ENER Europe Plans "Emergency Intervention" In Power Market As All Hell Breaks Loose

[Red Baron]

Aerial images have shown a Russian energy facility near its border with Finland burning off supplies of natural gas worth approximately $10m US dollars. It's said the plant has been burning off gas, which would have previously been exported to Germany, for months.

7:37
Russia burning off $10m worth of gas every day - BBC News

View: https://youtu.be/stIgolr_XIM

 

[Samuel Adams]

That’s putting their $$ where their mouth is.



Kudos

 

[raven]

Europe does not have any energy supplies.

Now you understand why there was a war in Libya and Syria and Ukraine.

 

[willowlady]

Perhaps a better question might be, here, is how many British Royal Marines would open fire upon their own citizens? Or the equivalent countries thereat?

That's an old saw in the States, and it used to be There Was No Way. That was before the woke kicked in, but now Uncle is scrambling for sojers to make up for the lack. Most of what's left probably WILL shoot, but there are a lot fewer of them around.

Guess you never read about the Bonus Rebellion/Army here in the US.

 

[Samuel Adams]

And, here is a brief representation, thereof;

7 min.

View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sNOsIB5VMSQ

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Guess you never read about the Bonus Rebellion/Army here in the US.

Of course I read about the Bonus Army. But that's a pretty different story from a completely different era.

 

[Samuel Adams]

Bottom line…..home troops will fire on home population…..with the slightest incentive……ESPECIALLY if they will fire on fellow veterans, impoverished and forgotten out of convenience to THE STATE.

 

[Green Co.]

Perhaps Germany can corral their greenies and build nuclear plants as France did. France, with their nuclear power still can only supply 70% of their needs, but are in better shape than the rest of the Europe.

 

[Shadow]

Price controls lead to shortages. Prices are a language. In the early 70's, in the US, natural gas was controlled. The low price told consumers it was so cheap they could burn lanterns around the clock. The same price told producers that it was not worth exploring for or producing. So they didn't. Result was natural gas shortages until the controls were released.

An open market is the best. Government intervention has a bad track record where it has been tried.

Shadow

 

[Jeff B.]

The Germans have some coal and are looking at halting the planned decommissioning of the Nuke Plants. Like is, they need to be building more. Fast.

Jeff B.

 

[willowlady]

Of course I read about the Bonus Army. But that's a pretty different story from a completely different era.

My point was pretty simple: You cannot expect American soldiers to refuse to fire on American citizens. And that applies to now just as much as then.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

My point was pretty simple: You cannot expect American soldiers to refuse to fire on American citizens. And that applies to now just as much as then.

That's always been a point in contention. There are those who believe some would. And there are those who believe that others would fire on the soldiers themselves instead.

 

[mecoastie]

The Germans have some coal and are looking at halting the planned decommissioning of the Nuke Plants. Like is, they need to be building more. Fast.

Jeff B.

I thought they said no to extending the nuke plants. I think the issue is partly the fuel. The last 3 plants are at the end of the fuel life and no more is in the pipeline.

 

[vector7]

Tucker Carlson blasts California's energy policies: "It's indisputable that on the question of energy, they have no idea what they're doing ... So naturally they want more power over power."
RT 7:18secs

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1564787614611382272

View: https://twitter.com/TPostMillennial/status/1564787614611382272?s=20&t=9TjvSyqBnsEEakFGY9_c8w

 

[Trouble]

This isn't just a European issue, thus will affect us here in the US. This will be on our doorstep very, very soon. Get ready.

 

[Countrymouse]

True, but pretending people (average people) are going to be able to just pay 5,000 Euros/dollars it's about the same right now) per month for electricity is also a total fantasy.

So is thinking that these big companies will just lower their prices, especially if the supplies are extremely limited or they have to pay those prices to get the energy.

In the end, they will just walk, and the government/taxpayer will be stuck with the problem anyway. Because somehow, someway, this has to be sorted.

It might be (as happened with the banks) a temporary government (or governments) taking over their own infrastructure (mostly taxpayer-built anyway) until the situation sorts out, and then selling it back to the private companies again.

To be fair (I try to be) the Big Corporations didn't come up with the idea of stopping Russian Oil and Gas or shutting down the pipeline. That was a political move, designed to hurt Russia that instead has backfired in the most spectacular way I can ever remember something backfiring on this level in my lifetime.

And that includes "Whip Inflation Now" although it might end up matching with "Just 15 days to stop the spread."...

To be fair (I try to be) the Big Corporations didn't come up with the idea of stopping Russian Oil and Gas or shutting down the pipeline. That was a political move, designed to hurt Russia that instead has backfired in the most spectacular way I can ever remember something backfiring on this level in my lifetime.

And that includes "Whip Inflation Now" although it might end up matching with "Just 15 days to stop the spread."...

Best summation of this insanity I have heard to date.

 

[Countrymouse]

delete

 

[Countrymouse]

Its all about power and control

A dearth of power will give them more control.

Funny that.

well said.

 

[Countrymouse]

Dang. Just dang. What did anyone over there expect would happen when they couldn't get all of that energy from Russia? Herds of unicorns with magical home-heating farts?

If Europe is in for the same level of Winter we're being told will hit the U.S., I can foresee things becoming VERY grim over there during November/December/January.

I had to do some memory-refreshing to see the current status of Nordstream, as last I remembered Trump had helped stop it in favor of getting Europe to turn instead to the (then) cheaper and plentiful fossil-fuel supplies of the (then) energy-independent US.

So in checking it out tonight, I learned the present state of NORD-Stream in a very good informational article (with maps of the pipeline)--and the explanation as to WHY, now that the pipeline is FINISHED--no one is taking advantage of it:

Gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 – Symbol of failed German energy policy

In a nutshell, this factsheet provides essential information on the contentious Russian-German natural gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2.

www.cleanenergywire.org

So then I remembered---ISRAEL some years ago discovered MASSIVE supplies of natural gas in its territorial waters off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Why can't ISRAEL supply this need--since they have more than enough gas to supply ALL of Europe (see 2nd article below).

This Pipeline--called the EASTMED pipeline--was actually STOPPED BY BIDEN--to please Turkey:

Biden Administration Kills Israel-to-Europe Gas Pipeline​

by Soeren Kern
February 15, 2022 at 5:00 am

Biden Administration Kills Israel-to-Europe Gas Pipeline

Biden's decision — reportedly coordinated with Turkey but reached without consulting Israel, Greece or Cyprus, the main countries involved in the project — undercuts three of the strongest American allies in the Mediterranean region. EastMed's

www.gatestoneinstitute.org

• Biden's decision — reportedly coordinated with Turkey but reached without consulting Israel, Greece or Cyprus, the main countries involved in the project — undercuts three of the strongest American allies in the Mediterranean region.
• EastMed's cancellation — variously described as a "disastrous decision," a "strategic mistake" and an act of "appeasement" of Erdoğan — represents a major geopolitical victory for the Turkish strongman.
• The EastMed pipeline has been in the works for more than a decade. The Israel-Greece-Cyprus project — joined by Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia — has long been seen as a way to diversify natural gas supplies to Europe.
• The Turkish government has always insisted that Israeli gas can only be sold to Europe through Turkey.
• "The Americans do not want the pipeline because Ankara might 'get angry.'" — Theofrastos Andreopoulos, defense analyst, defensenet.gr.
• "If Erdogan perceives the non-paper as some form of appeasement by Washington, he will simply double down on his gunboat diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean and play the role of spoiler in the region." — Richard Goldberg, a member of the U.S. National Security Council during the Trump administration.
• Is the Biden administration truly concerned about climate change, or does it want to prevent Israel from becoming a strategically important supplier of natural gas to Europe?
• "The reversal on the EastMed pipeline becomes only more hypocritical and offensive given the fact that President Biden continues to clear the path towards completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline." — U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
• "This is a disastrous decision that imperils European security and opens the door for further Russian energy hegemony in European gas markets. It should be reversed." — Ariel Cohen, veteran energy analyst, The Hill.
• "Turkey is not looking to participate in Eastern Mediterranean initiatives, it wants to dominate them. Ankara's goal is not one of cooperation but of regional primacy if not hegemony." — Endy Zemenides, Executive Director, Hellenic American Leadership Council.

But then there came out in JUNE 2022 this article regarding a NEW initiative between EUROPE AND ISRAEL to purchase Israel's natural gas supplies--in spite of Biden---(excerpt):

The current status​

Today, Israel’s gas reserves are so rich that they can supply not only Israel, but Europe as well. And that’s precisely what happened on Wednesday when Israel, and the European Union signed a natural gas agreement. The agreement was forged in Cairo as Egypt as the gas will flow via Egypt’s pipelines. Signing this trilateral agreement is Europe’s solution for replacing the Russian gas imports it has relied on for decades.


Western Europe is trying to distance itself from Russia including economic boycotts. This phenomenon provided Israel with a rare opportunity to provide natural gas once provided by the Kremlin.


Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem on Tuesday: “With the beginning of this war and the attempt of Russia to blackmail us through energy, by deliberately cutting off the energy supplies, we decided to cut off and to get rid of the dependency on Russian fossil fuels, and to move away from Russia and diversify to trustworthy suppliers,” adding that “It is an outstanding step bringing our energy cooperation to the next level.”


“This is a tremendous moment in which little Israel becomes a significant player,” Israeli Energy Minister Karin Elharrar said Wednesday in a statement.

Israel to supply natural gas to Europe and its connection to a blessing from Deuteronomy

Israel going from energy dependent to not just energy independent, but energy supplier could be precisely the blessing referred to in that passage.

www.israel365news.com

If ISRAEL saves EUROPE's skin this winter, from freezing to death--

that ain't gonna make Russia - which hoped to have a stranglehold on Europe's neck this winter -- happy.

It also won't make the Israel-hating monsters currently running the US happy either.


those who know their God.........know what comes next (hint--read book of Daniel...)

 

[TammyinWI]

If the security guards ALSO blame you, that makes it that much worse. Because now.....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3lsJmwNO40


the last 10 seconds will be the most relevant. And least bloody.

WHOA! Is this from a movie called "Rorschach?" Never heard of it before! This is spot on...

"God does not make the world this way...we do" He is telling the truth there, as a Legion, one of satan's bidders!

Morbid, sick content, especially the ending!

 

[Countrymouse]

Price controls lead to shortages. Prices are a language. In the early 70's, in the US, natural gas was controlled. The low price told consumers it was so cheap they could burn lanterns around the clock. The same price told producers that it was not worth exploring for or producing. So they didn't. Result was natural gas shortages until the controls were released.

An open market is the best. Government intervention has a bad track record where it has been tried.

Shadow

And GASOLINE as well.

I remember Carter's price controls well...I was in high school.

 

[Red Baron]

Fair Use Is Cited
------------------
Fuel trains given priority in Germany

Coal needed for power generation as Russia cuts gas supply.


A train carrying imported coal from Bremerhaven is seen here in Bremen.

August 30, 2022
Written by Keith Fender

THE German government has published the final version of a new emergency law that will allow infrastructure managers, primarily DB Network, to overrule existing track access contracts with freight and passenger operators in order to prioritise the transport of fuel such as coal and oil.

The Energy Security Transport Ordinance (EnSiTrV) has been drafted by the Federal Ministry for the Economy and Climate Change. Its final version has reduced to 500 the number of routes and cargoes that can be prioritised, comprising rail connections to power stations, refineries and oil storage sites.

The ordinance calls for timetables to be amended on a consensual basis where possible, and says that prioritisation powers can only be used in “exceptional circumstances”, such as a refinery running out of crude oil or a power station that is critical to the national grid requiring emergency stocks of coal.

One approved by the German cabinet, the new law will be in force for six months.

Unprecedented in peacetime, the measure has been drawn up in response to the impact on energy supplies of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, plus a very hot summer that has seen water levels fall in the River Rhine.

The water level in the shallowest stretches of the Rhine has fallen from 2.5m to around 40cm, making river transport of bulk commodities such as fuel either impossible or uneconomic due to the reduced amount of cargo that can be carried.

Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Germany was the biggest purchaser of natural gas from Russia, but this policy has changed dramatically.

The federal government will cease buying Russian gas by mid-2024, while in the short term this commodity has declined from 55% of all German imports to 26% as Russia has restricted supplies.

Federal energy policy had previously been based on abandoning nuclear power, which produces 6% of the country’s electricity, and phasing out coal-fired power stations.

Nuclear plants may stay in service for another year, and more coal is to be burnt for electricity generation, with this imported by rail from neighbouring countries or in most cases delivered by ship to northern Germany from the United States, Colombia and other producers.

The majority of power stations in Germany that burn hard anthracite coal are in the west of the country or the former West Berlin. Those burning soft lignite (brown) coal mined nearby and transported directly to the power station by rail or conveyor belt are more common in the former East Germany and around Cologne and Aachen in the west.

The anthracite-burning power stations that are part of the national strategic reserve may not have sufficient coal stocks to restart power generation. Stock levels had been reduced to two weeks as the plants were thought unlikely to be used under government policy to phase out coal-fired power stations.

A month’s supply of coal is required to restart full operation at a reserve, and much of this stock will be delivered by rail over the next few months.

The reaction from the rail freight sector has not been positive, with the Network of European Railways (NEE) describing the new regulations as “not helpful to say the least.”

The new law gives the infrastructure manager and regulators legal powers to disregard existing contracts and to prioritise trains carrying fuel. However, a 10-day period is specified to either find alternative routes or other solutions.

Trade associations representing German rail operators have objected to this on the basis that DB Network is currently unable to provide a fully functioning network due to ongoing problems with faulty concrete sleepers, staff sickness and multiple major engineering projects across Germany.

Compensation for disruption to another operator’s freight (and passenger) services is severely limited under the new law and does not cover any consequential losses suffered by other operators or their customers.

The trade associations have stated that they would expect this to result in legal action if the new law is widely used to cancel other services.

Fuel trains given priority in Germany

The German government has drafted an emergency law that will allow DB Network to overrule track access contracts in order to prioritise fuel transport.

www.railjournal.com

 

[nomifyle]

Fools

 

[bw]

Stock levels had been reduced to two weeks as the plants were thought unlikely to be used under government policy to phase out coal-fired power stations.

A month’s supply of coal is required to restart full operation at a reserve, and much of this stock will be delivered by rail over the next few months.

They planned the phase-out down to the last detail, except the contingency planning part.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

WHOA! Is this from a movie called "Rorschach?" Never heard of it before! This is spot on...

"God does not make the world this way...we do" He is telling the truth there, as a Legion, one of satan's bidders!

Morbid, sick content, especially the ending!

That is actually a movie called "Watchmen." It's based on the comic book of the same name. Rorschach is a sort of vigilante who has a profound distaste for crime and communism. His methods for addressing same are somewhat extreme, though, as you've seen from him defending himself in prison. He has something of a tragic past; apparently his mother was a prostitute. This led to him developing a sense of moral absolutism; things are right, or wrong. There are no mitigating circumstances or motivations with him.

He wears a mask made of a kind of heat-sensitive material that actually shifts patterns. That's where the name "Rorschach" comes from; his mask is basically a continually-shifting Rorschach test.

 

[TammyinWI]

That is actually a movie called "Watchmen." It's based on the comic book of the same name. Rorschach is a sort of vigilante who has a profound distaste for crime and communism. His methods for addressing same are somewhat extreme, though, as you've seen from him defending himself in prison. He has something of a tragic past; apparently his mother was a prostitute. This led to him developing a sense of moral absolutism; things are right, or wrong. There are no mitigating circumstances or motivations with him.

He wears a mask made of a kind of heat-sensitive material that actually shifts patterns. That's where the name "Rorschach" comes from; his mask is basically a continually-shifting Rorschach test.

Wow...that segment is something from a nightmare! Real "Watchmen" are Anointed and Holy, and would never do what he did to a fellow human. Is "convoluted" the correct word for that character, in his "mission?" So, his conscience is seared, but works sometimes and somewhat, at times?

Thanks for sharing this info. It is shocking to me. There are factions portrayed.

There are real shape-shifters, and they are Legion, aka filled with demons and strongmen that guard their portals in, and satan has a firm grip on many of them.

 

[Knoxville's Joker]

This will destroy the plans for the green new deal for at least a few decades. Kiddos will not forget freezing because some idiots said it was a good idea.

 

[Red Baron]

This will destroy the plans for the green new deal for at least a few decades. Kiddos will not forget freezing because some idiots said it was a good idea.

Funny how there is not one mention on how the Green New Deal will provide one iota of relief to an energy starved nation.

 

[Blacknarwhal]

Wow...that segment is something from a nightmare! Real "Watchmen" are Anointed and Holy, and would never do what he did to a fellow human. Is "convoluted" the correct word for that character, in his "mission?" So, his conscience is seared, but works sometimes and somewhat, at times?

Thanks for sharing this info. It is shocking to me. There are factions portrayed.

There are real shape-shifters, and they are Legion, aka filled with demons and strongmen that guard their portals in, and satan has a firm grip on many of them.

Well, he's presented as a moral absolutist. He believes there's only good and evil. That's part of the point of the mask; it's black and white and nothing else. His primary goal--to the exclusion of virtually everything else, including a social life and even cooking food (he routinely eats from cans; he once ate a can of beans, directly from the can itself)--is the extermination of evil. And here, "extermination" probably is the best word. He has gone to great lengths to address crime in his area. I believe that's actually part of the point of the character; it's an examination of whether or not evil methods can be used to produce good results.

Toward the end, the government passes what's called the Keene Act, designed to curtail the operations of costumed vigilantes. Rorschach responded by killing a wanted serial rapist and leaving his body outside a police station with a note bearing one word: "never!"

And frankly, in the comic, it's not all that clear. Rorschach ends up dying in the end, his molecules disassembled by Dr. Manhattan, a character who--thanks to a scientific accident--ended up with the ability to control matter at the atomic level. Manhattan ended up killing Rorschach because Rorschach knew the truth about a larger incident that happened earlier in the comic. The truth in this case had the potential to fundamentally destabilize the world and throw it in to anarchy, potentially even civil war. Manhattan believed that, for the greater good of humanity, the truth needed to remain buried. Rorschach wouldn't have it. Thus, Manhattan killed him, to keep the truth quiet.

 

[Publius]

Somehow they will try and use this one way or another to control the people.

 

[Melodi]

A comment on the "free market," as I already tried to explain in a probably overly post - the market for "energy" in Europe is anything but "free."

This is not a case where I can go to the farmer's market and if your tomatoes cost too much I can buy the cheaper peas from another vendor for supper or perhaps they take my turnips as all or part of a trade.

It isn't even though I got to store A to buy a Widget and their price is twice that of the other vender but it would cost me more than the extra to pay the gasoline to travel to store B, so I go ahead and buy from shop A even with a somewhat higher price.

This is a "fantasy" situation where the taxpayers pay for all the original setup and infrastructure that produces, carries, and maintains a power grid; often usually the stations as well. They may be so-called "Public-Private Partnerships, but in reality, most original electrical grids and power stations are set up largely with taxpayer money.

Later, the companies overseeing the direct electricity or gas bills are allowed to "buy up" the right to do this and to "purchase" gas and/or other fuels to keep the electrical grids running and bill customers for their costs of buying the fuel from the big supplies (like BP, Royal Dutch Shell) who have a MONOPOLY on this supply.

This works OK and may even benefit consumers as long as everything goes well, but in situations like the current one where the price of the energy becomes too expensive for the "private providers" to fulfill their contracts they simply "leave the market."

As a consumer I am not facing a "free market" I am facing a dwindling number of "providers" any or all of whom can simply cancel my contract without penalty (at this time) and leave me holding the bag [bag spell checker not bad]. I am then suddenly forced onto the highest rates, at least until I can find another provider who may offer a discount. I suspect within two months there will BE no discounts and within six months unless something changes almost all the "private providers" will be gone.

This isn't a "free market," this is a fake "market" on what is really a monopoly of a very few giant Corporations, who are allowed to charge whatever they wish for their product because they can. The "providers" have no choice but to buy from these sources as "that's all there is my friend," but they can also just stop dancing and flee the disco any time they like.

The consumer ultimately only has the choice of having power or not - which for most people in Northern Europe isn't much of a choice. Very few people can afford to go "off-grid" and have any kind of life, and for many folks in apartments or newer homes, there are no backup options as there are in our 200-plus-year-old home.

OK once again this is already a bit too long but while I am not saying that nationalization is a total answer, governments can screw things up big time and can also refuse to provide proper maintenance and let costs get way out of control - but it is also certain that unless something changes there will be some nationalization of companies (or their bankrupted shells) before this is all over.

All going well will be temporary and the new system have more REAL competition and/or the recognition that the industry IS a Monopoly and be run on the terms that Monopoly businesses are run, also with guaranteed that private companies take on the risks of providing energy to consumers, just not to shareholders. That is likely to require a new system of business law but for vital services that used to be considered public utilities, it may need to happen.

And don't think the United States is immune from this pattern, the government there has also made some pretty stupid decisions in the provision of energy since this Administration came to power.

 

[Melodi]

My housemate, who is German and reads their news has told me one of the real problems with the German Power plants is: They Don't Have Enough Nuclear Fuel to keep them going.

Now, I can't verify this but she said, that they were using the whole creation against nuclear power after Fukashima to glass that over because they had planned to shut them down anyway (and probably didn't look for new sources of whatever materials they use for fuel - Doc may know, I don't).

Now they are between a rock and a hard place because they really can't give out any good and public reason as to why they don't just keep the plants going for another five years or so (maybe shut one at a time down to do repairs needed to keep them safe after their sell-by date).

They will have to admit in public in a big way, that they don't have what is needed to keep them running and hadn't bothered to make sure they had some extra, because they were going to shut down anyway.

This, according to my housemate who is an engineer and works in Water Treatment plants, is the real reason Germany is suddenly trying to get all the coal power plants going that it can and as quickly as possible.

 

[John Wall]

My plans include the likelihood of the balloon going up soon. Not a doom-nd-gloomer, but it seems the case against Trump is falling apart. If so, the loonies will go crazy. If we get the House and/or Senate back, the loonies will go crazy. WHEN utilities double or triple this Winter, EVERYBODY will go crazy. When folks can't feed themselves or their little ducklings this spring because of failed crops, well by then, the balloon will be to the moon. Poetry noted.

This time, I HOPE the righties respond with extreme violence when the lefties, once again, start up the Burn, Loot, Murder machine. We KNOW a corrupt govt' will "scorch the earth" to stay in power. Yes, they will shoot civilians, armed or unarmed, young, old, or female.

Those of us with Faith have read the back of the Book. We win!

"Times are tough, you can't refute it.
Buy a Rifle, and learn to shoot it."

Preferably, a high-performance military caliber with appropriate ammo. I do not consider the AR-class in 5.56 an appropriate caliber for these chores. I prefer the 30 caliber, whether 7.62X51, or the perennial favorite, and supreme 30/06.

 

[Oreally]

meanwhile here in ukraine , i just got a letter from the electric co that my apartment would be given a special surcharge for june of 9500 hryvnias for power (my regular bill for june was 500 rvn). big problem ensues...

 

[Marthanoir]

meanwhile here in ukraine , i just got a letter from the electric co that my apartment would be given a special surcharge for june of 9500 hryvnias for power (my regular bill for june was 500 rvn). big problem ensues...

Walk in to Poland and pick a European country you'd like to be a refugee in.
Free bed & board and a weekly allowance.

 

[Millwright]

Somehow they will try and use this one way or another to control the people.

In the meantime, it's a continued fleecing of the middle class.

They are grabbing any spare wealth that is floating around.

 

[Oreally]

Walk in to Poland and pick a European country you'd like to be a refugee in.
Free bed & board and a weekly allowance.

That's really funny because my land lady is in Italy doing exactly that. But she's going to miss my monthly rent. I have to move somewhere more economical.

 

[CaryC]

For our friends across the pond.​

​

​

"How In The Name Of God": Shocked Europeans Post Astronomical Energy Bills As 'Terrifying Winter' Approaches​

Over the past week, shocked Europeans - mostly in the UK and Ireland - have been posting viral photos of shockingly high energy bills amid the ongoing (and worsening) energy crisis.

Several of the posts were from small business owners who getting absolutely crushed right now, and won't be able to remain operational much longer.

One such owner is Geraldine Dolan, who owns the Poppyfields cafe in Athlone, Ireland - and was charged nearly €10,000 (US$10,021) for just over two months of energy usage.

As the Irish Times reports, "The cost of electricity to the Poppyfields cafe for 73 days from early June until the end of August came in at €9,024.70 an increase of 250 per cent in just 12 months. There doesn’t include the €812.22 in VAT, which brought her total bill to €9,836.92."

"How in the name of God is this possible," tweeted Dolan.

UK pensioners are also facing a "terrifying" winter, as elderly Britons are about to get hit with an 80% rise in energy bills in October.

Elderly Britons are set to welcome a boost of around £1,000 to their state pension payments next year thanks to the return of the triple lock, however the cost of living crisis will still leave them significantly poorer.
However, the price cap for energy bills will rise by 80 per cent to £3,549 in October, and it is predicted to rise over £6,600 next year according to Cornwall Insight.
Higher energy bills often hurt pensioners significantly more than the rest of the population because they spend a greater amount of their income on heating their home. -Daily Mail

According to Caroline Abrahams, charity director of Age UK, "'It's a truly frightening prospect and one that most could not have prepared for, and never expected to face at this point in their lives," adding "I think a lot of older people will be utterly bewildered that it has come to this and will also feel badly let down, and I can't say I blame them."

But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Twitter researcher 'Crab Man' (@crabcrawler1), who compiles deep dives on a wide variety of topics (and is absolutely worth a follow), has put together a lengthy thread of similar cases - and put it in the context of the current European energy backdrop. The situation is dire, to say the least.

"How In The Name Of God": Shocked Europeans Post Astronomical Energy Bills As 'Terrifying Winter' Approaches | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

www.zerohedge.com

There are a bunch of tweets with pics at link. And it should be noted that at present, the Euro is near parity with the dollar. The Pound is a bit higher than the dollar. So 1000.00 Euro's = 1000.00 dollars, and 1000.00 Pounds = around 1200.00 dollars (for example)

 

[Marthanoir]

That's really funny because my land lady is in Italy doing exactly that. But she's going to miss my monthly rent. I have to move somewhere more economical.

She can afford to drop your rent so

 

[Melodi]

This one is best read at the link, lots of photos of business owners closing right now, this week because they got their new bills that were insanely large jumps, just like the lady at the Poppy Cafe in Athlone (which is not too far from where I live).

I mean we are talking about the sort of bills for 2 months' of electricity of the sort that same business may have paid in all of last year and more than enough for many, even pubs going for 200 years to close their doors over the last few days. I suspect for many owners it was that or just declaring bankruptcy, the bills possibly being larger than what they took in at the door, much less enough to pay the bills, and cover rent and/or other costs.

A lot of these people can't wait for the "new" Prime Ministers sometime next week to get into office and then start to "explore" the problem, they are done, their businesses are finished or at least on hold if they own the building.