Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

businessinsider.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

161–170 of 424 posts

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#161

Post by the_mitsuhiko »

cf141q5325 wrote: post #111
LAC-Tech wrote: post #29

This doesn't make sense to me. Can i get an explanation? The German state seized a local German branch of the Russian Gazprom company. In order to secure its energy supplies... which come from Russia. Are they in essence capturing some reserves?

I read a great reader comment on the topic (also in German so try DeepL) https://blog.fefe.de/?ts=9cb54d35 Its a political push and pull about who defaults on the existing contracts on gas import, seeing as Russia wants to be payed in ruble now, while Germany would prefer the payments to be stuck on a EU bank account as a form of reparation payments to the Ukraine. To prevent this outcome, Russia in effect might be l…

That comment is way to emotional to give it more than a few minutes of thought. It mixes facts with an unnecessary reaching commentary.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#162

Post by gumby »

SnowHill9902 wrote: post #45
throwaway4good wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly what is left of value in this company; except some payrolls, offices, and some contracts which are void anyway?

It’s a hostage for a future prisoner exchange.

A plausible scenario but probably won’t happen in this case, Could be more like overseas subsidiaries of Bayer, seized by various allied countries in WWI and only reunited in 1994.

The reparations bill (both during and after the war) will be high and I assume various assets, including foreign currency reserves, will end up going to fund the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#163

Post by maratc »

Medowar wrote: post #15

More Background, why this is in fact important: Gazprom Germania is also a critical part of the german Gas-Market, because it owns the largest gas-Storage with 1/5 of total capacity in Germany, major Gas Pipelines and Platforms for trading the ressource. This is both through Sub-companies Wingas and Astora. It also has contracts with Gazprom in Russia with guaranteed Prices and Deliveries.

> It also has contracts with Gazprom in Russia with guaranteed Prices and Deliveries.

Is anyone under an illusion that Gazprom in Russia will honor these contracts, now that their branch was seized? And if not, what methods are there to enforce these contracts?

The Russians seized the planes, which can fly but need spares and checks. The Germans seized the pipelines and the storage. Both have some utility in the interim, but both are ultimately useless.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#164

Post by manuelabeledo »

Only tangential to the article, but does anyone find risky that absolutely critical services depend on one or two foreign private companies?

And other than losing money, what would be the consequences of Gazprom pulling out of Germany completely? I’m guessing that Russia just doesn’t have enough economic leverage to do so.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#165

Post by ajsnigrutin »

ganzuul wrote: post #150
tazjin wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I've read, the contracts between Gazprom Germany and Gazprom Export (on the Russian side) do not have a fixed settlement currency. > This would have allowed them to require payments in Rubles instead of Euros "allowed" is a funny word - this situation is way past a point where cross-border contracts on either side hold any legal value. How are you going to hold anyone accountable for breach of contract?

One side does it with assassination.

And the other does with suiciding.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#166

Post by tssva »

NortySpock wrote: post #68
Toutouxc wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's interesting, so the tank is permanent and you refill it somehow? If yes, how often? Can you do the same thing with natural gas? Does the place you live in have natural gas?

Not your parent poster, but the tanks are commonly installed above-ground in the rural USA. It is propane (C3H8), which is liquid under pressure. Tanks are refilled as needed depending on usage via a tanker truck. I assume this is monthly but I don't personally have one. In the US, natural gas normally refers to methane (CH4) heating, attached to a city methane heating grid. I pay a monthly bill per cubic foot of met…

As residential development continues to expand and natural gas delivery systems do not to match in many areas the use of propane has moved beyond the rural US. I have a house in a suburban neighborhood developed in the last 10 years and all the houses have buried propane tanks instead of natural gas hookups. The propane fuels heating systems, hot water heaters and stove tops. Most have grills and fire pits also attached. I have all those plus the propane fuels an emergency whole house generator.

How often tanks are refilled depends upon your particular usage pattern and the time of year. Refills can occur on demand, on an automatic basis determined by looking at your past usage patterns or as in my case triggered by an IoT connected meter which notifies my propane supplier when my tanks fall below a pre-determined level. Depending on the time of year it can be 3 months or 6 months between fills.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#169

Post by zmgsabst »

maratc wrote: post #163
Medowar wrote: post #15

More Background, why this is in fact important: Gazprom Germania is also a critical part of the german Gas-Market, because it owns the largest gas-Storage with 1/5 of total capacity in Germany, major Gas Pipelines and Platforms for trading the ressource. This is both through Sub-companies Wingas and Astora. It also has contracts with Gazprom in Russia with guaranteed Prices and Deliveries.

> It also has contracts with Gazprom in Russia with guaranteed Prices and Deliveries. Is anyone under an illusion that Gazprom in Russia will honor these contracts, now that their branch was seized? And if not, what methods are there to enforce these contracts? The Russians seized the planes, which can fly but need spares and checks. The Germans seized the pipelines and the storage. Both have some utility in the inte…

“We seized your property under exigent circumstances, but you better honor your contracts rather than cancel them under exigent circumstances!”

- NATO, apparently delusional

The idea people will “honor” contracts while you’re (illegally) seizing their property in effort to enact an economic siege of their nation is mental illness — either delusions or megalomania. That strategy doesn’t make sense.

I’m personally sad to see how deluded US and EU leaders are.

Re: Germany has seized control of Gazprom Germania

#170

Post by Traster »

_3u10 wrote: post #159
ganzuul wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One side does it with assassination.

Yes but let’s not bring that up, it makes us look like a tinpot dictatorship nationalizing assets and assassinating people. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinations_by_th...

This is a dispute between Germany and Russia. I'm not sure what US assassinations of middle eastern war lords have to do with it.
Post reply on HN