Three years after explosions ripped through the Nord Stream gas pipelines beneath the Baltic Sea, Germany is still grappling with the fallout – and the unanswered question of who’s responsible. While the geopolitical whodunit remains unsolved 🕵️♂️, the economic toll on Europe’s industrial giant is crystal clear.
Before the 2022 blasts, Nord Stream 1 supplied 55 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually – enough to power factories and heat homes across Germany. Its twin project, Nord Stream 2, sat unused after Berlin froze it during the Ukraine conflict. Now, both pipelines gather rust on the ocean floor.
"The energy market *is* functioning without Russian gas," says Claudia Kemfert of DIW Berlin, pointing to Germany’s renewable energy boom 🌱. But the transition hasn’t been cheap: European energy prices have quadrupled since 2021, hitting heavy industries like chemicals and metals hardest. Some fear these sectors could shrink permanently.
From solar farms to LNG terminals, Germany’s energy makeover continues. But as households juggle bills and factories cut production, the Nord Stream saga reminds us: every revolution comes with growing pains ⚡.
