources. Russia made significant geopolitical changes on the European energy map. The Nord Streams were nothing but a way to bypass Ukraine for gas transit.
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This resolved Russia's hands for further aggression against this country.

In my opinion, it is no coincidence that Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine began after the completion of Nord Stream 2.
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Germany ignored the warnings pointing to the geopolitical background of energy relations with Russia. This was especially visible during the Merkel rule, who repeated like a mantra that Nord Stream 2 is a business project, not a political one, and Russia is a reliable.
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Germany - while deepening its dependence on Russian gas - eliminated its nuclear energy sector, which only increased its susceptibility to Russian energy blackmail.

Over the past 20 years, 18 GW of nuclear power has disappeared from the German system.

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February 24 was a defeat for German energy liberalism. He showed that the credibility of Gazprom and the possibility of curbing Russia are myths.

However, the question is whether Berlin will finally draw conclusions from that.

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