Das Erste: The rejection of Russian gas will leave Europe without solar glass

Germany's refusal to import Russian gas will lead to a halt in production at glass factories and a disruption in the supply chain, Das Erste TV channel reports.

“Raw glass in the melting pot must be heated around the clock to 1600 °C, otherwise it and the equipment will deteriorate <…> Usually this process is stopped only once to restore the furnace,” said Thorsten Schroeter, Managing Director of Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg (GMB).

The company produces about ten million square meters of glass for solar power plants and greenhouses per year. For the past fifteen years, the amount of energy needed for production has been provided by Russian natural gas and, according to Schroeter, there is no alternative to it.

“It is impossible to switch to coal or oil, it is technically impossible,” he explained.

The head of GMB noted that the closure of the plant will affect the whole of Europe, as it is the only manufacturer of structured solar glass in the region.

Russia remains the largest gas exporter to Europe. The country supplies about 40 percent of the blue fuel consumed in the region via several routes: Nord Stream (directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea), Ukraine's gas transmission system, Yamal to Europe, and Turkish Stream (via the Black Sea).

Earlier, the Russian authorities announced the transfer of payments for gas supplies to unfriendly countries into rubles. This is due to large-scale Western sanctions imposed after the start of a special military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. The measures affected the banking sector and the supply of high-tech products, some companies suspended their work in Russia.

Solar glass is an alternative to solar panels.

Source: https://ria.ru/