Germany has decided to replace all Russian energy imports, most notably natural gas, by as soon as mid-2024, a Herculean effort given Europe's top economy depends on Moscow for the fuel to power its industry. In 2021, Russia accounted for 55% of Germany's gas imports, a level that had declined to 26% by the end of June 2022, due to significantly reduced flows via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which is operating at just 20% of capacity. Since a landmark strategic shift outlined in a speech by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Germany has taken numerous measures to tackle the challenge while softening the blow to its economy and ... (full story)