If there is a shortage of gas, his artisan glass factory has “a big problem,” says Czech glassmaker and director David Sevcik. His gray beard glows in the glow of the oven in the center of the factory. Sand and other raw materials are melted in it at 1,200 degrees. And they make glass here from that tough, liquid substance. Behind Sevcik are two muscular men who seemingly effortlessly practice the hypnotic art of glassblowing: while one man holds a wooden mould, the other spins a pipe with a sphere of liquid glass in it. By blowing into the pipe, he makes the shape of the glass.
Even meters away from the oven, you break out in a sweat. The energy for that intense heat has to come from somewhere. Sevcik’s glass factory Ajeto in the Czech hamlet of Lindava is, like almost all companies in this sector, very dependent on gas. Russian gas. And since the invasion of Ukraine, the EU wants to get rid of that as soon as possible.
From Friday, the Czech Republic will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. One of the priorities is to achieve the EU’s goals for Russian energy independence. By the end of this year, Russian gas consumption in the EU should be cut by two-thirds. The war in Ukraine dominates the EU’s agenda and that suits the Czechs: Prime Minister Fiala’s centre-right government has been taking a fierce stance against Russia since the start of the invasion. But the Czech Republic itself is almost one hundred percent dependent on supplies from Russia via Germany and Slovakia, and wants to import one-third less Russian gas by the end of this year. At the same time, rising energy prices and the erratic gas supply are causing unrest in the country.
Roaring ovens
At glass factory Ajeto they can have a say in this. A gas shortage from the autumn will be a problem for heating households. But the blaring furnaces of the glass industry are on all year round, says Sevcik on this summer’s day. “If you turn off an oven and it cools down too quickly, things will burst.” Although the glass blowers are usually at work between 6 a.m. and lunchtime, the fire is always burning. ‘We will be carrying out maintenance this summer,’ says Sevcik. ‘Then the oven has to cool down for a week by gradually lowering the temperature. Slow warming also takes a week. In between we have a week to make repairs.’ He smiles broadly. “It would be nice if Putin chose that week to turn off the gas tap.”
When that happens, Sevcik has little illusions about aid from the state, either financially or with gas reserves. ‘Our industry is not that important. We make the world more beautiful with our glass, but in times of need we are not essential.’ It’s a shame. Lindava is located in the so-called ‘Crystal Valley’ in the foothills of the Sudeten Mountains. The area in the northwest of the Czech Republic is known for its unique glass production. Tradition and expertise are deeply rooted here.
Glassblowers and artists would rather constantly brave the winding roads of this remote area of hills and forests than make glass elsewhere in the world. The pure sand from the nearby nature reserve ‘Czech paradise’ guarantees crystal clear glass. Czech glass has been a household name for centuries, whether it be candlesticks, jewellery, vases or beer glasses. Glass production still constitutes a large part of employment in this region. Preciosa, one of the largest glass factories in the Crystal Valley, has more than 5,500 employees.
‘Glassblower beer’
Sevcik was born in the region. His father also worked with glass, he says with a ‘glass blower’s beer’, a lager with a low alcohol percentage. “You have to get enough fluids and this is better than water: it’s full of minerals,” he says between sips. ‘My father worked in the department where the glass was cooled and polished. When I was little, I went along. Whenever I could, I went to check out the blazers. I liked that much better: noise, smoke, beer.’ In his early years, Sevcik traveled the world as a glassblower for many years, but the Crystal Valley continued to draw and he returned. ‘The position of our industry is actually very good now. We make beautiful, unique products that people are willing to pay for. But we are also very fragile’, says Sevcik. Even as the gas continues to flow, scarcity and uncertainty drive prices up, leaving Sevcik fearing losing customers. ‘I now pay three times as much in energy costs as last year.’
Other short term options are limited. ‘Nobody used electricity because it was too expensive all those years. We can look for alternatives, but that will take one or two years, we cannot switch tomorrow.’ It’s harsh, Sevcik says. “We support Ukraine. Czechs also have a bad history with the Russians. But with the gas we are still indirectly supporting Russia.’
The reason for the strong dependence on Russian gas is both geographical (the Czech Republic is not located on a sea) and economic, says energy expert Lenka Kovacovska. “There was no economic incentive,” she says over the phone. The gas market in the Czech Republic has been privatised. ‘Gas companies were guided by the market. And there Russian gas was cheapest. They also guessed that it wouldn’t get that far, because our gas infrastructure is linked to that of Germany and Italy. Russia wouldn’t jeopardize that alliance, they thought.’
Reducing and preparing for a gas stop
The country has two problems at the same time, says Vaclav Bartuska, the Czech special envoy for energy security. ‘We have to phase out and prepare for a possible gas stop.’ The Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which runs through Germany, is currently closed for maintenance. The question is whether it will work as usual on 11 July and will therefore also supply the Czech Republic with gas. Ultimately, Bartuska says, there is only one man who knows whether the gas supply to the Czech Republic will stop or not. “And he doesn’t live in Prague.”
Until then, the government must prepare for each scenario and fill up the gas reserves. In the Czech Republic, they are now at two-thirds of capacity. “So I’m not so much worried about this winter, but about the next one.” If the gas supply stops now, Bartuska says, there will be regulation from the government. ‘A war economy, as it were.’ Households and important institutions, such as hospitals, are given priority. “Industry will bear the heaviest burden.”
Snowball effect
Resignation reigns in the Crystal Valley. “It’s not a matter of if we run out of gas, but when,” says young factory owner Lukas Polak. At 5 o’clock in the afternoon he walks alone on the shop floor of glass factory Jilek in Kamenicky Senov. His 25 glassblowers are home. ‘Peaks and troughs characterize our industry. This is going to be a valley.’ All you can do is adapt and innovate, says Polak. ‘Everyone is now looking for alternatives. Perhaps Putin will stimulate the energy transition in the Czech Republic in this way’, he says with a smile.
Some smaller glassworks have already closed, Polak knows. “It can still get pretty grim. I think about a quarter of adults in this region depend on this industry. If they lose their jobs, there is a snowball effect in other sectors.’ In consultation with its seventy employees, wages will not be increased this year, despite the screeching inflation. “It is better to have no raise than no pay. Nobody knows what will happen. We’ll have to adapt to it.’ The afternoon light shines through the meters high windows of the more than a century old factory, which is popularly called ‘the cathedral of glass blowing’. Polak walks out of the factory. The oven is still on.
