Germany's Russian gas crisis sparks coal rush

Brown coal briquettes are in demand as Germans stock up ahead of winter in anticipation of looming gas shortages

"A rush like this in the summertime, it's unheard of -- everybody wants coal," says Frithjof Engelke, a supplier of the briquettes which have become a hot commodity in the German capital.

A looming shortage of Russian gas in the wake of the Ukraine war has reignited enthusiasm for this method of heating private homes despite its sooty residue and heavy carbon footprint.

He and his team are frenziedly taking orders, organising deliveries by truck -- now booked out until October, and getting supplies ready for those who come directly to pick up coal from his warehouse.  

In Berlin, 5-6,000 homes still heat with coal -- only a fraction of the city's 1.9 million homes, say municipal authorities.

Others are lovers of the "cosy" heat emanating from often ornate old ceramic stoves. 

"Those who heat with gas but who still have a stove at home now all want to have coal," he said, citing a phenomenon seen throughout Germany as winter approaches.

Jean Blum is one of the new converts. 

"I'm buying coal for the first time in years," he tells AFP.

With the jump in gas prices, which will be exacerbated this autumn when operators will be able to pass on the increase in energy levies to the consumer, Blum wants to make sure he has a safety net. 

Although coal prices have soared 30 percent this season, it remains cheaper than wood, whose price has more than doubled. 

- 'Renaissance' -

The German government had already resolved to increase the use of coal-fuelled power plants to satisfy the enormous appetites of several industries. 

However with new private customers coming out of the woodwork, production has a hard time keeping up, and many small coal merchants in the capital are running out of supplies. 

The company supplies DIY stores and fuel sellers with coal briquettes.

Adding to the pressure is the fact that the other factory supplying the market in Germany, based in the Rhine valley, will cease production at the end of the year, reducing supply.

Currently, people are relatively relaxed when they learn that they will have to wait at least two months before getting deliveries, he says. 

ilp-dlc/hmn/rl

...