Germans resort to storing candles for fear of power outages in the winter

The current energy crisis is increasing, especially in European countries that are suffering due to the decline in energy supplies from Russia, amid high prices of electricity and gas bills, and fears of power outages, which prompted Europeans to search for alternatives in preparation for that, and for this reason German markets are currently witnessing a great demand for buying candles.

A report published by the American NPR news website, on Tuesday, quoted Stefan Thomann, director of the European Candle Manufacturers Association, as saying: “The demand for candles has become very high at the present time”.

The report pointed out that the beginning of the demand for candles began with the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the imposition of closures, as the Germans began to spend a lot of time in their homes, and Thoman said: “Expectations were that the increased demand for candles would decline as soon as the closures ended, but it broke out”, then the war in Ukraine.

Before the war in Ukraine, Germany was obtaining more than half of its gas needs from Russia, as it was the largest country in the European Union importing natural gas from Russia, as the majority of Germans use gas to heat their homes, generate electricity and operate their factories, and after the outbreak of the Ukrainian war, Germany began Reducing its imports of Russian natural gas, until it was stopped.

In view of the fears of many Germans about the coming winter, especially the rise in energy prices and the possibility of shortages and power outages, many of them resorted to massive demand for buying and storing candles.

Germany is currently seeking to obtain gas from alternative sources to Russia, such as the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Qatar and the United States, and is building new infrastructure to increase the flow of natural gas from those countries and others.

The Germans are increasingly turning to renewable energy, led by solar panels, and have resorted to using more coal to compensate for the decline in its imports of natural gas, while gas prices in Germany doubled 4 times by September, compared to the previous year, and only decreased slightly after that, but It is still significantly higher than it was before the war began.

Germans are increasingly concerned about power outages, while the German government says that the possibility of large-scale power outages is unlikely, but at the same time, it encourages people to prepare for power outages, as the German Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance issued a set Instructions on how to prepare for a power outage, including keeping flashlights, batteries, and candles.