Late last month German Economy Minister Robert Habeck raised Germany’s gas risk level to the second highest ‘alarm’ phase.

Deutsche Welle additionally reported yesterday (14 July) that, with speculation that the interrupted flow of gas supplies from Russia will not fully resume – only about 40% of the usual volume of gas has recently been delivered from the country – and Germany should begin preparing “for a hard winter ahead”.

Russian energy giant Gazprom said on Wednesday that it was not certain whether the gas supply from Moscow would still be secure following maintenance work on the Nord Stream pipeline, which is due to continue until at least 21 July.

Russian gas is “extremely important for the country's energy supply”, especially for industry and private households, Deutsche Welle said, with half of German homes heated with gas supplied by Russian firms. Prices are also quickly rising, with warnings that private customers should be prepared for their gas costs to triple.

The report added that Germany’s federal parliament, the Bundestag, will soon debate who will get the priority for gas deliveries.

In view of an impending gas shortage, Koenig & Bauer said in a statement released today (15 July) that it has been “working intensively in recent months” on becoming independent of pipeline gas.

As a result of these efforts, the process gas previously required for production will be fully substituted by the end of July 2022.

In addition, the fuel supply for heating energy will be modified at the company’s major production sites by 1 September 2022.

Koenig & Bauer said it aims to achieve long-term independence from fossil fuels and resilience to future fluctuations on the energy markets.

“By adapting the infrastructure, pipeline gas will thus be replaced by an energy mix consisting of LPG [liquefied petroleum gas], heating oil, and district heating, among others, before the start of the heating season,” the company stated.

It added that, as a consequence of a restricted gas supply, unforeseen fluctuations in the power grid could also not be ruled out.

Koenig & Bauer said it has therefore procured high-capacity mobile emergency power units (NEA) which can be deployed as required. This means that the company’s own production is largely secured at all European plants, even in the event of a Russian gas supply stoppage.

The business said it is also continuing to work on sustainable energy concepts, “an effort that was started before the tense supply situation”.

The overriding goal is long-term independence from fossil fuels and maximum self-sufficiency, particularly with regard to achieving the sustainability targets set by the business itself and for maximum resilience to future fluctuations on the energy markets.

In May the manufacturer said it was working on projects to address the ongoing increase in energy costs, and the likely impact on energy of the war in Ukraine. 

A Koenig & Bauer spokesperson recently told Printweek: “Irrespective of the current situation, Koenig & Bauer is already working on alternative energy concepts to ensure an energy supply that is largely independent of natural gas and increasingly self-sufficient in the short and medium term.

“Gas supply is different in our factories, ranging from not necessary to building heating and some production usage.

“The independence from LNG [liquefied natural gas] supply in production as well as building heating will be driven forward as quickly as possible by commissioning the company’s own liquefied gas tanks.

“Here, Koenig & Bauer is relying on LPG. The source is crude oil or propane/butane produced in the North Sea and refined in Europe. The supply contracts for the LPG also include a supply guarantee from the supplier.

“However, Koenig & Bauer is part of complex supply chains. The extent to which the gas supply stop affects our suppliers is beyond our control.”

Heidelberg also commented on the energy crisis after it was contacted by Printweek when the gas risk level was raised to the ‘alarm’ phase.

A spokesperson said: “We have taken note of the decision of the Federal Minister of Economics and are currently evaluating the possible effects for our company.

“In principle, Heidelberg uses gas in some of its production processes as well as for heating the company buildings. Therefore, depending on the restriction of gas supply in the event of an embargo, business operations would be affected. Heidelberg is preparing for such a scenario with contingency plans.”

The spokesperson confirmed that gas is also used at Heidelberg’s foundry.