Natural gas consumption in Germany 2005-2023

Between 2005 and 2014, Germany saw a gradual reduction in its natural gas consumption, with levels falling to 73.9 billion cubic meters. Over the following years, the country’s consumption experienced a mostly increasing trend, reaching 75.7 billion cubic meters in 2023. In comparison, domestic production has been in annual decline since 2003. Demand is expected to increase in the future because of a move away from coal and nuclear power. These energy sources made up around 40 percent of Germany’s energy mix in 2021. Dependence on energy importsDue to increased demand and falling production, Germany is heavily reliant on energy imports, with its dependency rate increasing to 63.6 percent in 2018. In 2021, Germany imported 102 billion cubic meters of natural gas, by far the highest rate throughout Europe. Imports are expected to increase further as coal and nuclear power is phased out. Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline  In 2018, Germany granted permission for the construction of a 746-mile gas pipeline expansion to the Nord Stream pipeline. It will connect Russia with Germany through the Baltic sea and will have a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year. This plan has not been without controversies, however. There are fears it will increase German reliance on Russian energy. Ukraine, which the pipeline bypasses, filed a lawsuit against its construction, and 10 European countries officially stated that the project was not in the EU’s best interests. Nonetheless, as of July 2021, U.S. and Germany's representatives agreed on the completion of Nord Stream 2.

自2005年至2014年，德国天然气消费量逐渐减少，至2014年降至739亿立方米。随后数年，该国消费量呈现主要上升趋势，至2023年增至757亿立方米。相较之下，国内生产自2003年起逐年下降。鉴于向煤炭和核能的转型，未来需求预计将增加。这些能源在2021年构成了德国能源结构的大约40%。由于需求增加和生产下降，德国对能源进口的依赖性显著增强，2018年的依赖率上升至63.6%。至2021年，德国进口了1020亿立方米的天然气，远超欧洲其他国家。随着煤炭和核能的逐步淘汰，预计进口量将进一步增加。2018年，德国批准了北溪管道的746英里扩建工程。该管道将通过波罗的海连接俄罗斯和德国，每年将拥有550亿立方米的天然气输送能力。然而，该计划亦非无争议。有人担心这将增加德国对俄罗斯能源的依赖。乌克兰，该管道绕过的国家，已对建设提起诉讼，并有10个欧洲国家正式声明该项目不符合欧盟的最佳利益。尽管如此，截至2021年7月，美国和德国的代表就北溪2号的完工达成了一致。