Possible beer shortage across country

Beer-drinkingOslo.Beer-drinking in summer sun at "Lektern" at Aker Brygge in Oslo.Photo : Knut Fjeldstad / SCANPIX

A CO₂ shortage in Europe caused Aass Brewery to stop beer production.
There may be beer shortages throughout the country during the next few weeks.

‘’If the breweries do not receive deliveries during the weekend, all breweries will be empty for CO₂. It will be marked at all places and shops in a week or two,”said Petter Nome, Director of the Brewery and Beverage Association, to NRK news.

Aaas Brewery in Drammen didn’t only stop beer production, but the production of all carbonated beverages.

CEO, Christian Aass said that this has never happened before.

“It’s incredibly tedious, it’s never happened before. Fortunately, we have items in stock,’’ he told Nettavisen newspaper.

The CO₂ shortage has also led to the Oslo municipality having introduced a ban on sprinklers.CO₂ is used in the water supply treatment plant, and the capacity there is reduced due to the shortage. If the water treatment plant is empty of CO₂, the inhabitants of Oslo will have to boil their water before drinking it.

Sorry

Due to the very limited supply of liquid CO₂ in northern Europe, Praxair Norway, which produces liquid CO₂ in Porsgrunn, has chosen to prioritise deliveries to customers who take care of life, health, animal welfare and safety.

“We have been in a difficult delivery situation of liquid CO₂ across northern Europe, and we are very sorry for the inconvenience that this causes,” said Sigurd Haukeli, Managing Director of Praxair Norway.

Lack in Europe

There are hopes that CO₂ production may start on July 12, but according to Haukeli, this is uncertain.

The company produces liquid CO₂ at its plant in Porsgrunn, based on carbon dioxide in rye gas form.This is a by-product of ammonia production at Yara’s ammonia factory in the same city.

Due to the need for maintenance, each year, more of the ammonia plants in Europe are closing from April to June, which can make early summer a challenging period for CO₂ access.

This year, the situation has arisen because of technical problems with several sources of supply in Europe, as well as Yara’s June 17 report that, due to technical problems, they had to stop the ammonia plant for repair.

“Meanwhile, Praxair is working to ensure the delivery of liquid CO₂ from other sources,but they must prioritise the available CO₂ to customers with first priority as there is a lack of CO₂ across Europe,” said Haukeli.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today