Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, met with Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, on Monday to discuss access to alternative energy sources as his nation works to swiftly reduce its dependency on Russian oil and gas.
On the first day of his three-day tour, Scholz stated at a joint news conference in Montreal that Germany is expediting the development of pipelines and LNG ports infrastructure in order to enhance imports and is contacting other countries, such as Canada, to expand output.
He added: “It is indispensable because we want to move away from our dependency on Russian gas supplies,” indicating that as Germany transitions to a more renewable energy source, the country would require more liquid natural gas.
Scholz is also interested in potential hydrogen exports from Canada. The two leaders will visit a potential hydrogen manufacturing site in the province of Newfoundland on Tuesday together with a sizable business delegation.
“A reliable supplier of the clean energy that a net-zero (emissions) world requires,” claimed Trudeau of Canada. However, he minimised the prospect of direct LNG shipments from Canada to Germany, pointing to the great distance between the gas reserves in Western Canada and the Atlantic ports for export.
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He and Scholz also alluded to a significant hydrogen agreement that would be revealed on Tuesday. Trudeau stated, “We’re moving forward on a range of investments around hydrogen and look forward to speaking about that more tomorrow.”
In order to achieve a net-zero economy, Germany has placed a bet on hydrogen, according to Scholz, who also predicted that Canada will be crucial in the future development of green hydrogen.
The two leaders will also talk about business potential in the extraction of essential minerals and the automotive industries, as well as help for Ukraine, including eventual post-war reconstruction.
(with inputs from agencies)
