Bone-chilling winter from Berlin to Davos causes energy scramble

London

FROM the rivers criss-crossing eastern Europe to the Mediterranean ports of Greece and France, everyone is hunting for energy supplies.

Blizzards, gale force winds, arctic temperatures and river ice thicker than a house have left the stewards of the European energy business frenzied. Prices of natural gas, primarily a heating fuel, have soared to the highest in more than two years. Blackouts across Eastern Europe caused electricity rates to spike to record levels.

It's chaotic, but yet familiar. While energy grid operators, producers and traders prepare for wint…