German chancellor visits Canada in search for alternatives to Russian gas
The German chancellor is visiting Canada on what he has described as an urgent mission to extricate Germany from its dependence on Russian gas and pursue new energy supplies, as pressure mounts on his government to come up with solutions to tackle a looming crisis.
Olaf Scholz and his economy minister, Robert Habeck, accompanied by a team of officials and business leaders, plan to sign a deal to establish hydrogen supply chains as part of Berlin’s efforts to speed up its transition to renewable energy.
On his arrival in Montreal on the two-day visit, Scholz said Canada “has similarly rich natural resources to Russia – but the difference is that it is a reliable democracy”.
Scholz said “new fields of cooperation” had opened up with Canada since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
A priority project, he said, on which the two countries wanted to work closely was the creation of a “hydrogen economy”. An agreement is due to be signed between Montreal and Berlin for the future collaboration on the production and transport of hydrogen. Scholz is also due to discuss the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Canada to Germany with his counterpart, Justin Trudeau.
The visit is taking place amid a heated debate in Germany triggered by growing concerns that Russia may completely close down its already considerably reduced gas flows to the country.
The government faces pressure to prolong the life of Germany’s three remaining nuclear power stations, which are due to go offline by the end of the year, as part of a withdrawal strategy announced in 2011.
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