Both Russian and U.S. gas are in Germany's future energy
mix: official
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[November 02, 2018]
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany
will likely be a buyer of liquid natural gas from the United States in
the medium term, the government official tasked with trans-Atlantic
relations said on Friday, but not as a result of any threats from
Washington.
Peter Beyer, Berlin's coordinator for relations with North America said
Germany needs to diversify its energy mix as North Sea gas runs out and
insisted that a Russian pipeline vehemently opposed by Washington was
needed.
Berlin's ties with the United States have been under immense strain
since President Donald Trump took office, and the planned Nord Stream 2
pipeline, which would bring Russian gas straight to Germany under the
Baltic Sea, has been a particular concern.
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"Germany's energy sources in the North Sea for example are running out
and we have a responsibility to spread risks," he told Reuters on
Friday, conceding that the pipeline would likely bring a sharpening of
Washington's sanctions regime.
Washington has threatened to impose sanctions on companies that
participate in the building of projects like Nord Stream 2, which U.S.
officials say helps the Kremlin finance destabilizing activities around
the world, as well as cutting Ukraine out of lucrative transit fees as
it battles Moscow-backed separatists.
"I personally expect that we will see a sharpening of the (sanctions)
guidelines at the beginning of the year," he said. "Whether that means
we actually get tougher sanctions I don't yet know."
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![](../images/110218pics/2018-11-02T120139Z_1_LYNXNPEEA10TE_RTROPTP_4_ENN-LNG_small.JPG)
A LNG fuel pump is seen
at a Blu LNG filling station in Salt Lake City, Utah, March 13,
2013. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
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The U.S., which has become a major exporter of gas thanks to shale drilling, is
keen to open new markets by ensuring energy net importers like industrial
powerhouse Germany construct terminals capable of receiving liquefied gas.
Beyer said that U.S. LNG was still too expensive to be competitive with other
energy sources, but that this would likely change as the market expanded, though
it was not yet clear whether Berlin would provide financial support for the
building of such a port, as many urge.
He added that Washington had escalated its willingness to threaten sanctions in
pursuit of its foreign policy goals in recent months, including its attempts to
hinder European companies trading with Iran.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
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