[ggm]

32% of their gas power comes from Russian gas. Covids economic shock would be nothing by comparison. French nukes running 24/7 could not make up the shortfall, there would be more than a small% contraction in the economy. Probably, technically a recession would follow. Aside from electricity manufacturing is a direct consumer, gas is feedstock for fertiliser, powers kilns and bakeries and heaps of industry directly.

They could. Some argue they should. But they won't. I'm thousands of km away, I wish they would but I don't have to suffer the consequences in terms of unemployment, economic damage, and loss of life and livelihood.

[bnt]

The immediate ramifications of shutting off Russian gas would be akin to 1920’s depression. And German economy going to shit means the rest of Europe and Euro itself tanking.

[fivelessminutes]

There are other sources of power and gas... Biden said he will 'surge' supplies to Europe... in the medium term they can just write russia out of the equation and stop bankrolling the war.

[ggm]

They have to recommission gas handling facilities, industrial plant takes months to bring back from mothballing and worldwide gas consumption is longterm contracts. Even just hiring a gas tanker takes months.

If they declare force majure and seized a boat to ship now, there would be hell to pay for some other consumer.

[fivelessminutes]

They decided to shut down two nuclear power plants, then reversed the decision due to putin's war.

So they can make big inroads into their static gas consumption by rolling with that and shutting down some or all of their gas power stations instead... it seems they have options to trim their usage to the point they can prepare for winter without funding their own security threat.