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In the history of the world, German electricity prices have never been higher…

… and if what just happened at the Steag Bergkamen-A electric plant is any indication, they are about to get a whole lot higher.

According to Bloomberg, the global energy crisis has forced a German electricity producer to halt a power plant after it ran out of coal.

Steag GmbH – which operates six large-scale hard coal plants in Germany with an installed capacity of more than 4,000 MW – closed its Bergkamen-A plant in the western part of the country this week due to shortages of hard coal, it said by email.

*The Bergkamen power station. Source: Google Maps*

“We are short of hard coal,” said Daniel Muhlenfeld, a Steag spokesman. “There is a strong demand for coal per se and secondly, there is a strong demand for transport by barge. And since Bergkamen has no rail connection, there are no logistical alternatives available here.”

Steag is also facing logistical challenges as the recovery of Europe’s biggest economy fuels demand for river transport. Still the utility is optimistic that the plant will come back online “quite soon.” The Bergkamen-A plant was halted four times in September for as many as six days at a time due to external factors, according to filings. Three other German coal plants were halted on Friday for maintenance.

“We are dealing with a double bottleneck.” Muhlenfeld said. “This is not a specific problem for Steag but a common problem for nearly all owners of hard coal-based power plants these days.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

From the Notebook – Will Germany Finally Start the EU Breakup?

September 8, 2021

From the Notebook – Will Germany Finally Start the EU Breakup?

We’ve all been so focused on the internal divisions in the U.S. and with Davos trying to run the table here that we’ve neglected somewhat old theses about the potential breakup of the European Union.

The EU is a mess. Everyone knows this. Its banks are zombies. Its bond markets oxymorons. Its trade relations with the world degrading. And its relationship with the people it nominally governs is turning toxic.

Moreover, it is led by a bunch of unelected, horrific women who are all the very definition of midwits and ideologues. These are the faces that you want to look at when you consider why women shouldn’t run countries, companies or even school boards.

Hell, the older I get, the less I think women should even vote, but we’ll leave my wife’s wisdom aside for now.

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(H/T Martin Armstrong for the picture here)

Honestly, the only woman not pictured here who should be is French President Emmanuel Macron.

These women were all placed in these positions by Klaus Schwab and George Soros to effect the transformation of the EU from a loose quasi-government into a full technocratic police state. Reading Armstong’s comments (linked above) leads you to believe that there is no internal resistance to this plan.

They intent to default on all public debt and replace even pensions with Guaranteed Basic Income. They are moving toward these end goals step by step so the people do not realize what is taking place.

For now, there is still the short-term risk that the dollar rises because Europe has utterly been destroyed and Schwab is in full control. Every strategic person in a key position is also on his board at the WEF.

I do not think, however, that this is the case.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Facing Inflation Threat, German Investors Loading Up on Gold

September 3, 2021

Facing Inflation Threat, German Investors Loading Up on Gold

While most American investors have faith that the Federal Reserve can and will successfully tighten monetary policy to fight inflation — or have simply bought into the “transitory” inflation narrative — Germans are loading up on gold as a hedge against growing inflationary pressures.

Through the first half of the year, gold coin and gold bar demand in Germany hit the highest level since 2009 – the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. First-half demand for bar and coins in Germany increased by 35% from the previous six months, compared with a 20% increase in the rest of the world, according to World Gold Council data.

Raphael Scherer serves as the managing director at Philoro Edelmetalle GmbH. He told Bloomberg that gold sales for the company are up 25% on what was already a strong 2020.

We have a long history of inflation fear in our DNA. Now the inflation risk is picking up. The outlook for precious metals is very positive.”

Given Germany’s experience with hyperinflation under the Weimar Republic, it comes as no surprise that Germans are wary of inflation.

Gold investment took off in the country in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and has been strong ever since. The global recession after the ’08 meltdown led to extremely loose monetary policy in Germany. The country has been in a negative interest rate environment for several years, and the Bundesbank has done billions in quantitative easing. Two and five-year government bonds have traded at negative yields since 2015.

The World Gold Council summarized why Germans tend to turn to gold when inflation looms.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Germany Schnitzels Itself After Ditching Nuclear, Coal Power For Green Pipe Dreams

August 24, 2021

Germany Schnitzels Itself After Ditching Nuclear, Coal Power For Green Pipe Dreams

As Germans continue to ‘enjoy’ the highest power bills in Europe, critics are warning that green energy solutions aren’t being deployed quickly enough amid the closure of its last nuclear reactor, and a sharp (and possibly early) reduction in coal electricity generation – putting the country’s ability to meet peak demand over the next two years in jeopardy.

This, as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party slumping to an all-time low in popularity.

“There is no doubt that security of supply must be high on the priority list of the next government and political action is urgent,” said RWE energy’s chief economist, Alexander Nolden. “The new climate law is a real game changer for Germany. It means a much higher ambition and will demand much higher speed for the changes needed.”

Merkel admits her government got it wrong. Power demand will probably increase more than official forecasts by the end of the decade, she said in June. A month earlier she recognized that increasing local opposition and too much bureaucracy have curbed investments in green power.

For a long time, Germany showed the world how renewable energy could be added to make up a substantial share of the power mix. Now, the Norwegian utility Statkraft SF says it takes twice as long to build a wind park in Germany compared with the U.S. Complaints from locals, a lack of space, stricter environmental standards and a longer permitting process are just some of the reasons growth is slowing. -Bloomberg

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture: “Authorities Are Viewing Their Own People as an Enemy”

August 8, 2021

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture: “Authorities Are Viewing Their Own People as an Enemy”

Professor to lead investigation of police brutality against anti-lockdown protesters.

Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer responded to police brutality dished out to anti-lockdown protesters in Germany last weekend by warning, “Authorities are increasingly viewing their own people as an enemy.”

As we highlighted earlier in the week, Melzer, a professor of international law, made a request for eyewitnesses after footage emerged of numerous examples of people being manhandled and beaten by police in Berlin merely for expressing their right to assemble.

One clip showed a female anti-lockdown protester in Berlin being grabbed by the throat and brutally thrown to the ground by riot police, while another showed a young boy being struck in the face as he tried to come to the aid of his mother.

The response to Melzer’s request was overwhelming, with over a hundred reports of violence flooding in, leaving him with the task of “calling for clarification as well as punishment and reparation for rule violations,” reports Berliner Zeitung.

The professor says there is clearly enough evidence “for an official intervention on my part with the federal government.”

The EU would be condemning this as regime brutality if it was Russia but since it’s Germany they will support it instead.pic.twitter.com/3aXM4QFRif

— Stan (@StanM3) August 1, 2021

However, it was Melzer’s comments on the wider perspective of the crackdown that stirred the most interest.

After seeing similar scenes during anti-lockdown protests in European cities across the continent, as well as “police operations in demonstrations worldwide,” Melzer came to a sobering conclusion.

“Something fundamental is going wrong. In all regions of the world, the authorities are apparently increasingly viewing their own people as an enemy,” he stated.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

German Ambassador Seconds Putin’s Fiery NS2 Remarks: “European Energy Policy Not Determined By Foreigners”

June 6, 2021

German Ambassador Seconds Putin’s Fiery NS2 Remarks: “European Energy Policy Not Determined By Foreigners”

The day after Putin announced the completion of the first leg of the Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2, declaring that essentially Washington’s best efforts to halt it via an avalanche of sanctions have been defeated, Germany appears to have seconded his assessment.

German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr on Saturday in his own statements on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum said that US efforts are illegal, going against international law. As cited in Russian media reports, the ambassador said: “At the moment, important negotiations between the American and German governments are ongoing, which include the topic of Nord Stream 2, but our stance on the matter is clear, and it will not change: we are convinced that the energy security of Europe, as well as European energy policy should be determined by Europeans only, and not by foreigners,” he stated confidently.

*German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr, Via FT*

“As for the sanctions, our position is that such an instrument – extraterritorial sanctions – is not applicable, as it goes against international law“, he explained.

There’s nothing new in this position of Germany seeing in it a question of European sovereignty over its own energy policy. Both Russian and German sides have remain undeterred in completing the pipeline, yet interestingly it’s Washington’s position under Biden which appears to have softened and even reversed.

The Biden White House announced last month that it would waive sanctions for the German company overseeing its side of the 745-mile long pipeline project while at the same timing slapping more punitive measures on Russian vessels under Gazprom. Ostensibly an initiative to heal ties with Germany, it was clearly contradictory, as many observed…

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Russian Vessel Enters German Waters For Last Leg Of Nord Stream 2 Pipelaying

May 25, 2021

Russian Vessel Enters German Waters For Last Leg Of Nord Stream 2 Pipelaying

Late last week the Biden administration slapped yet more sanctions on Russian entities, including 13 vessels and their owners, which are in the final stretch of laying the Russia to German natural gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 (said to be well over 90% complete). Just days prior the administration sent contradictory signals when it removed sanctions against the German overseer of the project Nord Stream 2 AG and CEO Matthias Warnig, in an attempt to mend relations with Berlin.

As expected, the conflicting actions has thwarted neither side of the project, as on Monday for the first time the Russian vessel Fortuna began laying pipes in German waters. While the Fortuna itself is under US sanctions, initially put in place under the Trump White House, Germany’s Waterway and Shipping Authority proudly confirmed that it’s begun work on this final section.

“All works are performed in accordance with the available permits,” Nord Stream 2 said a statement, according to Reuters. “Fortuna will be working in German waters from May 22 to June 30, having earlier laid pipes in Denmark.”

On the Russian side state energy giant Gazprom has overseen the $11 billion dollar project, and months ago warned that should the US sanctions noose tighten further, the pipeline could see significant delays.

Germany has along with Russia fought back against Washington efforts to see the construction halted, long rejecting US punitive measures as interference in its domestic affairs, but with last Wednesday’s removal of sanctions for the German overseer of the project – this served to drastically ease tensions with Berlin over the matter, with German foreign minister Heiko Maas thanking the Biden administration for doing so.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Germany’s Political Crisis and the Future of Nord Stream 2

April 5, 2021

GERMANY’S POLITICAL CRISIS AND THE FUTURE OF NORD STREAM 2

In a Blinken of an Eye

The Biden Administration entered the White House accompanied by hopes that it would return to some kind of normal in its relations with the European Union. While Biden, unlike Obama, would not score a Nobel Peace Prize solely for his existence, his victory was warmly welcomed in capitals around Europe as a sign that liberalism would vanquish populism ushering in a new era of “business as usual” in the form it was practiced during the Obama Administration.

Once in office, however, the Biden Administration has been working overtime in order to dispel any notion of a relationship of mutual respect between two more or less equal allies, US and EU. Instead, Biden officials have acted as if US and EU are a contemporary version of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, two countries with ostensibly separate political systems linked by a personal union in the form of the Emperor (Biden), held together by a common army (NATO) whose main task is preventing any separatism by “Hungary” (the EU) and whose foreign policy is made wholly in “Austria” (United States). Events like Brexit merely represent a part of the empire moving from “Hungary” to “Austria” for a variety of cultural and racial reasons. In practice it meant that, in addition to Biden replying affirmatively to a court journalist’s question whether Vladimir was a “killer” and Blinken provoking a major row with a Chinese delegation by informing them the US intended to deal with China from a “position of strength”, Blinken also issued a blunt warning to European companies working on Nord Stream 2 could be subject to US sanctions if they did not immediately withdraw from the project.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

J.Hawk, SouthFront, nordstream 2, germany, oil and gas industry, nato, united states, joe biden, russia

Nord Stream 2 Operator Warns Warships and Planes Threaten the Russia-Germany Pipeline Project

April 3, 2021

Nord Stream 2 Operator Warns Warships and Planes Threaten the Russia-Germany Pipeline Project

The US is trying to prevent the project from being completed through sanctions and pressure on Germany.

A senior official from Nord Stream 2 AG, the project company leading the Nord Stream 2 Russia to Germany natural gas pipeline project, has reported an uptick in “provocative” activity from warships and planes in the area where the pipeline is being built.

“Higher activity of naval vessels, airplanes and helicopters and civilian vessels of foreign states is observed in the work area after restarted construction of the offshore segment of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, whose actions are often clearly provocative,” said Nord Stream AG official Andrei Minin, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

Minin said a 1.5-mile safety zone is established around the construction area where vessels are not supposed to enter. “Nevertheless, naval vessels of foreign countries are constantly registered near service ships performing work,” he said, adding that a Polish antisubmarine warfare airplane is “regularly flying around the work area at a small height and closely to the pipelay vessel.”

Minin said in one provocation, an unidentified submarine was above surface within one mile of the pipeclay vessel Fortuna, a ship that was hit with US sanctions on January 19th. Minin said the activity indicates “obviously planned and prepared provocations.” Besides warships and planes, he said fishing vessels have also come dangerously close to the construction area.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been in the crosshairs of the US for years, but despite sanctions and threats, Nord Stream AG reported on Thursday that the project is now 95 percent complete. Construction restarted in December 2020 after being suspended due to threats of US sanctions.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

antiwar.com, nordstream 2, pipeline, germany, russia, united states, poland, dave decamp, economic sanctions

Electric Buses in Germany Stop Working it was Too Cold & Gates Tells Germany Build more!

February 17, 2021

Electric Buses in Germany Stop Working it was Too Cold & Gates Tells Germany Build more!

Bill Gates has decided to tell Germany how to run a nation. He said that solar and wind power is obviously not enough. Indeed, it got so cold in Germany dipping to -12c, the electric buses stopped working. Gates has told the German auto-manufacturers they better speed up the development of e-cars. Meanwhile, he tells Merkel to develop nuclear energy which she shut down after the Japanese disaster.

Wind turbines have frozen in Texas and California. So much for “green” energy. They only work when it is warm. When it gets cold, when you need heat the most, they fail. Were these environmentalists just stupid? Or was this a way to reduce the population in winters? As I said, I was in Edmonton, Canada at -40. They never turned off the cars because they would never restart. That does not work with electric engines. They just freeze.

With respect to the vaccines, Gates’s daughter, Jennifer, has come out and said she got it and defends her father saying the vaccines do not have nano bytes to control people – which is true. This is the problem. The conspiracy theorist throws out some while claim that is not possible, they dismiss that claim but attach the same conspiracy label to all other concerns.

Achtung Baby! (It’s Cold Outside) – Germany’s ‘Green’ Energy Fail Rescued by Coal and Gas

February 10, 2021

Achtung Baby! (It’s Cold Outside) – Germany’s ‘Green’ Energy Fail Rescued by Coal and Gas

Barely a week after Davos luminaries met with world leaders and Silicon Valley oligarchs to plot their latest phase of the Great Reset, the underlying provenance of their entire ‘climate emergency’ thesis is still struggling to correspond with reality.

Their much-celebrated “Zero Carbon” agenda which virtue-signaling leaders like Justin Trudeau, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden are currently advocating for – is proving to be a lot more difficult to achieve in reality than it is on their elaborate UN Agenda 2030 Powerpoint slides, computer modeled projections and Zoom calls.

No one is being hit with this sobering reality more than the Europe’s premier green trailblazer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country is currently in the grips of Europe’s record-breaking freeze this winter.

Stop These Things reports…

Germany’s held up as the world’s wind and solar capital. But, at the moment, the ‘green’ stuff can’t be purchased, at any price.

Its millions of solar panels are blanketed in snow and ice and breathless, freezing weather is encouraging its 30,000 wind turbines to do absolutely nothing, at all. [Note: don’t forget about the constant supply of electricity from the grid that these things chew up heating their internal workings so they don’t freeze up solid!]

So much for the ‘transition’ to an all wind and sun powered future – aka the ‘Energiewende’.

Despite being the object of consternation and much vilification over the last 20 years, Germany’s coal-fired plants are now being appreciated for what they are: truly meaningful power generation sources, available on demand, whatever the weather. With a Nationwide blackout a heartbeat away, the German obsession with unreliable wind and solar is like a time bomb set to explode.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

From a Hamilton Moment to Perpetual Debt Slaves: This Is the True Face of the EU

December 18, 2020

From a Hamilton Moment to Perpetual Debt Slaves: This Is the True Face of the EU

Over the summer while the U.S. was mired in the worst kind of color revolution with race riots, economic shutdowns and the worst kind of divisive politics, the European Union was celebrating its great achievement.

A seven-year budget and COVID-19 bailout package that was heralded as German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Alexander Hamilton Moment.” Because that legislation, meant to be the cornerstone of Germany six-month stint as the president of the European Council finally granted the European Commission the ability to issue debt, collect taxes and disburse funds.

That would be the way the COVID-19 relief funds would be raised and distributed. It was the first moment of fiscal integration under a central EU body that would bypass the individual member states as the means by which to raise capital.

It would be the first step in the process of consolidating debt issuance and euro creation under the control of Brussels, rather than continuing to carry out the fiction of individual sovereign debt.

The euro is a fatally flawed currency because of this and if it is to survive deeper into the 21^st century having only one central issuer of it, the EU itself via the European Commission and the European Central Bank, with one aggregated risk profile (interest rate) is necessary.

The current leadership of the EU was put in place to make this happen on powerful Germany’s watch. And in July is looked like it was done. The markets loved it. The media hailed Merkel as the great leader of Europe. Some countries balked, the so-called Frugal Five, but eventually they signed off on the draft legislation once they were no longer directly on the hook for any more wealth transfers from them to perpetual problem children like Italy, Greece and Spain.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

“We Are The People” – German Protesters Clash With Police Over New Coronavirus Restrictions

November 19, 2020

“We Are The People” – German Protesters Clash With Police Over New Coronavirus Restrictions

Thousands of demonstrators on Wednesday protested against the German government’s attempt to enact additional coronavirus restrictions. German police were forced to unleash water cannons and pepper spray to disperse angry crowds in Berlin’s government district, according to Deutsche Welle (DW).

Around 190 protesters were arrested, and nine police officers were injured after clashes in central Berlin. Police said large crowds ignored repeated calls to wear face masks and practice safe social distancing – though none of the requests were followed by protesters.

“Police calling on demonstrators to leave. Lots of booing. Demonstrators want to access cordoned-off area around parliament where new additions to infection law are being debated [at the moment,],” DW’s Nina Haase said.

In a series of tweets, Haase described the chaotic scene outside the Brandenburg Gate. She said demonstrators chanted, “we are the people,” adding that many were singing the national anthem as they held the line.

Police were seen moving in on demonstrators, using large vehicles outfitted with water cannons. She said, “police called on demonstrators to stop attacking police officers.”

As water cannons soaked demonstrators outside the Brandenburg Gate, riot police also moved in protesters, pushing them back away from government buildings. Twitter handle “SecondOpinion” shows the angry mob from an elevated view.

Absolute chaos on the ground.

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

Global Food Shortages Beginning

October 24, 2020

Global Food Shortages Beginning

There is a serious food shortage we have been warning about which our computer has been projecting for the 4.3-year wave into 2024. Our sources from Asia and Europe have been confirming what we have been getting from Australia and the United States. Now it is starting to be reported in Germany by the Deutsche-Wirtschafts-Nachrichten. There is also a shortage of food building in New York City thanks to the lockdowns.

This has been caused by climate change with solar activity turning down and the stupidity of lockdowns which prevented farmers from getting their crops and animals to market.

Our computer, Socrates, is monitoring every sector around the world and it picks the trends globally that humans do not see well in advance. This is the importance of having a non-biased computer monitoring the world. Personal opinions just will not cut it in the years ahead that we must face.

US Expands Nord Stream 2 Sanctions As Germany Vows Pipeline Completion “Not If, But When”

October 21, 2020

US Expands Nord Stream 2 Sanctions As Germany Vows Pipeline Completion “Not If, But When”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has long vowed he’ll “do everything” to stop Nord Stream 2, last month indicating the US is building a coalition of countries to fight against it, given Washington sees it as a massive compromise to Russia, giving it leverage over Europe as well as Ukraine.

“From the US point of view, Nord Stream 2 endangers Europe because it makes it dependent on Russian gas and endangers Ukraine – which in my opinion worries many Germans,” Pompeo said weeks ago.

On Tuesday the State Department expanded US sanctions targeting companies working on the Russia to Germany gas pipeline. While sanctions already target the specific European companies and their executives directly at work on the project, they’ve now been extended to include sanctions even on firms upgrading, servicing, or installing equipment on the ships laying the pipeline.

Here’s the relevant section on the State Department’s updated NS2 sanctions webpage:

“Such activities subject to sanctions pursuant to PEESA (the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act of 2019) or other authorities may include, but are not limited to, providing services or facilities for upgrades or installation of equipment for those vessels, or funding for upgrades or installation of equipment for those vessels.”

There remain some exceptions, however, out of environmental concerns. The State Department says the sanctions “will not apply to persons providing provisions to a relevant vessel if such provisions are intended for the safety and care of the crew aboard the vessel, the protection of human life aboard the vessel, or the maintenance of the vessel to avoid any environmental or other significant damage.”

…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…

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