据彭博社2月28日消息称，德国正在准备近20年来最大的天然气消费持续增长之一，尽管美国警告德国不应该从俄罗斯进口那么多能源。

德国总理安格拉?默克尔(Angela Merkel)关闭煤炭和核电站的努力，将使天然气成为主要受益者之一。德国一半的电力来自煤炭和核电站。虽然政府正在寻求刺激可再生能源，但行业高管、能源预测机构和投资者表示，当风力和太阳能发电场的发电量下降时，将需要更多天然气来平衡电网。

这一前景有助于解释为什么默克尔允许从俄罗斯建造Nord Stream 2管道并鼓励新设施进口液化天然气。在未来几年，如果德国在向清洁能源转型的5000亿欧元(合5680亿美元)努力中遭遇挫折，它可能需要更多的天然气来弥补关闭发电站的损失。

伦敦行业顾问能源咨询公司天然气、煤炭和碳业务负责人特雷弗?西科尔斯基表示：“至少在短期内，天然气需求必须上升，才能弥补煤炭的损失，这可能就是德国热衷于Nord Stream 2的原因。”

曹海斌 摘译自 彭博社

原文如下：

Germany Natural Gas Demand Set to Soar as Coal Plants Close

Germany is preparing one of its biggest sustained increases in natural gas consumption in almost two decades, regardless of U.S. admonitions that it shouldn’t draw so much of its energy from Russia.

Gas will be one of the main beneficiaries from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s effort to close coal and nuclear plants, which generate half of the nation’s electricity. While the government is seeking to spur renewables, industry executives, energy forecasters and investors say that more gas will be needed to balance the grid when power flows ebb from wind and solar farms.

That outlook helps explain why Merkel is allowing construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia and encouraging new facilities to import liquefied natural gas. In the years ahead, Germany may need much more gas to make up for closing power stations if it falters in its 500 billion-euro ($568 billion) effort to shift toward cleaner fuels.

“Natural gas demand has to go up at least in the short term to make up for the loss of coal,” said Trevor Sikorski, head of natural gas, coal and carbon at Energy Aspects Ltd., an industry consultant in London. “That is probably why Germany's government is keen for Nord Stream 2.”