Energy Crisis in Ukraine after weeks of Russian bombings

Ukraine bombed building

Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.

Important Takeaways:

  • Ukrainian energy systems on brink of collapse after weeks of Russian bombings
  • After just six weeks of intense bombing of energy infrastructure, Russia has battered Ukraine to the brink of a humanitarian disaster this winter as millions of people potentially face life-threatening conditions without electricity, heat or running water.
  • “Put simply, this winter will be about survival,” Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director for the World Health Organization, told reporter saying the next months could be “life-threatening for millions of Ukrainians.”
  • Kluge said that 2 million to 3 million Ukrainians were expected to leave their homes “in search of warmth and safety,” though it was unclear how many would remain inside the country.

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Winter is coming EU prepares for worst case Energy Crisis

Revelations 18:23:’For the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.’

Important Takeaways:

  • EU could face blackouts this winter, crisis commissioner warns
  • The European Union could face blackouts this winter as the continent faces an ongoing energy crisis amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, but Brussels is preparing for worst-case scenarios, according to EU Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič.

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Echoes of WWII in Berlin as fuel in such short supply people are stockpiling wood and other obscure fuels

Revelations 18:23:’For the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.’

Important Takeaways:

  • Europeans are hoarding wood, cleaning chimneys, and mulling horse dung as winter looms in an energy crisis
  • Prices for wood pellets have nearly doubled to 600 euros a ton in France, and there are signs of panic buying of the world’s most basic fuel. Hungary even went so far as to ban exports of pellets, and Romania capped firewood prices for six months. Meanwhile, wood stoves can now take months to deliver.
  • Customers are inquiring about burning horse dung and other obscure fuels.
  • Strapped households across the region are increasingly faced with choosing between heating and other essentials.
  • Peter Engelke is putting up a new security gate at his warehouse because of concerns about desperate people pilfering his stock. The precious asset at risk is firewood.
  • In Berlin, the crisis creates unsettling echoes of the desolation following World War II. With fuel in short supply, residents chopped down nearly all the trees in the central Tiergarten Park for heating.

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Energy Crisis in California: Cut your Air Conditioning, charging Electric Vehicles to avoid blackout

Revelations 18:23 ‘For the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.’

Important Takeaways:

  • Don’t Charge that Electric Vehicle: California Braces for Energy Shortage Thru Labor Day
  • Due to high temperatures, residents will be asked to conserve electricity during afternoons and evenings, which means refraining from charging electric vehicles, among other uses
  • Hoping to avoid blackouts, the California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s power grid, warned Tuesday that it probably will issue a series of Flex Alerts over the next several days. Flex Alerts are voluntary calls for conservation during the afternoon and evening hours, when energy use tends to soar. Residents will be asked to turn up their thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, avoid using dishwashers or other large appliances, and hold off on charging their electric vehicles, all during the 4-9 p.m. time frame.

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Venezuela Makes Fridays Holiday to Ease Energy Crisis

enezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (L) waves next to Diosdado Cabello, deputy of Venezuela's United Socialist Party (PSUV), during the broadcast of his weekly TV program "Hitting with the Sledge Hammer" in Caracas

By Alexandra Ulmer and Corina Pons

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has decreed that all Fridays for the next two months will be holidays, in a bid to save energy in the blackout-hit OPEC country.

“We’ll have long weekends,” Maduro said in an hours-long appearance on state television on Wednesday night, announcing the measure as part of a 60-day plan to fight a power crunch.

A severe drought, coupled with what critics say is a lack of investment and maintenance in energy infrastructure, has hit the South American nation, which depends on hydropower for 60 percent of its electricity.

Venezuela’s opposition slammed the new four-day work week as reckless in the face of a bitter recession, shortages of foods and medicines, and triple-digit inflation.

The measure comes on the heels of Maduro decreeing a week-long break over Easter, ordering some shopping malls to generate their own power, and shortening daily working hours.

“For Maduro the best way to resolve this crisis is to reduce the country’s productivity,” said Caracas city councillor Jesus Armas. “Fridays are free bread and circus.”

Some Venezuelans took to social media to express their surprise. “You must be kidding???,” one Twitter user said. Many others wondered how the measure would impact schools, bureaucratic procedures and supermarkets.

It was not immediately clear how the non-working Fridays would affect the public and private sector.

The 60-day plan’s fine print will be announced on Thursday, said Maduro during the television program, which included music, dancing and giant pictures of late leader Hugo Chavez.

“I think we can overcome this situation without increasing fares or rationing,” added Maduro.

(Writing by Alexandra Ulmer; Editing by Tom Hogue)