Photo taken on August 11, 2022 shows the exposed riverbed oftheRhine in Kaub in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany./Xinhua
当地时间8月15日，莱茵河德国境内水位创下历史新低，德国开始考虑用铁路运输煤炭等原材料。
在莱茵河中游的考布镇，有一个古老的水位测量站。根据德国联邦水道和航运管理局的数据，15日早上，考布镇的水位高度为32厘米，相当于河道深度仅为1.44米。而船只满载航行，水位至少需要达到1.5米。
Germany's industry is fearing supply disruptions as the ongoing drought causes water levels of theRhine to fall to record lows, the Federation of German Industries(BDI) said on Tuesday.
The Rhine Waterways and Shipping Office(WSA) said on Tuesday that the situation on the Middle Rhine, where the river is the shallowest, remains tense. The water level in Kaub currently stands at 32 centimeters, which is equivalent to a channel depth of only 1.44 meters.
A barge in front of the Rhine Kneibrücke Bridge near Düsseldorf, Germany, August 11, 2022./CFP
德国工业联合会(Federation of German Industries)副会长霍尔格罗希(Holger Loesch)在一份声明中表示，企业正在为最坏的情况做准备，“这些公司本已紧张的经济状况正在恶化”。
德国基尔世界经济研究所(Kiel Institute for the World Economy)上周发出警告——如果考布镇监测站的水位连续30天低于78厘米的临界水位，这个欧洲最大经济体的工业产出将下降约1%。
"Companies are bracing themselves for the worst," said BDI deputy managing director Holger Loesch in a statement."The already tense economic situation in the companies is worsening."
"It is only a matter of time before plants in the chemical or steel industry are shut down, mineral oils and building materials fail to reach their destination, or large-volume and heavy transports can no longer be carried out," Loesch warned.
If water levels at the Kaub monitoring station remain below the critical mark of 78 centimeters for a period of 30 days, the industrial output of Europe's largest economy would decline by around onepercent, the German Kiel Institute for the World Economy warned last week.
德国宣布将从10月份开始征收天然气附加费
当地时间8月15日，德国宣布将从10月份开始征收天然气附加费，具体金额为每千瓦时2.419欧分。目前尚不清楚这一部分费用是否还需要征收增值税，但无论是否征收增值税，德国天然气用户都将从秋季开始面临巨额账单。
据了解，当前，由于德国的天然气供应面临危机，供应商不得不以更高的价格从其他地方购买天然气以弥补供应不足，征收附加税可以填补90%左右的差价，通过这种方式避免供应商破产和供应失败。
根据德国媒体的计算，一个年消耗2万千瓦时天然气的标准家庭，需支付的附加费用在不含税的情况下大约为480欧元。此前，德国财政部长林德纳已向欧盟申请该附加费用的增值税豁免特例，但暂时还未收到欧盟的批准。
An exterior view of the natural gas landing station of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea Pipeline, Lubmin, Germany, August 04, 2022./CFP
German households face an energy surcharge reaching hundreds of euros in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the rate published Monday, prompting the government to promise relief measures.
The charge has been set at 2.419 cents per kilowatt hour, Trading Hub Europe, a non-profit company of energy network operators in Germany, said.
For a family of four with an annual average energy usage of 20,000 kilowatt-hours(kWh), this would come to about€483.80before goods and services taxes.
The surcharge is aimed at sharing out the soaring costs borne by energy importers amid reduced gas supply from Russia.
Gas importers have so far taken on the additional costs themselves, but a new rule agreed by the government allows them to pass on ballooning costs via the levy to households from October 1.
此外，8月16日《华尔街日报》报道称，德国计划推迟关闭该国最后三座核电站，以应对潜在的天然气危机。
据报道，德国总理朔尔茨领导的三党内阁尚未正式通过此决定，可能需要经议会投票后获批。报道援引三位德国高级政府官员的话称，虽然一些细节仍在讨论之中，但评估结果“已成定论”。联邦政府认为暂时延长剩余三家核电站寿命的两个关键条件已经得到满足——其一是德国可能面临天然气短缺，其二是延长核电站的运行时间不会造成安全问题。
目前还不清楚这些反应堆将原定于12月份的最后期限之后继续运行多久。这三位官员说，仅会延期几个月。
欧洲多国推出节能举措应对能源危机
Mannequins are displayed in the window of a store with the lights off to comply with the Spanish government's measures to save energy, amid Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Ronda, Spain./Reuters
俄乌冲突在前，夏季高温在后，欧洲多国的能源短缺问题进一步凸显。
除了德国，英、法、意大利等欧洲国家也都相继出台了节能举措，以应对节能挑战。
In the UK the government has taken steps to support households under pressure from the cost of living crisis with measures worth some£38 billion.
They include about£400off energy bills and a further£650off for lower-income families, funded in part by a windfall tax on oil and gas companies.
It's a similar story around Europe. InItaly the government has put in place a€14 billion fuel subsidy and investment plan to help struggling consumers.Lower-income earners willreceive a€200 annual bonus.
Italy alsosays it's going to tax companies profiting from higher energy prices.
In Spain the government is similarly taxing energy companies and using the€6.3billion revenue to help its citizens. Authorities have also cut value added tax on energy bills from 21percent to 10percent.
France has gone in even harder on the energy providers and forced state owned EDF to limit price rises to fourpercent for a year. However, while the government will spend around€20billion helping its citizens, that translates into one-off payments to consumers of about€100.
责任编辑：陈琰 SN225
