Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
We've been tracking this. France had the foresight to create more energy independence than its neighbors, all of which are almost wholly dependent on Russian energy.
Well, I understand that this quote is really old, but I seem to have missed it till today.

My short response: Wrong. It's irresponsible, wrong and completely misleading to write such a quote.

This energy dependence works two ways an, is an old and not very dramatic story - and it's the tiny basis of a wrong myth that seems to be rampant in the U.S..

Zahl der Woche Nr.002 vom 13.01.2009

Russland ist Deutschlands wichtigster Energielieferant
Januar bis Oktober 2008: Erdöl und Erdgas für 22,5 Milliarden Euro importiert

WIESBADEN – Wie das Statistische Bundesamt (Destatis) anlässlich des Staatsbesuchs des russischen Ministerpräsidenten Wladimir Putin am 16. Januar 2009 mitteilt, wurden von Januar bis Oktober 2008 Erdöl und Erdgas im Wert von 22,5 Milliarden Euro aus Russland nach Deutschland eingeführt. Gegenüber dem vergleichbaren Vorjahres*zeit*raum ist die Einfuhr wertmäßig um 41,3% gestiegen. In der Rangfolge der wichtigsten Lieferländer von Erdöl und Erdgas lag Russland mit einem Anteil von 32,5% auf Rang 1 vor Norwegen (21,9%) und dem Vereinigten Königreich (9,8%) und war damit Deutschlands wichtigster Energielieferant.

Der Anteil der deutschen Importe von Erdöl und Erdgas aus Russland an allen deutschen Importen aus Russland lag bei 73,8%.
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/port...002__p002.psml

(Information from the German federal agency for statistic that says that German crude oil and natural gas imports from Russia in 01/2008-10/2008 were worth EUR 22.5 billion. Russia supplied 32.5% of German crude oil and natural gas imports, Norway 21.9% and UK 9.8%.)

32.5% of crude oil and natural gas (I assume they added it up in terms of cost, not in terms of weight or heating energy content).

That's one third of a faction of the overall energy consumption (there's still Uranium, lots of Coal, water, wind, waste and solar energy in the mix.


I beg you; don't multiply this ignorant and wrong myth. It's dangerously close to nation bashing.


Besides; natural gas can be easily substituted with other materials and techniques. A natural gas crisis would likely last no longer than half a year or at most a year.
A single serious natural gas crisis inflicted by Russia and Russia would permanently lose most well-paying customers for one of its main export products.