Germany Pays 2.5 Times More for Gas in 2023 Compared to 2021, Statistics Show

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany imported 2.5 times less gas in January-September this year compared to the same period in 2021, but failed to make any savings as prices also grew 2.5 times, Sputnik has calculated based on data from the German statistical office.
Sputnik
German gas imports in the first nine months of 2023 dropped to 47.9 billion cubic meters from 65.9 billion cubic meters in the same period last year. For comparison, the country imported as much as 121.7 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021, data showed.
At the same time, the average annual price per cubic meter of gas has risen sharply from 0.18 euros [$0.19] in 2021 to 0.45 this year. As a result, Germany's gas import bill stood at 21.3 billion euros in January-September this year compared to 22.2 billion euros in the same period in 2021, despite the significant drop in supplies.
On Saturday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz blamed Russia for cutting off pipeline gas supplies to Europe and the resulting spike in energy prices. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, in turn, said on social media it was Europe that had rejected Russia's gas supplies and accused the German leader of "lying through his teeth."
German Chancellor Accuses Russia of Stopping Gas Supplies to Europe
Since the beginning of Russia's special operation in Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has introduced a series of measures aimed at decreasing gas consumption and limiting the bloc's use of Russian energy resources, including a gas price cap, but avoided blocking Moscow's gas supplies to Europe.