Germany faces natural gas ‘crisis,’ raises warning level

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Germany has activated the second phase of its three-stage emergency plan for natural gas supplies, saying the country faces a “crisis” and warning that storage targets for the winter are at risk due to dwindling deliveries from Russia. The government said Thursday that the decision to raise the level to “alarm” follows the cuts to Russian deliveries made since June 14 and surging energy prices exacerbated by the war in Ukraine. The third and highest stage is the “emergency” level. It said that while gas storage facilities are filled to 58% capacity — higher than at this time last year — the goal of reaching 90% by December won’t be possible without further measures.