Thousands of Businesses Closing in Europe Due to High Energy Bills That Make it No Longer Possible to Stay Open

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Geraldine Dolan, of Poppy Fields Cafe, Athlone, with an electricity bill for just under ten thousand euro for two months. Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill / The Irish Times Photograph: Dara Mac Donaill / The Irish Times

“How In The Name Of God”: Shocked Europeans Post Astronomical Energy Bills As ‘Terrifying Winter’ Approaches

Over the past week, shocked Europeans – mostly in the UK and Ireland – have been posting viral photos of shockingly high energy bills amid the ongoing (and worsening) energy crisis.Several of the posts were from small business owners who getting absolutely crushed right now, and won’t be able to remain operational much longer.

One such owner is Geraldine Dolan, who owns the Poppyfields cafe in Athlone, Ireland – and was charged nearly €10,000 (US$10,021) for just over two months of energy usage

As the Irish Times reports, “The cost of electricity to the Poppyfields cafe for 73 days from early June until the end of August came in at €9,024.70 an increase of 250 per cent in just 12 months . There doesn’t include the €812.22 in VAT, which brought her total bill to €9,836.92 .”

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UK pensioners are also facing a “terrifying” winter, as elderly Britons are about to get hit with an 80% rise in energy bills in October.

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Twitter researcher ‘Crab Man’ (@crabcrawler1), who compiles deep dives on a wide variety of topics (and is absolutely worth a follow), has put together a lengthy thread of similar cases – and put it in the context of the current European energy backdrop. The situation is dire, to say the least.

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"My mum owns a small café in Leicester. Her electricity bill has just jumped from £10k ($12k) a year to £55k ($64k) a year. She is working out her options but more than likely she will be forced to close." -- via https://twitter.com/CallumMckeefery

"Dorset pub closes after £58,000 increase in utility costs
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"The United Kingdom has announced an 80% hike in gas and electricity bills before winter"

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… Europe is facing economic devastation and depression at a scale that will make 2008 seems like a walk in the park.

As the FT reports, German manufacturers are halting production in response to the surge in energy prices, a trend the government has described as “alarming”. German economy minister Robert Habeck said industry had worked hard to reduce its gas consumption in recent months, partly by switching to alternative fuels like oil, making its processes more efficient and reducing output. But he amusingly clarified, some companies had also “stopped production altogether” — a development he said was “alarming”.

In short: German corporations are facing a perfect storm.

Read the full article at [ZeroHedge.com]

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Energy prices: 'Don't Pay' movement spreads to Belgium

Thursday, 1 September 2022

By The Brussels Times with Belga

Energy prices: 'Don't Pay' movement spreads to Belgium

Credit: Don't Pay UK

Following a planned payment strike in Britain, a similar initiative has been launched in Belgium against excessively high energy bills.

The Belgian campaign against high prices has been started by residents who can no longer afford their gas and electricity bills, organisers say.

"We can't pay," "We don't want to," "We're not paying," the organisers stated in a pamphlet. “It’s simple for us: we can’t pay those invoices so we won’t.”

The campaigners noted that people had a right to gas and electricity. “That’s not a luxury, but a necessity,” they said. Politicians must therefore ensure a decisive and effective response, according to the initiators.

The Five Basic God-given Rights

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The energy debacle – an appalling tale of ineptitude and corruption

The story the chinless wonders in power don't want you to know

August 29, 2022 Steve Cook COLUMNISTS, COMMENTARY, ENVIRONMENT, GOVERNMENT, SPOTLIGHT, Steve Cook, Technology 0

Intro by Steve Cook

There’s some sort of ill-defined but scary energy crisis going on and this crisis means that our energy bills will go through the roof, the national economy will suffer a death blow and energy companies will rake in record profits.

The government does not explain (at least nowhere I have been able to find) the exact causes of this crisis – you know, a clear description that enables us to see and understand the chain of cause and effect that resulted in the crisis, beyond vague suggestions that it is somehow to do with Vladimir Putin and/or climate change.

It is noticeable, by the way, that government and the media, in issuing their sound bites, assignments of blame, PR platitudes, justifications and so forth rarely, if ever, convey understanding. It is as if they want a citizenry who are baffled, bemused, bewildered and browbeaten rather than a citizenry who understand. Who’d have thought it, eh?

It is not entirely clear how it is all Russia’s fault, being as we only import a small percentage of our gas from Russia and no oil so far as I know and live on an island surrounded by oil and gas and wind and for decades played our part in smashing up Middle Eastern countries to secure our oil supply.

Neither is it clear how “climate change” is responsible, being as our milder winters mean less demand for energy to heat our homes. The generally slightly cooler summers have caused no strain for the grid. In recent years, floods and hurricanes have been fewer so presumably there has been less damage to supply caused by such events. S0 how climate change has caused the ailing national grid to go on life support is not clear.

You can bet your life that when current problems are “explained” by a few non-specific sound bites and the government has decided not to explain to the citizenry in clear comprehensible and truthful terms how we wound up where we are, there is something they want to hide. Most likely what a proper explanation would reveal would be some appallingly bad management amid a cesspit of corruption and skullduggery – the sort of things a nation too long run by a corrupt, self-serving and devious political/merchant class can expect as routine.

If you want a very good explanation you have to turn to free-thinking non-governmental sources for it, such as the one featured here. It is well worth spending ten or fifteen minutes giving it a thorough read. It will arm you with much needed understanding. The understanding will protect you the next time the government tries to spin you a yard or sell you a complete lie in order to enrich it pals at your expense.

It is important not to lose sight of the fact that all the problems that have been dumped on us by the aforementioned corrupt chinless wonders can be solved (and we’ll go into that elsewhere) provided we can install a government that is actually interested in solving them, as opposed to milking them for personal gratification, profit or power.

The next few years may be a bit of a rough ride but we will survive it and perhaps emerge from it wiser, stronger and more united.

Provided, that is, we do something about it and refuse to let corrupt knobheads dismantle our country...

Crown Prince Michael in Gibraltar and a Proposal For Elizabeth

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BITD - ...

We were familiar with some executives, and foreman
Of a major electrical company.

And as it turns out, they -(those doing the physical work) have to comply with the procedural book, through each step of the job.

The job would be broken down into many components, but its the hourly I'll focus on here.

Each specific job - is alloted a time frame.

Example,this job will take 7 hours and 8 men to accomplish.

In reality - the job is finished in 1/2 hour by 2 men with 6 standing around doing nothing.

So what should have cost say a few hundred now cost several thousands.

This was many years ago, and where I lived at the time, our electric bill was over $500. a month keeping it at a cool sweater wearing temp. to keep the cost at bay.

But there was no getting around it.

The bills noted a delivery charge, over $100.00 every month, :thinking:...

(Never did see the electricity delivery man):smile:

The Rothschilds, are involved with some large electric companies.

It's undeniably criminal, as all the bureaucratic bloat goes on the customers bill.

A change indeed is what is called for.

A change and overturn of the crown
Let Christ rule, He whose right it is.
Justice and freedom from tyranny will prevail.

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In Naples, people besiege the town hall and burn their energy bills.

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Mark Steele
"Putting all your eggs in the electric basket"
And your being gas- lighted

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More than 70,000 Czechs are protesting in Prague, the capital, demanding the ruling coalition take a neutral stance on the Ukraine war to ensure energy supplies from Russia aren't cut off ahead of winter. Protesters are outraged at the European Union for sanctions against Russia that have sparked soaring electricity bills and triggered a cost-of-living crisis.

"The aim of our demonstration is to demand change, mainly in solving the issue of energy prices, especially electricity and gas, which will destroy our economy this autumn," event organizer Jiri Havel told local news iDNES and quoted by Reuters.

The protest, held at Wenceslas Square in the heart of the capital, comes one day after the Czech government survived a no-confidence vote over opposition claims of inaction to protect citizens against energy hyperinflation.

Emerging political instability shows how Europe's energy crisis fuels discontent among households. We noted a new study Friday that warned civil unrest could flare up in parts of Europe over the next six months because of the deteriorating macro backdrop of high inflation.

Czechs are tired of Western sanctions on Russia that have sparked a devastating energy crisis. They want Czech interest first over the EU's and demand cheap Russian gas and neutrality.

In Prague in 100,000 people for freedom. They require direct gas supplies from Russia and food and energy guarantees for the Czech Republic. They hold the EU solely responsible for the European economic disaster and the rise in energy bills. pic.twitter.com/3LlflMsJBZ

— RadioGenova (@RadioGenova) September 3, 2022

Western sanctions are backfiring, and some Europeans are awakening to how their governments sacrificed their livelihoods for NATO's proxy fight against Russia in Ukraine. What's happening in Prague could spread like wildfire throughout the EU.

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Europe looks ahead anxiously to a winter of energy rationing. ‘The EU is now in the red zone’

The EU has set a 15% target for gas demand reduction, and may make it obligatory. With an emergency meeting due on Sept. 9, diplomats say once unthinkable moves will likely be considered.

Energy rationing in Europe this winter is starting to look all but inevitable.
German officials on Saturday insisted that security of supply was guaranteed, at least for now, after Russia’s Gazprom PJSC made a last-minute decision not to turn the crucial Nord Stream pipeline back on after maintenance. Storage is filling up and new sources of gas are being procured.

But Klaus Mueller, president of the Federal Network Agency energy regulator warned last month that even with gas storage 95% full, there would only be enough for 2-1/2 months of demand if Russia switched off flows. German storage now stands at about 85%.

“The EU is now in the red zone as further demand destruction needs to take place,”

The European Union has already created a voluntary 15% demand reduction target for gas, with the option of making it obligatory if needed. As energy ministers prepare to meet for an emergency meeting on Sept. 9, steps that seemed unthinkable before are now likely to be considered, according to EU diplomats.

The European Commission warned in July that an unusually cold winter or lower gas imports from alternative sources would boost the risk of “further drastic reductions.”

Already at four times the level of a year ago, prices are set to jump on Monday, piling more pressure on industries and households—and on policy makers to act.

The complete halt of Nord Stream, which runs under the Baltic Sea to Germany, leaves only two major routes supplying gas to the European Union: one via Ukraine and one via TurkStream through the Black Sea. Flows through Ukraine have also been severely curbed, with only one of two legs operating.

Asia and Europe compete for liquefied natural gas and if winter is particularly cold in both regions, there’s a risk gas in European storage could run out toward the end of winter. Policy makers will be hoping for Spring to come early.

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EUROPE ENERGY

Germany announces $65 billion “relief to citizens” package amid soaring energy prices

Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the energy crisis "Putin’s responsibility" in reference to the war in Ukraine.

The German vow comes ahead of an emergency meeting by the bloc’s energy ministers next Friday. Other measures that the meeting will discuss include a price cap on power generated from renewables, coal and nuclear.

The latest package presented by the German government is the third since Scholz took office in late 2021 to help consumers and companies cope with rapid inflation. The total relief now stands at more than 95 billion euros and will lead to “significant additional expenditures in the federal budget,” the government said on Sunday.

JUST IN - Sweden will lend up to 250 billion kronor to electricity companies to save them from technical bankruptcy, Finance Minister Damberg announces.

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“A nickel ain't worth a dime anymore” Yogi Berra

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1:23 Thy princes [are] rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.
1:24 Therefore saith the "I AM", the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease Me of Mine adversaries, and avenge Me of Mine enemies:
1:25 And I will turn My hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin [gods]:
https://jahtruth.net/kofk-free/28.htm

11:1 A false balance [is] abomination to the "I AM": but a just weight [is] His delight.
11:4 Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but righteousness delivereth from death.
11:5 The righteousness of the Perfect (God) shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.

https://jahtruth.net/kofk-free/18.htm
16:11 A just weight and balance [are] the "I AM"'s: all the weights of the bag [are] His work.

8:4 Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
8:5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the Sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
8:6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; [yea], and sell the refuse of the wheat?
8:7 The "I AM" hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, Surely I will never forget any of their works.
8:8 Shall not the land tremble for this, and every one mourn that dwelleth therein? and it shall rise up wholly as a flood; and it shall be cast out and drowned, as [by] the flood of Egypt.
8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord "I AM", that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
8:10 And I will turn your Feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; and I will bring up sackcloth upon all loins, and baldness upon every head; and I will make it as the mourning of an only [son], and the end thereof as a bitter day.
8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord "I AM", that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the Words of the "I AM":

https://jahtruth.net/kofk-free/23.htm

6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure [that is] abominable?
6:11 Shall I count [them] pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?
6:12 For the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue [is] deceitful in their mouth.
6:13 Therefore also will I make [thee] sick in smiting thee, in making [thee] desolate because of thy sins.

https://jahtruth.net/kofk-free/26.htm

5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness AGAINST you, and shall eat your flesh (cancer etc.) as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the Last Days.
5:4 Behold, the hire (pay) of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped [and not been justly paid] are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth/Hosts.
5:5 Ye [rich] have lived in pleasure on the Earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
5:6 Ye [rich] have condemned [and] murdered the just; [and] he [the poor labourer] doth not resist you.

https://jahtruth.net/kofk-free/51.htm

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Energy Crisis

Metal Plants Feeding Europe’s Factories Face an Existential Crisis

Power-intensive aluminum smelters say they need government support to survive.

In the aluminum industry, closing a smelter is an agonizing decision. Once power is cut and the production “pots” settle back to room temperature, it can take many months and tens of millions of dollars to bring them back online.

Yet Norsk Hydro ASA is preparing this month to do exactly that at a huge plant in Slovakia. And it’s not the only one — European production has dropped to the lowest levels since the 1970s and industry insiders say the escalating energy crisis is now threatening to create an extinction event across large swathes of the region’s aluminum production.

The explanation lies in aluminum’s nickname: “congealed electricity.” The metal — used in a huge range of products, from car frames and soda cans to ballistic missiles — is produced by heating raw materials until they dissolve, and then running an electric current through the pot, making it massively power intensive. One ton of aluminum requires about 15 megawatt-hours of electricity, enough to power five homes in Germany for a year.

Some smelters are protected by government subsidies, long-term electricity deals or access to their own renewable power, but the rest face an uncertain future.

“History has proven, once aluminum smelters go away, they don’t come back,” said Mark Hansen, chief executive of metals trading house Concord Resources Ltd. “There is an argument which extends beyond employment: this is an important base metal commodity, it goes into aircraft, weapons, transport and machinery.”

The industry says it urgently needs government support to survive.

The woes of the aluminum sector offer a striking example of what's playing out in Europe's energy-intensive industries: across the continent, fertilizer makers, cement plants, steel mills and zinc smelters are also shutting down rather than pay eye-watering prices for gas and electricity.

At recent market prices, the annual power bill for the Slovalco smelter would be around two billion euros

“There will be nothing left to fix”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-04/energy-crisis-europe-s-aluminum-smelters-are-struggling-to-survive

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A price cap on Russian oil was imposed on Friday in an attempt to weaken the country’s economy, but the chances of the cap being effective are questionable. RT’s Fiorella Isabel explains how the measures are causing harm to the nations that impose them.

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Can’t pay, won’t pay: thousands in Britain vow to ignore energy bills

Soaring costs have given rise to a civil disobedience movement aiming to put pressure on energy firms

Flames on a gas hob

Tom Wall and Shanti Das

Sun 7 Aug 2022 06.00 EDTLast modified on Tue 9 Aug 2022 23.24 EDT

Like millions of people across Britain, Josina, a teacher from Sheffield, is being pushed into poverty by rising energy prices. This October, when bills are set to rise again, she will have to cut back on food and other essentials if she has any hope of keeping up with the payments.

“It’s terrifying, especially with three teenagers in the house. They aren’t old enough to be out working yet. They’re relying on us, and it’s a really scary thought that you potentially can’t provide for your children in that way,” she said.

So Josina, 35, has made a decision: she is not going to pay her energy bill. She is one of thousands of activists joining a civil disobedience movement protesting at the soaring cost of energy.

From 1 October, the energy price cap – the maximum amount suppliers can charge in England, Scotland and Wales – will go up, leading to further bill rises for millions of customers. The typical gas and electricity bill is expected to reach £3,358 in October, according to consultancy Cornwall Insight. In October 2021, the average annual bill was £1,400.

Protesters are expected to take to the streets. But as well as more traditional campaigning methods, they also plan to pile pressure on energy suppliers and the government by ignoring their bills and cancelling their direct debits.

Don’t Pay UK, the anonymous group organising the campaign, says it hopes enough people will follow suit to put energy companies in “serious trouble”. “We want to bring them to the table and force them to end this crisis,” its website says.

The movement has been condemned by the government. “This is highly irresponsible messaging, which ultimately will only push up prices for everyone else and affect personal credit ratings,” a spokesperson said. “While no government can control global gas prices, we are providing £37bn of help for households, including the £400 discount on energy bills, and £1,200 of direct support for the most vulnerable households to help with the cost of living.”

Debt and financial experts, meanwhile, are telling people to ensure they are fully informed of the potential risks of not paying, such as increased debt, and the chance of being put on a prepayment meter, or charged extra. In extreme cases, suppliers could cut the energy off, although this is rare.

Josina is aware of the risks, and says not paying is the only option for her and millions of others. In recent days, she has taken to the streets to hand out hundreds of flyers, and says the response has been “really positive”.

“People are angry and scared,” she said. “We aren’t doing this out of choice. Millions of people across this country are going to be plunged into poverty this winter. And the strike is the only way we can push back. It’s not a choice that anyone’s taking lightly. I would much rather not have to do this. But it’s the only choice we have.” Don’t Pay UK, which launched in June, said more than 75,000 people had so far signed up to join the strike if radical action is not taken by the government.

More than 21,000 people “from all walks of life” are “organising” in their local communities, it added, with activists in cities including Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and London using the messaging app Telegram to coordinate leafleting campaigns to raise awareness – more than 1.6 million of which have been distributed so far.

Its organisers are remaining anonymous, fearful of a potential backlash, but say they are a group of friends who came up with the idea “after being convinced of the need to do something about the spiralling cost of living crisis”.

“From snooker halls to pubs, at work or at the school gates, everyone is talking about how much they’re already struggling and their fear of when bills go up again in October,” a spokesman for the group said.

He added that the protest was a “solid approach” and something “that will actually work”. “Don’t Pay wouldn’t have caught so much attention if it were a simple gimmick,” he said. “It will work, and everyone, including the energy industry and government, know it.”

Topics

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The Lord recently told me to get a job that involves having a skill. I am now going to soon start my trucker training, driving across the country as a truck semi driver. He said in our conversation that soon many jobs will become obsolete.

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Situation Update, Sep 16, 2022 - The economic ANNIHILATION of Europe - Gonzalo Lira and Mike Adams

Dave Hodges warns Mike Adams: We may be just away from World War III

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Tesla make energy free again
Tesla make energy free again680×669 102 KB

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:it: ITALY - AN ENERGY BILL FROM 120.000 € TO 978.000 €

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That is the cruelest and greediest thing I've ever heard of, well its up there anyway.

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@DylanHall ,
The entire industry is being destroyed by globalist.

Truss poised to slash energy bills in half for businesses in huge bailout package

The Government's plan may halve business rates in a move that could bring a major relief to firms struggling to cope amid the energy crisis.

By Jacob Paul

10:13, Sat, Sep 17, 2022 | UPDATED: 11:09, Sat, Sep 17, 2022
Liz Truss is eying a major bailout package for businesses amid the energy crisis which could reportedly slash bills in half. It comes after the Prime Minister unveiled a detailed package of support for households last week involving a £2,500 bills freeze, but failed to include the same level of detail for businesses. However, she did pledge that businesses would get the "equivalent" level of help she had promised families, which could now be on the way thanks to the Government bailout.

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