Foreign Affairs

Germany Stocks Up On Candles As Energy Crisis Rages

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Germans are stocking up on wax candles to light up their homes as natural gas shortages have caused citizens to grow anxious about potential blackouts and soaring electricity costs, NPR reported Tuesday.

Germany and the European Union levied sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and in response, Russia has continuously cut natural gas deliveries into Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. With winter approaching, the German government has urged its citizens to cut electricity consumption to avoid power outages, which has led Germans to buy candles, according to NPR.

The German Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance has advised citizens to prepare for blackouts by wearing warm clothing, using flashlights and stocking up on candles as well as batteries. Many Germans are also purchasing space heaters; however, Germany’s utility agency has warned that the mass use of portable heaters could overload the electrical grid, according to NPR.

The European Union began banning Russian imports of seaborne crude oil on Dec. 5, which further reduced European fuel supplies. That same day, leading democracies of the G-7 including Germany, the U.S. and the U.K., placed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to target Russian profits while bringing down soaring energy prices.

Germany has embraced green energy and has previously attempted to phase out more polluting fossil fuels like coal while importing substantial amounts of Russian gas. Renewable sources of energy like wind and solar power accounted for about 16% of Germany’s energy mix in 2021 while natural gas accounted for 27%, according to the German Environment Agency.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.