Germany decided in 2011 to phase out nuclear power and shut its last reactors in 2023, completing the Atomausstieg.

Before the phase‑out, nuclear provided around 10–12% of Germany’s electricity, falling to about 5% in its final year of operation.

The exit was framed as improving safety and reducing radioactive waste while accelerating a shift to renewables.

Targets now include 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and nearly 100% by 2035, with legislation to triple annual additions of onshore wind and solar and expand offshore wind.

To integrate rising renewables, Germany is expanding the grid via 26 transmission projects such as the 700‑km Suedlink line due in 2028, alongside major investments by TenneT and Amprion.

The energy‑only market is being complemented with a technology‑neutral capacity market in which storage can participate, and 4‑hour batteries can substitute for thermal capacity with high reliability.

Battery storage is scaling in households and industry, with 20–30% annual growth in residential systems and strong consumer interest in self‑consumption.

Hydrogen is a central pillar, with plans to spend €20 billion by 2027, build a 10,000 km hydrogen pipeline by 2032, and reach 10 GW of domestic electrolysis capacity by 2030 backed by schemes like H2Global.

After the nuclear exit, solar and wind capacity helped fill the 8.1 GW gap, but clean electricity generation still fell 5.6% in 2023.

Fossil generation declined by 21% in 2023, yet coal plants were also returned to service during winter supply squeezes.

Power prices surged, with electricity around 160% higher than in 2019, and energy costs strained manufacturers and long‑term planning.

The Russian‑Ukrainian war severely disrupted Germany’s energy supply, culminating in the loss of Russian pipeline gas in 2022 and a sharp rise in gas prices.

Berlin declared an “energy war” response with a €200 billion price‑cap package as recession risks mounted and manufacturing contracted.

Germany halted Nord Stream 2 certification and rapidly diversified via LNG, procuring floating terminals and new import sites while replacing Russia with Norway as its top gas supplier.

The country also filled gas storage without Russian supplies to buffer winter risks, though authorities warned of tight supply.

To bridge shortages, Germany temporarily reactivated coal plants for winter generation, complicating its plan to exit coal by 2030–2038.

Public opinion shifted during the crisis, with 60% saying abandoning nuclear was wrong and 67% supporting a five‑year extension in 2022, while 41% favored building new plants.

Polling in 2022–2023 showed majorities for extending existing reactors’ lifetimes, and ministers debated limited extensions, but the Chancellor rejected a nuclear return citing high costs and long construction times.

Some reports note calls to bring reactors back online and claims that fuel and safety conditions would allow restarts, while other analyses find no broad sectoral push for reversal.

Advantages cited for the nuclear phase‑out include reduced accident risk and radioactive waste, alignment with climate neutrality goals, and catalyzing investment in renewables, grids, storage, and hydrogen.

Disadvantages observed include higher reliance on coal during shortages, setbacks to clean generation in 2023, and significantly higher electricity prices.

Economic costs include decommissioning expenses of roughly €1.1 billion per plant over about 20 years and a modeled social cost around $12 billion annually from shifting generation from nuclear to coal.

The crisis exposed import vulnerabilities, forcing rapid and costly diversification of gas supplies and emergency fiscal measures.

Industry has faced high energy prices and uncertainty, with some manufacturers considering moving production abroad and energy‑intensive output falling.

Germany’s strategy now hinges on accelerating renewables and grids, deploying storage and a capacity market, and scaling hydrogen while cutting fossil dependence.

Policy targets remain ambitious—80% renewables by 2030, 100% by 2035, climate neutrality by 2045—but delivery risks persist due to infrastructure bottlenecks and volatile energy markets.

Germany decided in 2011 to phase out nuclear power and shut its last reactors in 2023, completing the Atomausstieg.

Title:

Content: Chernobyl and the war: how the events in Ukraine prompted Germany to abandon nuclear energy
Greenpeace activist at a protest against nuclear power in Berlin, Germany.
Photo by REUTERS / Nadja Wohlleben
The end of the atomic age.
This weekend, Germany, as promised, shut down its last nuclear power plants.
On Sunday night, the Germans decommissioned three stations: Izar 2 in Bavaria, Necarwesteim-2 in Baden-Württemberg and Emsland in Lower Saxony.
Nuclear power plants, which have recently produced about 5% of the country ’ s electricity, have been shut down as part of the so-called “energy transition. ”
Its goal is to completely switch to green energy by 2035, that is, to produce electricity from renewable sources.
Read also:
The decision to finally abandon the peaceful atom was given to the German authorities not easy.
A week ago, in political Berlin, there were calls to postpone the closure of the reactors for at least a few months, so as not to jeopardize the security of energy supply in the country.
Moreover, the temporary continuation of the work of the nuclear power plant of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was requested by both the opposition Christian Democrats and the liberals included in the ruling coalition.
Most Germans did not support the closure of the nuclear power plant.
According to sociologists, about 60% of the country ’ s residents called the government ’ s decision to abandon the peaceful atom wrong.
The reason is obvious: people are afraid of further increases in electricity prices, which have literally exploded.
Farewell to the atom: the Ukrainian factor
In fact, the decision to close all German nuclear power plants was made in 2011 by the government of Angela Merkel after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima.
But the discussion about the abandonment of nuclear power began much earlier — in 1986, after the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
The accident sparked widespread protests against the use of the peaceful atom, and after Chernobyl, the now ruling Social Democratic Party announced that it would support the closure of all German nuclear power plants and enshrined this position in its political program.
Events in Ukraine also affected the timing of the closure of the nuclear power plant.
Germany planned to shut down all its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022.
However, after a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, the operation of the reactors was decided to extend for several more months.
Germany, which took the course of abandoning all Russian energy resources, was afraid of problems with energy supply.
Bavarian exception: will one of the richest lands in Germany be allowed to restart nuclear power plants
In the final rejection of the peaceful atom, it seems, not all German politicians believe.
At least regional.
The prime minister of Bavaria - one of the richest German states - Markus Seder has already said that he will ask the federal government to reconsider its decision.
And this is a few hours after the closing of the last nuclear power plant!
Seder wants the Bavarians to make an exception – allowed them to continue to operate the nuclear power plant “Izar-2 ”, located on the territory of the earth.
Like, now, in times of energy crisis, to abandon nuclear energy is not only risky, but also stupid.
That can be done a little later.
"Bavaria demands that the federal government take responsibility for the continued operation of nuclear power.
Until the crisis is over and the country has switched to renewable energy, we must use all forms of energy before the end of the decade.
Anyone who, like the ruling coalition, hopes that the next winter will be as mild as the previous one, acts extremely naive and careless for an industrial country like Germany, ” said Seder.
And he promised that in the case of a positive decision from Berlin, Bavaria is ready to take responsibility for the operation of the nuclear power plant.
The Bavarian prime minister thought about other lands.
It requires the government to develop and submit a plan for the reactivation of disconnected nuclear power plants.
If necessary, nuclear power plants will be able to resume their work quickly.
Official Berlin has already responded to the calls of the Bavarian Prime Minister – the Minister for Environmental Protection advised Zeder not to engage in political populism.
Non-peaceful atom: Germany wants sanctions against Russian nuclear energy
On the day of the closure of their own nuclear power plants, the Germans also mentioned the nuclear energy of the aggressor country of Russia.
Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Economy of Germany Robert Gabeck proposed to impose sanctions against the nuclear industry of the Russian Federation.
At the EU level.
For example, to include penalties in the next, already eleventh, sanctions package, the development and coordination of which the Europeans will begin in the near future.
“We have seen that Russia purposefully uses dependence in the energy sector for pressure.
Therefore, the federal government called on the European Commission to impose sanctions on the civilian nuclear sector.
Nuclear technology is an extremely sensitive area, and Russia can no longer be perceived as a reliable partner here, ” Gabek said.
What sanctions are we talking about – the politician did not specify.
However, in early April, after a visit to Ukraine, he proposed to impose sanctions against states that buy uranium from Russia for their nuclear power plants.
Not immediately, but after the transition.
“It is important to start and not be afraid of decisive actions in this area, ” Gabek explained.
The EU ’ s dependence on Russia ’ s nuclear sector is really serious.
About 20% of the uranium for their nuclear power plants EU countries receive from Russia.
Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic are completely dependent on these supplies, that is, 100%.
On the sale of uranium in the European Union, Russia earns 450 million euros a year.
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Title:

Content: In early 2023, Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants, so this winter will be Germany ’ s first “nuclear-free winter ”. Despite the German government ’ s vow to modernize its energy system and develop renewable energy, Germany ’ s fossil fuel consumption is higher and its power system is dirtier.
Commenting on Germany ’ s electricity problem, Reuters columnist Gavin Maguire wrote that the country ’ s electricity problem began with a gradual decline in the share of nuclear power in Germany ’ s power generation structure. In 2014, the contribution of nuclear power to Germany ’ s total electricity supply fell by only 6% in 2022, and finally dropped to zero after the last eight reactor outages in 2023.
According to the think tank Ember, Germany's last eight nuclear reactors generated about 8.1 gigawatts (8,000 megawatts) of electricity, a gap that was filled by solar and wind capacity.
It seems to be okay.
However, as solar power (Germany ’ s second largest clean power after wind) suffers from reduced sunlight this year, power generation will fall sharply this winter, and the total amount of clean electricity in Germany will also decline, but winter has always been Europe ’ s peak electricity consumption (heating demand), so German power producers are forced to increase the amount of electricity generated from fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. of emissions.
According to the data, in the first nine months of 2023, Germany ’ s total electricity generation fell compared to last year, including clean electricity and fossil energy power; clean electricity fell by 5.6% compared to the same period in 2022, and fossil fuel power generation fell by 21%.
In other words, this year has been the most electricity efficient year in Germany since 2017.
But don ’ t think that ’ s a good thing, because Germany ’ s industrial electricity demand has fallen this year, and the economy has certainly followed suit.
Why is that so?
Data from the London Stock Exchange shows that the high price of electricity in Germany is a key factor. Compared to 2019, the price of electricity in Germany is 160% higher this year, although it is much better than the highest price last year (electricity prices soared last year due to the Russian-Ukrainian war, this year has fallen), but the German industry is still unwilling to pay.
According to data from the London Stock Exchange (LSEG), German chemical and fertilizer production (previously produced using abundant and cheap natural gas) has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade in 2023 as producers cut production.
Production of cars, steel, batteries and turbines has also been cut, causing Germany, Europe ’ s largest economy, to experience a rare export slump this year.
In order to support the German industrial recovery, the German government asked the power companies to suppress the cost of electricity, and actively increase the production of cheap renewable energy, did get some results, but after entering the autumn, the sunshine time reduced, Germany September to December's total solar power, must be more than 80% lower than the peak.
Since solar power has accounted for more than 20% of Germany ’ s total electricity generation each month in the past five months, such a serious decline in clean power production will inevitably lead to a tight overall electricity supply; in order to make up for the shortage of solar power, Germany can only maximize the use of wind power, wind power production in Germany will increase in winter.
In order to supplement the intermittent problem of wind power and ensure that the total generation of electricity rises as demand grows, power companies have to increase the generation of coal and gas, which can be controlled by power plants to balance the needs of the national electricity market.
Speaking of which, it is clear that Germany will have to rely more on fossil fuels to generate electricity, and its carbon emissions will inevitably increase.
In order to determine its ideal of a non-nuclear homeland, Germany has caused more pollution, and the cost of electricity is still high, which has hit the German industry.
In August of this year, economists criticized "Germany's economic recession is already the sick man of Europe", which is all related to the abandonment of nuclear power.
German power mix may get dirtier for 1st non-nuclear winter
# Germany # Electricity # Dirty # Carbon # Solar

Before the phase‑out, nuclear provided around 10–12% of Germany’s electricity, falling to about 5% in its final year of operation.

Title:

Content: • En
Germany to close three more nuclear plants by the end of 2021
There is no turning back, so only three nuclear plants remain in Germany and will be fully decommissioned by the end of 2022.
Germany ’ s Issa 2 nuclear power plant will be decommissioned by the end of 2022 (Photo / Twitter PreussenElektra)
Germany, which is committed to eliminating nuclear waste, closed three of its remaining six nuclear plants on the last day of 2021, Europe ’ s largest economy, demonstrating its determination to phase out nuclear energy and move toward renewable energy.
The plants in Gundremmingen, Grohnde and Brokdorf, which have been in operation for 35 years, were removed from service, Reuters reported.
This leaves Germany with only three remaining nuclear plants, which are expected to close by the end of 2022.
Since the 2011 earthquake in Japan and the meltdown of the reactor core in Fukushima, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986, Germany has decided to accelerate the phase-out of nuclear energy.
However, it will not be easy for Europe ’ s economic powerhouse to abandon what some see as “cheap and clean ” nuclear power, which means more money will have to be invested in renewable energy to meet its climate goals, and higher electricity prices are inevitable.
According to 2021 data, the remaining six nuclear power plants account for about 12% of Germany ’ s total electricity supply.
Renewable energy accounts for 41%, while coal-fired and gas-fired power accounts for 28% and 15% respectively.
Germany aims to increase its renewable energy supply to 80% by 2030, mainly wind and solar power.
Extended reading:
The crossroads of nuclear power, climate change has given nuclear power a chance to rise again.
【 311 Fukushima nuclear disaster ten years 】 The reconstruction is not complete, the forbidden land is still a shocking number to look back on the disaster

Title:

Content: Three nuclear-fired power plants will be taken off the grid in Germany on Friday as part of the country's plan to end atomic power.

"The nuclear phaseout makes our country safer and helps to avoid radioactive waste," said Federal Environment and Nuclear Safety Minister Steffi Lemke.

"It is now essential to ... advance the search for a final repository for high-level radioactive waste as well as permanent solutions for low- and medium-level radioactive waste," the environment ministry said.

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel speeded up the phaseout following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan.

Friday's shutdown affects power plants in Brokdorf in Schleswig-Holstein, Grohnde in Lower Saxony and Gundremmingen C in Bavaria.

Germany's remaining three nuclear plants — Emsland in Lower Saxony, Isar 2 in Bavaria and Neckarwestheim 2 in Baden-Württemberg — will be closed by the end of 2022 "at the latest," the environment ministry said.

"Since 2011, Germany has been drawing a line under a highly problematic technology in an orderly, reliable process," Lemke said.

Nuclear accounts for about 10 percent of Germany's electricity production. The shutdown has sparked criticism as Germany will have to dramatically ramp up renewable energy and has also increased its reliance on highly polluting coal-fired power.

"Security of supply in Germany continues to be guaranteed," said Robert Habeck, federal climate and economy minister. He added that reliable and "sustainably generated electricity" is a "central requirement for aligning our economy and industry toward climate neutrality."

That stance puts Berlin at loggerheads with France, where nuclear is the largest element of its energy mix (and also helps supply Germany).

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said in September that existing nuclear plants, which provide low-carbon electricity essential to the green transition, can be kept running "for two, five, 10 years," adding: "Why deprive ourselves of this production capacity?"

France is planning to scale down the share of nuclear in its electricity mix from 75 percent to 50 percent by 2035, but President Emmanuel Macron said in November that France "will restart the construction of nuclear reactors" while "continuing to develop renewable energies."

Macron also said France will invest €1 billion into research and development, notably into small modular reactors.

Belgium recently decided to shut down all its nuclear power plants by 2025, but plans to invest €100 million in new generation nuclear reactors and research.

More from ... Louise Guillot

The exit was framed as improving safety and reducing radioactive waste while accelerating a shift to renewables.

Targets now include 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and nearly 100% by 2035, with legislation to triple annual additions of onshore wind and solar and expand offshore wind.

Title:

Content: Home > Industry > Key words > Tencent latest information > Text
3.3 Eli Tencent 's natural sound action is upgraded to help 100 young people with hearing impairment break the "barrier"
2022-03-03 12: 21 · Source: Webmaster 's House
Public welfare is an important entry point for solving social problems, and technology is a powerful tool for improving efficiency.
When industrial technology enters the public welfare scene, technology is also playing a greater social value.
The China Hearing Health Report (2021) shows that excessive noise exposure is exposing 1.1 billion young people worldwide to the risk of hearing impairment; and as the aging process of society accelerates, the problem of senile deafness is becoming more prominent.
On March 3, the 23rd National Ear Day, around the theme of “Care for Hearing Health, Listen for a Wonderful Future ”, the China Deaf Association, China Hearing Language Rehabilitation Science Journal, China Hearing Medical Development Foundation, China Foundation for the Development of Aging Cause, China Unicom, Tencent Public Welfare, Southern Weekend and other organizations jointly launched the“ Tianlai... The integration of people into the digital society provides effective assistance.
As one of the main initiators, Tencent is also an early explorer and promoter of technology public welfare in the field of hearing impairment.
This time around the "AI hearing test, AI auxiliary hearing, public welfare assistance" several aspects, Tianlai action to promote a number of new initiatives: the development of 12 zodiac online public welfare hearing program, for the elderly over 50 years of age to carry out offline free hearing services, jointly launched with China Unicom for hearing impaired users Wang card upgrade, and jointly launched a number of foundations for young talents and the elderly special public welfare fund.
(Lu Shiming, vice president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation, president of the China Volunteer Association for the Disabled, Yang Yang, president of the China Disabled Persons' Association, Yu Jianwei, president of the China Foundation for the Development of Aging, Gong Zezhong, president of the China Hearing and Language Rehabilitation Science Journal, Xing Yajing, vice president of China Unicom Tencent Cooperation Operation Center, Tencent Charity Foundation, Tencent, Tencent Dou Ruigang, Head of Fa Technology Lab, Shang Shidong, Director of Tencent Tianlai Lab)
The state of hearing loss in China is not optimistic, and it is urgent to care for hearing health.
For Chen Zhi, a "fat girl" born in Leizhou Peninsula, football is the most important thing in her life.
After joining the Deaf Women's Soccer Team, she found a goal in life - to become an excellent football player.
In 2019, Chen Zhihui ’ s team traveled to Thailand to participate in the 3rd Asian Deaf Futsal Championship. Her outstanding performance was unanimously recognized by the organizing committee and foreign players as the “Best Goalkeeper in Asia ” for the Deaf Women ’ s Soccer Team.
According to the data of the second national sample survey of disabled people, there are 27.8 million hearing-impaired people in the country like Chen Zhihui, who have the desire to integrate into society and enjoy a better life, and have a life plan to achieve goals and pursue dreams.
Realizing these aspirations and dreams requires more attention and help from society.
In fact, the state of hearing loss in our country is not optimistic.
In 2016, according to the survey data of Jilin, Shaanxi, Inner Mongolia and Guizhou provinces, 58.85% of the population over 60 years old suffer from hearing loss, including 24.1% of the population with hearing disabilities.
On the other hand, due to the lack of knowledge about the risk factors of hearing impairment, the neglect of hidden and progressive hearing impairment, hereditary deafness is not effectively controlled, and the irregular use of otototoxic drugs still exists. The utility model has the advantages of simple structure, convenient operation and low cost.
Therefore, building a sound hearing health mechanism in China and actively building an information barrier-free society have become urgent tasks.
Prior to this, 13 departments and units, including the China Disabled Persons' Federation, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, and the Central Internet Information Office, jointly issued the "14th Five-Year Plan" for barrier-free environment construction, and made comprehensive arrangements for promoting barrier-free related work.
Among them, how to improve the popular science of hearing health with the help of technology public welfare and help the hearing-impaired people better integrate into the digital society has become a social issue that has been widely concerned about in recent years.
Multi-initiatives to explore new models of technology public welfare, multi-party joint launch of "Tianlai Future Action Cooperation"
On the occasion of the 23rd "National Ear Day" on March 3, the establishment of the Future Action Partnership of Tianlai Listening aims to pool resources from all sectors of society based on technology and public welfare, and actively provide effective help for the hearing impaired to integrate into the digital society.
“Let the hearing-impaired people enjoy the dividends of technology development and integrate into the digital lifestyle, which is the initial intention of Tencent ’ s“ natural sound action ”. ” As one of the main sponsors, Tencent is also an early explorer and promoter of technology public welfare in the field of hearing impairment.
As early as 2020 International Deaf Day, Tencent Conference 's Tianlai Lab jointly launched the "Tianlai Action" with Tencent Charity Foundation, China Deaf Association and other institutions and partners to apply the Tianlai AI technology behind Tencent Conference to auxiliary hearing devices such as ear implants. Organizations and other social forces, free access to natural AI technology.
In conjunction with the launch of the National Ear Day and the “Future Action Partnership ”, the Action also announced a series of new initiatives based on the three levels of“ Hearing Test, Auxiliary Hearing, and Public Welfare Assistance ”.
Tencent Tianlai Laboratory, together with the National Clinical Research Center for Otolaryngology Diseases and other professional teams, has launched an online public welfare hearing tool integrating Chinese zodiac elements.
In the aspect of auxiliary hearing, following the cooperation with two cochlear implant equipment manufacturers, Tianlai Action and China Unicom, launched the "Wang Card Upgrade" integrated with Tianlai AI voice enhancement function to help users with hearing disabilities communicate with hearing impaired people in their daily lives.
Based on the personalized AI voice-enhanced auxiliary listening algorithm created by Tianlai Lab specifically for the hearing-impaired, the "upgraded version" can promote single-byte speech recognition rate and real-time subtitle recognition accuracy by 66% and 5.5 to 9.9%, respectively.
The ability to listen to Wang Card through natural AI technology is expected to benefit more hearing-impaired users.
(Chen uses the upgraded version of the Wang Card to train with the coach, and real-time speech to text translation can let her “listen ” to understand the dialogue and achieve communication barrier-free.)
In terms of public welfare assistance, Tianlai Action focused on two groups of young talents and the elderly, and launched a special rescue fund jointly with the China Hearing Medicine Development Fund and the China Foundation for the Development of Aging.
In the next year, more than 100 young people with hearing impairment who meet the conditions of cochlear implantation will receive subsidies for cochlear implant surgery and speech rehabilitation to help them break down the barriers of hearing, better display their talents, and contribute to society and the country.
Tencent Silver Hair Care Fund is jointly sponsored by Tencent Charity Foundation, Tencent Silver Hair Technology Laboratory, Tencent Conference Tianlai Laboratory and China Foundation for the Development of the Aging Cause.
The first "Care Fund" will provide more than 500 elderly people with hearing disabilities with hearing aids free of charge with natural audio AI technology, so that they can hear more clearly and better enjoy their later life.
At the same time, during the Ear Day, the majority of partners will launch free consultation activities for elderly hearing loss users over the age of 50, and the first pilot will provide 20,000 free consultation places in 21 regions across the country.
Lu Shiming, vice president of the China Disabled Persons' Federation and president of the China Volunteer Association for Handicapped, said in his opening speech, "On the occasion of the Ear Day, Tencent jointly launched the Future Action Partnership of Tencent, and made further investment and improvement in technical public welfare, public welfare, and Ear science, which is a very valuable exploration and practice."
Lu Shiming, Vice President of China Disabled Persons' Federation and President of China Volunteer Association for Disabled Persons
Make science and technology better serve people and become the driving force for sustainable social values
As the first landing project of Tencent's science and technology public welfare program, Tianlai Action is an innovation attempt and benchmark for Tencent to bring scientific and technological innovation results from the industrial field to the public welfare field.
Jiang Mengnan, from Chenzhou, Hunan Province, is one of the beneficiaries of the action.
Jiang Mengnan, who has been deaf since childhood, studied hard and studied hard to get a PhD student in the School of Life Sciences at Tsinghua University.
Although she had a cochlear implant in her right ear before she entered school, she was still unable to distinguish and hear the surrounding sounds due to various noises.
It is not until 2020 after the trial of Mixun listening treasure with integrated natural audio AI technology, that Jiang Mengnan ’ s listening experience has been improved.
There are still many hearing-impaired people like Jiang Mengnan, who are still waiting for help from science and technology public welfare projects like Tianlai Action to bring new changes to their lives.
"How to guide the society to pay attention to and understand the importance of hearing health, while providing barrier-free information services to the hearing impaired through digital technology is the most important task in the future of hearing health work." Tools, more public welfare assistance projects, and through public welfare science to call for social attention and care for hearing health.
As the initiator and technical support unit of Tencent Tianlai Action, Tencent Conference Tianlai Lab focuses on the forward-looking exploration, research, application and landing of audio and video real-time communication technology, and successfully eliminates more than 300 kinds of noise through Tianlai AI algorithm and deep learning capabilities, creating a clear and smooth voice experience for more than 200 million users of Tencent Conference.
Practicing the concept of science and technology for good, these technical achievements and noise reduction experience that have been widely verified by users, go out of the industrial field, and get a wider landing in the public welfare scene, so that science and technology can better serve people.
"We hope that the AI noise reduction technology polished in Tencent conference and other products will be used for cochlear implants and hearing aids to solve the noise reduction problem in noisy environments." Shang Shidong, director of Tencent Tianlai Laboratory, said that in the future, more industrial fields will be extended to public welfare scenarios, so that the technology can better serve people and solve social problems.
The Secretary General of Tencent Public Welfare Charity Foundation, Ge Yan, said that the correct application of digital technology can help improve the development level of public welfare philanthropy in terms of efficiency and quality.
Tencent has been committed to giving full play to its own capabilities and technological advantages, through opening up the technology platform resources accumulated for many years, and jointly exploring the landing scene of technology public welfare with ecological partners, so as to effectively practice the concept of "science and technology for good".
Through the opening up of Divine Action and Divine AI technology, we hope to help more people with hearing impairment.
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Germany to meet 100% renewable energy target by 2035
Germany plans to rapidly accelerate the expansion of wind and solar power, bringing forward the country ’ s goal of generating almost all of its electricity from renewable sources by 15 years, or 2035.
The Ministry of the Economy, which is responsible for energy and climate policy, introduced new legislation on Monday aimed at roughly tripling the annual increment of onshore wind and solar facilities.
Offshore wind power capacity will more than double.
Following Moscow ’ s military action against Ukraine, Germany is introducing a series of measures to diversify its energy sources as a way to reduce its dependence on Russia.
Germany relies on Russia for more than half of its natural gas, and the decision to phase out nuclear power - the last three reactors to go offline this year - leaves Europe's largest economy vulnerable to disruption.
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Content: Green hydrogen
Germany and the European Union have made progress in their hydrogen talks.
Europe – Germany ’ s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection, Robert Habeck, said recent progress has been made in talks with the European Commission on hydrogen subsidies.
But the European Commission has not yet approved these subsidies, the EU said, and the aim of the talks is to develop "safeguards (...) to comply with European legislation on national and energy assistance".
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Hydrogen energy is a dual role of clean and efficient energy storage carriers. By converting wind, solar and nuclear energy into hydrogen energy, renewable energy can be stored and transported on a large scale across seasons, becoming the best overall solution in the current new energy field.
Hydrogen energy storage solution is the ideal interconnection medium to promote the clean and efficient use of traditional fossil energy and support the large-scale development of renewable energy. It is the best choice for large-scale deep decarbonization in transportation, industry and construction.
Germany has the second largest installed offshore wind power capacity in the world (7.7 GW in Germany at the end of 2019) and aims to install 15 to 20 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
Germany is phasing out nuclear power by 2022 and coal-fired power by 2038, and is committed to the development of renewable energy, striving to increase the proportion of renewable energy in Germany's power generation structure to 65% by 2030.
Since the implementation of the nuclear policy, Germany's nuclear technology and nuclear industry have declined, and Germany has bet its future on the green hydrogen industry.
As with the development of renewable energy and the gradual realization of electrification, green hydrogen is a key component of the complete realization of a zero-carbon energy system.
Because in many transportation fields, such as aviation, shipping and heavy vehicles, it is not possible to directly use electricity for fuel substitution; some industrial processes also cannot directly use electricity, requiring hydrogen as a fuel raw material or for high-temperature operations.
Improving energy efficiency and developing renewable energy are prerequisites for this transformation process.
Since renewable energy already provides most of Germany ’ s electricity, and Germany has made progress in the electrification of transportation and industry, renewable electricity hydrogen production is the next logical step in achieving carbon neutrality. Given these conditions, green hydrogen provides further avenues of understanding for the transportation, storage and trading of renewable electricity; it allows the region ’ s renewable energy potential to be released and utilized on a global scale.
Der Spiegel reported in July that Germany wants subsidies for future power plants to be integrated into the EU ’ s decarbonisation plan, which would ensure faster approvals and more financial aid.
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Content: ● Talk from the beginning
In October 1973, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, led by Saudi Arabia, imposed a embargo on countries supporting Israel with oil as a weapon. The embargo lasted until March 1974, when the global price of oil rose by nearly 300%, from $3 per barrel to nearly $12.
Recognizing the importance of stable energy supply and price, many countries have begun to develop nuclear power.
In that era, the development of nuclear energy in Germany and France went hand in hand. Both countries imported nuclear power technology from the United States, and both established independent nuclear power industries.
In 1979, the Three Mile Island accident in the United States did not change the Social Democratic Party's support for nuclear energy in Germany at the time, and then the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Russia caused a major impact on Germany's nuclear energy policy. In August 1986, the Social Democratic Party passed a bill to abandon nuclear power within 10 years, Germany terminated the development plan for new reactors, and power companies dared not plan to build a nuclear power plant. Merchants.
Overall, the passage of the Act did not affect the operation of the nuclear power plants in transit in Germany, with a capacity of 20,339 and 20,583,000 megawatts in 23 years from 1986 to 2009, and a further 22.9 million megawatts in 1989.
In other words, the ruling party in Germany recognized the importance of nuclear power to the country ’ s economic development and did not implement the nuclear abolition bill hastily passed in August 1986 under the anti-nuclear passion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster in Russia.
Obviously, the non-nuclear file, can only say, can not be done.
Non-nuclear weapons are a bargaining chip for political power
In October 1998, the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party organized a joint government and began to discuss a non-nuclear timetable with power companies. The Green Party, a small party with ideological leadership and national recognition of only 6.7%, changed the national energy policy through the power to gain the leadership of energy policies that are closely related to national security.
The assumption of power by political parties recognized by more people is the basic tenet of the operation of democratic politics.
When, in order to gain political power, different political parties used coalitions to lead to the opinions of the minority and hostage the understanding of the majority, is this the normal state of democratic politics?
Ridiculous, even more pathetic!
After numerous and varied threats, the coalition government and the power companies reached an agreement in late 2000.
The key point of the agreement is that the government will allow the units in operation at the time to continue operating until the cumulative generation of 2,623 billion kWh, equivalent to an average useful life of the units of 32 years (the power company originally expected 36 years), and that Germany will be non-nuclear by 2022.
The government is committed to ensuring the smooth operation of the nuclear power plant and the disposal of nuclear waste without political interference. In June 2001, the “Red Green ” coalition government signed an agreement with four power companies.
The agreement clearly stipulates that Germany will no longer build nuclear power plants and allow the temporary storage of used nuclear fuel at the site.
Based on the cap on nuclear power generation, a less cost-effective unit was stopped in 2003 and 2005, with a installed capacity of 640,000 MW and 340,000 MW, respectively, and it operated for 31 and 36 years.
In addition, a unit with a capacity of 1.22 million megawatts was built in 1986 on the banks of the Rhine. The unit was discontinued in 1988 due to anti-nuclear protests, and its power company abandoned the unit in 2003 to begin decommissioning work. Two units with a capacity of 771,000 megawatts and 1.26 million megawatts were suspended in 2007 and 2009, respectively, for 30 years and 25 years.
These two units are boiling water reactors, which are different from the mainstream pressurized water reactors in Germany.
Germany ’ s non-nuclear decision in 2000 was a pragmatic compromise that quelled the protests of anti-nuclear groups, kept the plant running smoothly, and provided the government with enough time to think about national energy policy.
An industrial leader reminded the government that reliable and affordable energy is an important part of Germany ’ s economic policy.
Opposition leaders in Congress said there was a chance they would change the decision.
The expectation of power companies is to increase the average operating year of all nuclear power units from 32 to 40 years, and then to 60 years depending on the situation of individual units.
● New opportunities brought about by the change
In September 2009, the new coalition government of the Christian Democrats and the Liberal Party announced plans to withdraw the "non-nuclear policy".
At this time, Germany still has 17 operational nuclear power units, but one is in a long-term state of decommissioning.
If all the units can be extended from the original agreed 32 years of operation to 60 years, it is estimated that the additional profit of the power company will be 100 billion euros, and the government must take a share, let alone 50 billion euros.
Financial negotiations took a year to complete.
The new nuclear policy allows for 40 years of operation (an additional 8 years) for units that were negotiated before 1980, and 14 years for units that were negotiated after 1980.
The government pays dividends on the extension of nuclear power plants to the national treasury under various taxes, donations and surcharges.
For example, the tax on nuclear fuel based on the weight of nuclear fuel used is increased to 2.3 billion euros per year, equivalent to 0.016 euros per kilowatt-hour.
In order to supplement the development of renewable energy, we will provide 300 million euros each in 2011 and 2012, 200 million euros each from 2013 to 2016, and 0.009 euros per nuclear power generation after 2016. The funds will also fund a recovery plan for a waste salt mine that is disposed of from nuclear waste.
Germany ’ s policy of abandoning nuclear energy has officially turned a corner.
• Planning does not change
On March 15, 2011, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that the new nuclear energy policy adopted only four months ago was suspended for three months. At the same time, seven units that had been negotiated before 1980 were immediately shut down. This represents a decrease of 8,336 MW, or 6.4% of the total installed capacity.
In May 2011, the German regulatory authority issued a statement saying that after various assessments, all German nuclear power units are in good condition and there are no concerns about their safety.
Despite this, the German government announced on May 30 that under pressure from anti-nuclear local governments, it will return to its original non-nuclear policy and close all nuclear power plants by 2022. At the end of June and July 8, the German House of Representatives and the Senate respectively passed decrees to expand wind power generation in response to the shutdown of nuclear power plants, while agreeing to build coal-fired power plants and gas plants without changing carbon reduction targets.
In order to solve the problem of insufficient baseload power after the nuclear power plant is stopped, electricity will be imported from France, Russia and Poland.
It ’ s all about non-nuclear policy.
Some nuclear power plants have been forced to shut down, but the nuclear power plants that continue to operate still have to pay various heavy taxes according to the 2011 revision of the Atomic Energy Law. Tax rebates of €6.3 billion between 2011 and 2016 and the suspension of tax on nuclear fuel.
The nuclear fuel tax was abolished at the end of 2016. In order to avoid the nuclear fuel tax, the fuel exchange time of five German units was postponed to January 2017, and a total of 8 billion kWh of power generation was lost from mid-December to the end of February 2016.
After 10 years of litigation, the government reached a settlement with four power companies for a total amount of 4.8 billion euros.
This amount of money is the most direct price of policy repetition.
In response to nuclear waste, in order to maintain a stable power supply, the huge investment in power generation and transmission systems is a heavier burden on society.
In May 2011, the German power grid department warned that the closure of nuclear power plants will lead to insufficient baseload power generation capacity, and renewable energy generation facilities are scattered, and renewable energy rich areas and power consumption areas are at a distance, requiring transmission networks.
The lack of power transmission capacity will make the grid fragile and unreliable, and the stability of the grid is facing great challenges. In May 2012, Germany announced a 10-year plan to expand and strengthen the grid, with a total of 26 transmission projects, with a total investment of 10 billion euros.
Germany calls the policy of increasing the proportion of renewable energy generation and phasing out nuclear energy as Energiewende (energytransition), an appropriate translation is also our slogan, "energy transition"!
For the public, the direct cost of the energy transition is that household electricity prices are the second highest in Europe and the highest in Denmark.
According to statistics, in December 2021, the price of domestic electricity in Germany was 80% higher than that of France.
Electricity prices in Germany
The electricity market in Germany is completely liberalized, and power companies sell electricity generated by various forms of electricity generation in the wholesale market. The price of electricity in the wholesale market is open information, which allows power companies to obtain electricity from the wholesale market and transmit it to consumers through the electricity network.
Taxes paid by different types of consumers are also different.
Due to various measures to reward renewable energy, distorting the market mechanism, the German wholesale electricity price is lower than other countries, and sometimes even negative, 298 hours of wholesale electricity price is negative in 2019 and 139 hours in 2021.
The average wholesale price of electricity in the German electricity market is 0.03767 euros / kWh in 2019, 0.03047 euros / kWh in 2020, and 0.09685 euros / kWh in 2021. The average price in the first half of the year is 0.054 euros / kWh, rising to 0.1380 euros / kWh in the second half of the year.
As shown in the attached figure, the Russian-Ukrainian war caused a surge in gas prices, which had a huge impact on electricity prices in Germany; in July 2022, the high price of 0.3153 euros per degree was 6.4 times that of January 2019!
The price of electricity for domestic or small commercial use in Germany is very high.
Look at the price structure of electricity for German households.
Germany ’ s household electricity price in 2006 was 0.1946 euros per kWh. It rose to 0.3216 euros per kWh in 2021, and has reached 0.3714 euros in 2022. In 2021, more than half of Germany ’ s household and small business electricity price burden came from additional taxes or fees due to energy policies. 16% is a sales tax, 20% of the renewable energy surcharge is paid to the renewable energy industry, 6% of the electricity tax (also known as the ecological tax), and there are three smaller surcharges.
If so, why not in the first place?
In 2010, Germany had 17 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of more than 20 million megawatts, accounting for about 15% of the total installed capacity. In 2010, the total generation capacity was 133 billion kWh, accounting for about 25% of the total generation capacity. At the end of 2011, there were 9 nuclear power units with a total installed capacity of 12 million megawatts.
Compared to 1990, the total installed capacity was 1.3 times, but the power generation increased by only 11%.
Wind and photovoltaics account for nearly half of the installed capacity, but only 28% of the generation.
Nuclear power plant capacity accounted for only 4.1%, but power generation accounted for 12.4%. In 2021, three nuclear power units were shut down, and there are only three units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 4.055 million megawatts, accounting for less than 2%, and the total power generation may be about 6%. Can the economy afford to shut down the remaining three nuclear plants in 2022?
According to a news report on August 18, "Germany is facing an energy shortage crisis this winter and has planned to delay the closure of the country's last three nuclear power plants."
The decision has not yet been formally adopted by Prime Minister Bernard Shaw and may need to be passed by parliament. Details are still being discussed and a cabinet resolution will have to wait weeks for an energy demand assessment to come out, but officials believe the results are already known, according to three officials.
According to online data, Germany has eight decommissioned units that have not been in service for 40 years, and if the international consensus is that nuclear power units can be used for at least 60 years, the extension of these units can significantly reduce the dependence on imported natural gas.
It remains to be seen whether the shift in German nuclear policy will extend to these eight units.
● Other Mountain Stone
Looking at Taiwan ’ s electricity situation, the schedule summarizes Taiwan ’ s electricity data for 2019 and 2021, which can be compared with Germany ’ s data for 2019. Germany ’ s total installed capacity and total power generation in 2019 are 4.1 times and 2.2 times that of Taiwan, respectively.
The average capacity factor for electrical equipment in Germany is 30% and in Taiwan it is 56%.
Renewable energy cannot generate electricity all the time, and when the installed capacity is large, the average capacity factor will be low.
But there are other factors, in 2019, Germany ’ s natural gas installation capacity of 46 million megawatts, generating 90.8 billion kWh; Taiwan is 17.57 million megawatts and 91.2 billion kWh; the installed capacity is only 38% of Germany ’ s, but the power generation is equivalent.
Germany ’ s electricity grid is part of the European continent ’ s electricity grid, and data can be found on the network. In 2020, Germany exported 66.39 billion kWh of electricity and imported 48.05 billion kWh. About 20% of Germany ’ s domestic electricity production is exchanged with other countries.
If the exchange is not possible, it is necessary to abandon electricity when the amount of renewable energy generation exceeds the amount of electricity used or the capacity of the grid; when the renewable energy generation is insufficient, more dispatchable units are needed.
Renewable energy generation must be coupled with a power generation facility that can be scheduled, so that the power grid can be stable.
When the capacity of renewable energy installations is large, the capacity of the installations with the power generation facilities that can be adjusted will also increase.
The average capacity factor of German natural gas units is only 15%.
In other words, Germany ’ s natural gas unit is idle 85% of the time, isn ’ t that the cost of renewable energy?
When renewable energy must have a total installed capacity of 12.7 million megawatts (54.8%) of renewable energy (wind, light, water, and waste) with a capacity of 255.1 billion kWh (41.9%); the installed capacity is 16.3 times that of Taiwan ’ s 7.8 million megawatts in 2019, and the power generation capacity is 16.8 times that of Taiwan ’ s share is only 5.6%. Degrees.
From the number of renewable energy generation, Taiwan really can not be compared with Germany, but can we really develop to the realm of Germany?
Germany ’ s territory covers an area of 357,622 square kilometers, 9.9 times Taiwan ’ s 35,980 square kilometers.
Simply estimate the amount of renewable energy generated per square kilometer of land in Germany is only 1.7 times that of Taiwan.
In other words, if Taiwan ’ s renewable energy development can be as good as Germany ’ s, our renewable energy generation capacity can be doubled again! Is that enough? What does the rest rely on? Petrified fuels? Taiwan ’ s use of fossil fuels for power generation is 82.0% in 2019 and 83.3% in 2021. What should we do about the reduction of greenhouse gases? Energy can be developed, hydrogen is an energy carrier, not energy, that is, hydrogen production still depends on other sources of energy.
The Germans can ’ t take the risk, we don ’ t see it.
Germany's nuclear energy policy is all caused by natural gas, on the one hand, the source is cut off, on the other hand, the natural gas shortage caused by the soaring price of fossil fuels.
Fossil fuels account for 46.3% of Germany ’ s electricity generation, and the rise in wholesale electricity prices has been alarming. The German government has revised its nuclear energy policy once again in order to spread the risk of excessive reliance on natural gas.
In Taiwan, fossil fuel power generation accounted for 83.3% in 2021, can the impact on electricity prices be lighter than in Germany?
You can't see that Taiwan Power Company is expected to have a loss of 200 billion yuan this year, and CNOOC is also in the tens of billions!
The government is afraid to adjust the price of electricity and natural gas for fear of affecting the election.
A few days ago, the media reported that the government has compiled a budget to directly eliminate the deficit.
Do they still have the law in their eyes?
If the government respects the results of the 2018 referendum on nuclear and green energy, and four years ago it began to promote the renewal of the licenses of the four nuclear companies to transfer and operate China's power plants, Taiwan will pay a lot less in this wave of soaring fossil fuel prices.
A while ago, the military exercise across the strait, it can be seen that it is rehearsing to block Taiwan, if it is really blocked in the future, our natural gas stocks can stand for a few days! Our government seems to be old in the ground is not proper, still clinging to the god of the non-nuclear homeland, refusing to open their eyes to see the latest international energy trends.
After Germany abandoned its non-nuclear policy, the only countries in the world that have used nuclear energy, only Taiwan has a non-nuclear timetable, China, the United States, France, Japan, South Korea and India, etc., are building or planning new nuclear power plants.
The Taiwanese government should wake up.
Those who pretend to sleep cannot wake up, so let us spit on those who stand in line with those who pretend to sleep!
With the election looming, let ’ s ask the candidates whether they support nuclear power?
If not, ask him to tell you where Taiwan's energy policy should go, how Taiwan meets the requirements of international carbon reduction, what to do when Taiwan is short of power, and who pays when electricity prices surge? (The author is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering and Systems Science, National Tsing Hua University)
※ The above statements do not represent the position of Wangzhong Media Group ※
# Germany # Unit # Electricity # Euro # Nuclear

To integrate rising renewables, Germany is expanding the grid via 26 transmission projects such as the 700‑km Suedlink line due in 2028, alongside major investments by TenneT and Amprion.

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In the north of Germany began the implementation of a large-scale energy project
Daniil Sotnikov
September 11, 2023
The Suedlink line will transport electricity from wind farms in the north of Germany to the south to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
https: / / p.dw.com / p / 4WDXL
In the north of Germany in the state of Schleswig-Holstein began construction of a power grid as part of a large-scale energy project SuedLink, AFP reported on Monday, September 11.
According to the plan, the Suedlink line will transport electricity from wind farms on the North Sea coast in Schleswig-Holstein for a distance of 700 kilometers through Lower Saxony, Hesse and Thuringia to Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
Suedlink plans to lay two parallel power lines underground.
"Thanks to Suedlink, the south of Germany will be able to benefit in the future from a large amount of wind power from the north," German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at the launch ceremony.
It is expected that the transportation of energy from north to south along this route will begin in 2028.
Work on laying cables under the Elbe has begun
In Schleswig-Holstein, the cables will be laid under the Elbe.
It is planned to build a pedestrian tunnel with a length of more than five kilometers and a diameter of about four meters.
According to Habek, the passage under the Elbe is likely to be the most technically difficult section of the planned power transmission route.
The entire route is designed for a capacity of four gigawatts, which corresponds to about ten percent of Germany ’ s electricity needs, AFP notes.
Suedlink was originally scheduled to be operational in 2022, but plans to lay cables over the ground have faced protests from locals and politicians, especially in Bavaria, and have been reconsidered.
The current line is much more expensive: the amount of investment is 10 billion euros, writes AFP.
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Without gas there will be no wind power?
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Content: TenneT lines up 8 bln-euro credit ahead of German operations sale

AMSTERDAM, June 14 (Reuters) - Electric grid operator TenneT Holding (IPO-TTH.AS) said on Wednesday it has signed an 8 billion euro ($8.63 billion) credit facility to support its spending plans as it awaits a deal to sell its German operations to the German state.

TenneT, owned by the Dutch state, expects to invest more than 100 billion euros in the coming decade to build out infrastructure in Germany, the Netherlands and in the North Sea to support the growing use of renewable energy.

Governments of the two countries have said they hope to agree a deal on the sale of TenneT Germany this summer and close a deal by the end of 2023, though talks have been going slowly.

TenneT, which had a debt-heavy balance sheet of 38.5 billion euros at the end of 2022, in March estimated equity needs at its German arm of 15 billion euros and of 10 billion euros at its Dutch arm.

The company said on Wednesday a "deal would enable the creation of two strong national players, controlled and funded by their respective governments."

TenneT said the 2.5-year facility is provided by BNP Paribas, ABN AMRO, BNG, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, ING, Rabobank, Santander, SMBC Nikko, and UniCredit.

($1 = 0.9271 euros)

($1 = 0.9268 euros)

Reporting by Toby Sterling, Editing by Louise Heavens and Sharon Singleton

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Content: Prysmian signs record $5.4 billion of deals with Germany's Amprion

Credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC

Adds Amprion context

ROME, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Italy's Prysmian PRY.MI, the world's largest cablemaker, signed three contracts with Amprion worth 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion), the two groups said on Thursday, in the latest deals in a major expansion of Germany's power grid.

Prysmian said the three deals - for two offshore grid connection systems and an underground cable project - represented its biggest package deal ever in value and in kilometres.

They are part of Germany's plan to install 70 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy by 2045 and will support the transmission of energy generated in the North Sea to consumers in the western and southern regions of the country, the joint statement said.

Amprion, one of Germany's four high-voltage power transmission network operators, is 25.1% owned by RWE RWEG.DE, Germany's biggest electricity producer, while the remaining stake is owned by a consortium including Munich Re MUVGn.DE, Swiss Life SLHN.S and Talanx TLXGn.DE.

Like its peers, Amprion is planning major investments in Germany's grid expansion to make sure it can cope with the strong increase in renewable energy installations.

Amprion has earmarked around 22 billion euros in spending by 2027.

The deals with Prysmian include 3,400 kilometres of land cables and 1,000 km in submarine cables.

Shares in the company were up 5.3% at 43.19 euros apiece at 0935 GMT following the announcement.

"The three contracts with Amprion are an important milestone for Prysmian as they underline once again the trusting cooperation between the two companies," Hakan Ozmen, EVP Prysmian Transmission Division, said in the statement.

Hendrik Neumann, CTO of Amprion, said its deal with Prysmian was "essential" to achieving the group's offshore expansion targets and key for the three important energy transition projects.

($1 = 0.9320 euros)

(Reporting by Giulia Segreti; Additional reporting by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Jason Neely and Sharon Singleton)

((Giulia.Segreti@tr.com; +39.06.80307714;))

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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The energy‑only market is being complemented with a technology‑neutral capacity market in which storage can participate, and 4‑hour batteries can substitute for thermal capacity with high reliability.

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Content: Battery storage on a capacity market

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Why a German capacity market?

With the German Kraftwerksstrategie, which also includes the agreement of a technology-independent capacity market, the German government is focusing on ensuring a fully renewable electricity system. The capacity market uses long-term contracts for available generation capacity (paid in €/kW) to ensure that there is sufficient energy available at every hour of the year to meet demand even in rare exceptional cases. One thing is certain: with increasing shares of renewable energies and the coal phase-out, controllable generators and storage systems are needed to keep production and consumption in balance. A recently published study by Frontier Economics shows that battery storage can reduce the need for gas-fired power plants in Germany by 9 GW, saving billions in construction and operating costs for 18 additional power plants and emissions of up to 6.2 million tons of CO2.

International experience in Belgium, the UK, Poland and Italy

Capacity markets have been successfully introduced in various European countries in recent years. After the UK took the lead in 2014, central capacity markets have been implemented in Belgium, Italy, Poland and Ireland. In Spain, a capacity market is currently in the legislative process. In the EU, the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) sets the framework for the use of capacity mechanisms, while the final decision on this rests with the Member States and the European Commission.

The design of the capacity markets in the various European countries is therefore subject to a similar structure: in a central annual auction, a fixed amount of capacity is demanded by a central authority, similar to the transmission system operator in the UK and Poland. This capacity can be offered, for example, by power plants, storage facilities or through demand response.

The capacity markets in the UK and Belgium, for example, follow this central principle (see table). In contrast, the French model, in which the capacity in demand is procured in a decentralized manner and in which the individual energy suppliers are obliged to purchase capacity certificates from power plants and other electricity producers, has not yet been able to establish itself.

The annual auctions take place four years (T-4) or one year (T-1) in advance of the start of the respective contract term. The term of the capacity contracts ranges from one year for existing plants to 15 to 17 years for new plants. This is meant to provide the latter with the necessary investment security over the financing period of the project.

During the term of the contract, all plants receive a fixed remuneration per megawatt per year based on the auction result. In return, they must be available during this period and are subject to certain physical or financial requirements depending on the structure of the respective market. Emission limits stipulate that coal-fired power plants and other plants with high CO2 emissions cannot participate in the capacity markets. This can also create incentives for natural gas power plants to switch to hydrogen.

Key points of a successful German capacity market

In order to avoid risks of mismanagement, misincentives and unnecessary costs, a well-thought-out and efficient capacity market design is essential. This can, for example, avoid the risk of so-called windfall profits going to power plants that do not need support or of power plants being artificially kept alive that would otherwise be eliminated from the market.

Experience from the capacity markets already implemented in Europe shows that the capacity market design to be created for Germany must take the following key aspects into account to be successful: firstly, the derating factor, secondly, the handling of plant availability and refinancing, and thirdly, the local distribution of the participating plants. The contract terms and auction horizons as well as options for mapping plant degradation and, finally, the choice of auction format between “pay-as-bid” or “pay-as-cleared” are also important.

DescriptionGreat BritainIrelandItalyPolandBelgium
Auction frequencyYearly auctionsYearly auctions~Yearly auctionsYearly auctionsYearly auctions
Planning period4 years (T-4) Main auction

1 year (T-1) top-up

4 years (T-4)

1 year (T-1) or 2 years (T-2)

Up to 4 years (T-4) Mother auction

Up to 3 years (T-3) Adjustment auction

5 years (T-5)

1 year (T-1) Supplementary auction

4 years (T-4)

1 year (T-1)

Contract duration15 years (T-4)

1 year (T-1)

10 years (new builds T-4)

1 year (existing, T-1 or T-2)

15 years (new builds)

1 year (existing capacities)

17 years (new and low emissions)

1 year (existing units)

15 years (new), 8 years (retrofit), 1 year (existing)
SettlementPlants in CM are paid a clearing price (£/MW) per yearPlants receive a yearly Premium (£/MW or €/MW) per yearPlants receive a yearly Premium (€/MW) per yearPlants receive a yearly Premium (€/MW) per yearPlants receive a yearly Premium (€/MW) per year
Total Auctioned Capacity43.9 GW7.2 GW65 GW7 GW1.5 GW
Auction clearingPay-as-clearPay-as-clearPay-as-clearPay-as-clearPay-as-bid
BESS Capacity participation in CM1.1 GW35 MW1.1 GW1.7 GW404 MW
First Capacity Auction

First Capacity Auction with BESS participation

Auction 2014; Delivery 2018/2019

Auction 2017; Delivery 2021/2022

Auction 2018; Delivery 2022/2023

Auction 2020; Delivery 2024/2025

Auction 2019; Delivery 2022/2023

Auction 2020; Delivery 2023/2024

Auction 2018; Delivery 2021(existing) 2023 (New)

Auction 2022; Delivery 2027

Auction 2021; Delivery 2025/2026

Auction 2021; Delivery 2025/2026

Derating factor

The derating factor enables the participation of different generation and flexibility options in the capacity market. It indicates what percentage of the nominal output of a particular technology is remunerated by the capacity market and thus serves, for example, to make the contribution of battery storage systems with different storage durations to system security comparable. Depending on the capacity and the selected operating mode, a storage system can provide a given output for different lengths of time (for example 2 hours, 4 hours, 8 hours).

Determining derating factors should be based on how likely it is that a particular technology will be available during the most critical bottleneck hours of a year or quarter. In “mature” or well-established capacity markets such as MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) in the USA, 4-hour batteries have been shown to be as reliable as gas or coal-fired power plants during the 3 percent (262 of 8,760) most critical bottleneck hours of a year, and have a derating factor of over 90%. The reason for this is that of the 262 most critical bottleneck hours, hardly more than 4 hours were consecutive, giving batteries time to recharge. In addition, batteries are less prone to failure than thermal power plants and have an availability advantage.

About the authors

Johannes Müller is a member of the German Green Party and the Committee on Economic Affairs and Innovation and the Committee on Environment, Climate and Energy.

Kilian Leykam is responsible for Aquila Clean Energy's storage investments in the EMEA region and has been working in the renewable energy sector since 2009. Before joining the Aquila Group in 2020, he was responsible for strategy and business development at Vattenfall Energy Trading.

Lennard Wilkening is co-founder and CEO of Suena, a software-based flexibility trading company that offers optimization and trading services for large-scale energy storage and renewable energies.

Elena Müller works as Founders Associate & Communications Manager at Suena, where she focuses on energy policy, the energy transition and the role of energy storage in the energy transition.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.

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Battery storage is scaling in households and industry, with 20–30% annual growth in residential systems and strong consumer interest in self‑consumption.

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Content: Residential solar value after sunset

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From Huawei 2021 Special Edition

Few people with knowledge of what will be required for an economy-wide transition to renewable energy doubt that battery energy storage will play a key role in the energy system of the future. But what is needed and what is wanted from end consumers can often be very different things. As such, the adoption of residential energy storage systems in homes and small businesses has been patchy, even among leading rooftop solar marketplaces.

There are an increasing number of drivers for residential battery storage systems each year. But they do differ from market to market. The picture is a complex one, based on public policy, subsidies, grid characteristics, electricity pricing and market structures – to name but a few. Add to this the way in which consumer preferences vary from market to market, and the complexity in battery adoption drivers is notable.

Inside the market

Despite this complexity, the key drivers for residential battery storage adoption can be summarized as follows:

  1. Use of “own electrons”: This is both a financial and an “emotional” driver, and is often described by the somewhat unsettling moniker of maximizing “self-consumption.” In markets where there is a sizable gap between the feed-in tariff received for rooftop PV sent back into the grid and the retail rate for electricity consumed in the home, this delta provides a financial incentive for energy storage. There is also an emotional aspect to this, in that consumers want to use “their” solar electrons, generated on their own rooftops. Relatively good levels of self-consumption can be achieved using load shifting and other smart devices. However, there is a threshold to the efficacy of such measures, which can only be overcome through the installation of a battery storage product.
  2. Provision of backup power: When the lights go out, many households are severely impacted. Outages can cause particular disruption when fridges and freezers go out of function with the loss of grid power, and losses to household communications and entertainment can be inconvenient at best and dangerous at worst. When this is coupled with an increase in extreme weather events, the smooth provision of electricity to a household or small business by virtue of a residential battery system can be a very attractive prospect. Of course, local environmental and grid factors play a major role here, and in places where the grid is particularly robust, such as Germany, backup power is less of a driver for consumers. However, in some key battery storage marketplaces, such as the United States and Australia – two geographically large and developed economies where power outages still feature – the provision of backup power can be a compelling value proposition for homeowners and businesses.
  3. Contributing to the energy transition: As an increasing number of households see and even experience the impacts of climate change, they feel compelled to make a contribution. Taking control of your energy supply and consumption is one way of doing so, and a battery energy storage system provides an unprecedented opportunity to do so. Distributed battery systems also become more important in terms of grid stability and the ability of electricity distribution networks to absorb very high levels of rooftop PV – itself a necessary feature of a 100% green energy system. As such, residential batteries are likely to play an increasingly important role in the creation of a clean energy future at the distribution network level, and are an important way in which households can play an active role in averting catastrophic climate change.

Consumer drivers

These and other drivers for residential battery storage system adoption play out on the macro level – across various distributed battery marketplaces around the world – but in each market there are discrete versions, each with more tangible value propositions. A household in Vietnam desires backup power, but for different reasons to a consumer in the United States. For an Australian household, the need for a battery may be closely linked to solar feed-in-tariff structures, while in Belgium, existing subsidies provide a significant driver.

Consumers place varying levels of importance not only on the value proposition, but on attributes offered by an ESS supplier. These include brand recognition and trusted service, and extend to size and ease of installation, battery chemistry, and issues linked to the sustainability of the materials. And safety cannot be ignored, as is evident in Germany, where households want to be sure the battery in their basement is “as safe as houses.”

The following three case studies provide insights into the wider drivers and in particular, customer choices in key residential battery storage marketplaces.

Germany: Optimizing energy costs

Germany has long had a strong market for residential energy storage systems, and with thousands of rooftop PV installations in the country reaching the end of their feed-in-tariff agreements in the next few years, strong growth is expected to continue. Installers are forecasting 20-30% year-on-year growth for the market in 2021.

Local distributor Wagner Solar has been working with Huawei’s latest battery offering, the LUNA2000 solution, for several months already and sees this product as a strong value prospect for the German market.

“We believe that the Huawei LUNA2000 solution is closing a gap. We now have one system by one manufacturer which makes service and support easier for the installer and end customer,” says Stefan Rösch, product manager at Wagner Solar. “Huawei’s brand awareness in the consumer business and their reputation for constant innovation in the solar space, makes it easy to place in the German market.”

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Rösch points to a recent report published by EUPD Research that found 79% of end customers in Germany want to increase consumption of their self-generated electricity. Taking a system installed in the western German town of Schermbeck, as an example – where a 10 kWh LUNA2000 battery system accompanies Huawei SUN2000-8KTL-M1 inverters and 20 x 400 W PV modules, along with 12 x 450 Wp optimizers – he explains: “The typical customer in Germany has recently built or renovated their own house, and constantly optimizing their energy costs is a very important factor. So the main motivator to install a battery storage system is still electricity self-sufficiency. The LUNA2000 energy storage by Huawei makes this possible as it also includes optional backup power.”

Belgium: Storage subsidy leader

Belgium is among the first countries to offer a subsidy for the installation of residential energy storage systems. At up to €300/kWh, the scheme promises to reduce the payback period from seven to four years. “Without the LUNA battery the energy self-consumption for residential rooftop PV averages about 15%, and unused power is sold to the grid for 0.04 cents,” explains Robin Maes, founder of local installer MR Solar. “After installing the battery, the owner can raise self-consumption to 65-75% and use stored energy at night instead of buying at 0.25 cents.”

Maes expects similar subsidy models to be adopted across Europe in the near future, as more regions and system owners realize the added value of self-consumption. “Homeowners with solar systems need to store energy for use later into the evening,” he explains. “There is no time to waste energy by feeding it into the grid.”

MR Solar has chosen Huawei for several residential projects in Belgium, including one in the town of Beerse. Here a 10 kWh LUNA battery system was added to a solar installation already operating with Huawei three-phase inverters. And as demand for residential energy storage picks up, MR Solar expects Huawei to remain a key player in the industry and in successful installations. “Huawei FusionSolar provides an all-in-one solution – one service center for all your questions and warranty concerns, one energy storage solution, one inverter fits grid & backup operations, one optimizer, and one software to monitor your solar system,” Maes explains. “Together with easy plug and play installation, this brings great benefit to installer and home owner.”

Vietnam: Rooftop PV powerhouse

Vietnam has seen an unprecedented boom in rooftop solar recently, with installations in 2020 amounting to more than 9 GWp. In Ho Chi Minh City alone, local installer Red Sun Company estimates there are more than 200,000 houses with suitable rooftop conditions for solar, as well as a wealth of office buildings, apartment blocks, supermarkets, traditional markets, hospitals, schools and more.

Benny Diep, director of Red Sun Company, cites multiple reasons for Vietnam’s rooftop solar boom, in particular rising electricity prices, falling solar installation costs, and strong public awareness of both the benefits of residential solar and the need for environmental protection and emissions reduction.

Meanwhile, rising energy demand, falling feed-in-tariff rates and concern over grid constraints mean that adding energy storage is an increasingly attractive proposition in the country’s rooftop PV sector. “Vietnam’s energy consumption continues to grow as the economy recovers from the pandemic. Meanwhile, we have seen the PV market explode since 2020 to support this growth,” says Diep. “It is a great opportunity to start focusing on self-consumption and the application of energy storage solutions.”

To demonstrate the advantages afforded by incorporating energy storage into residential solar, Diep points to a 7.37 kW PV system Red Sun installed in Ho Chi Minh City, featuring Huawei’s Smart Energy controller, Smart String Energy Storage System and optimizers. The system was shown to generate 995 kWh per month on average, and the installer estimates the customer will recover their costs in less than five years.

Using Huawei optimizers to control shading impact increases the system’s energy yield by 15%-30% and allows modules with different capacities to be integrated in one string. the Smart String ESS is capable of 100% discharge, can charge from the grid, and means the system can provide power 24 hours a day: increasingly valuable for consumers in Vietnam concerned about rising prices. “The price of electricity after 400 kWh is very high,” explains Diep. “Therefore, solar power users want to be able to store electricity generated during the day to use at night, minimizing the amount of electricity used from the grid.”

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Hydrogen is a central pillar, with plans to spend €20 billion by 2027, build a 10,000 km hydrogen pipeline by 2032, and reach 10 GW of domestic electrolysis capacity by 2030 backed by schemes like H2Global.

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Content: Monolith receives conditional approval for a $1B loan from DOE
NASA selects four university teams for aviation projects; eliminating emissions and autonomy research

Germany approves €900M for green hydrogen project H2Global

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWi) has approved €900 million for the innovative funding instrument H2Global. The aim of the project is to advance the international market ramp-up of green hydrogen and to use double-auction procedures for this purpose. This means that hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives are bought cheaply on the world market and sold at the highest bid in the EU.

Green hydrogen plays a central role in the transformation of our economy. In the future, we will have a high demand for green hydrogen and will also need imports in addition to production in Germany. Therefore, we are already starting the international ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and building long-term value creation and supply chains through the H2Global instrument.

—Robert Habeck, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection

The core idea of H2Global is a double-auction model: Hydrogen or hydrogen derivatives are purchased in non-EU countries at the lowest possible price with 10-year contracts via a competitive process. The contracts are processed via the intermediary HINT.CO. HINT.CO is a subsidiary of the H2Global Foundation founded by the private sector. Through the intermediary, products are sold to German and European companies through short-term auctions at the highest possible price, which can thus drive their decarbonization.

Since the production price of green hydrogen is still relatively high in the current market ramp-up phase, HINT.CO is expected to pay more in purchasing than it can collect through sales. The resulting losses are compensated by the federal government’s grant for a maximum of 10 years. Over time, losses will decrease as the willingness to pay for sustainable energy sources will increase in the foreseeable future.

The producers of renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives such as green ammonia, green methanol, and e-Kerosene wishing to participate in the tenders will have to strictly comply with the sustainability criteria for renewable hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives production, set by the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). They will also have to contribute to the deployment or financing of the additional renewable electricity needed to supply the electrolyzers producing hydrogen under the scheme.

After the funding instrument was approved by the European Commission under state aid law on 12/20/2021, the first acceptance contracts under H2Global are to be concluded as early as 2022. The first deliveries of sustainable hydrogen-based energy sources to Germany and Europe are planned for 2024.

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Content: People 's Network > > International
German government adopts new national hydrogen energy strategy
July 27, 2023 20: 21 | Source: Xinhua Network
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Xinhua News Agency, BERLIN, July 27 (Reporter Du Zheyu) The German government passed a new version of the National Hydrogen Energy Strategy on the 26th. The strategy said that by 2030, Germany 's leading position in hydrogen energy technology will be further improved, and the product supply will cover the whole value chain of hydrogen energy technology from production (such as electrolyzer) to various applications (such as fuel cell technology).
According to the new National Hydrogen Energy Strategy, it is expected that by 2030, Germany's hydrogen energy demand will reach 130 terawatt hours (TWh), of which 50% to 70% need to be imported, and the German government is formulating the relevant import strategy.
In addition, Germany also plans to significantly increase domestic electrolytic hydrogen capacity, plans to double the target of domestic electrolytic hydrogen capacity by 2030, from 5 gigawatts (GW) to at least 10 gigawatts (GW).
Germany will also build an efficient hydrogen energy infrastructure, with plans to retrofit and build more than 1,800 km of hydrogen pipelines by 2027 / 2028.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Climate Protection Robert Halbeck said in a statement on the 26th: "Investing in hydrogen energy is investing in our future, it is investing in climate protection, employment and energy supply security." Sustainable development.
The German government plans to invest 9 billion euros to promote the production and use of hydrogen energy in 2020. In 2021, the German Federal Ministry of Economy and Energy and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research issued the "Guidelines for Funding International Hydrogen Energy Projects" to promote the construction of overseas hydrogen energy projects. Promote multilateral cooperation on hydrogen energy.
(Editor: Cui Yue, Zhang Yue)
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Content: There were 1,584 press releases posted in the last 24 hours and 428,843 in the last 365 days.

Four questions for Germany’s big hydrogen power plan

The German government is proposing to invest billions of euros to support the roll-out of a wave of hydrogen-fired power plants. This is part of a move to phase-out coal plants and to deploy large volumes of wind and solar generation.

Details of the hydrogen plan – the Kraftwerksstrategie or KWS – became available on 5 February through a press release from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action 1 , which confirmed government agreement on the scheme. The plan is now subject to the approval of the European Commission and negotiations with the German parliament.

The planned hydrogen subsidies would have a transformative impact on both the German and European electricity markets. But discussions on the plans during 2023 were the privilege only of those inside ministries. Given the importance of these plans, the lack of public debate or transparency so far, especially at European level, is concerning.

In this context, and to inform the debate that will now start, we pose four questions: Why hydrogen? What are the ramifications for the European market? Where in Germany? By when should coal be phased out?

An unprecedented transformation of the German electricity system

Germany wants 80 percent of domestic electricity generation to be renewable by 2030, up from 44 percent in 2022 2 . Specifically, this involves reaching an installed generation capacity of 215 gigawatts solar, 110 GW onshore wind and 30 GW offshore wind by 2030, more than doubling existing capacities in the next six year 3 .

Germany’s governing coalition must also decide whether to bring forward the legally-specified coal phase-out date from 2038 to 2030. Bringing it forward would imply replacement of an additional 17 GW of lignite and coal plants by 2030 4 , on top of 13 GW of plants already scheduled for shut down.

All this means restructuring the electricity system at unprecedented speed. To accompany variable renewables, the deployment of clean-generation capacity that can smooth fluctuations in renewable output – both intra-day and across seasons – is necessary. However, exactly how much new capacity is required, and from which technology, is not clear.

What does Germany aim to do? Principles and compromises

The main thrust of the power plant strategy is to provide subsidies for hydrogen-fired power plants. The German government sees these plants as replacements for coal-fired plants that will shut down, and as complements to variable renewable generation, most likely by helping to balance longer-term fluctuations in renewable output. This is consistent with the German government’s grander ambitions for hydrogen. Plans are being drawn up for a hydrogen pipeline network that will cover 10,000 km by 2032 5 , and up to €20 billion will be spent developing the hydrogen industry between 2024 and 2027 6 .

The government originally wanted to support three types of plant: 1) hydrogen sprinters, 2) hydrogen hybrid, and 3) hydrogen-ready. Sprinters are purpose-built turbines that would run on hydrogen from day one. Hybrids involve the co-location of hydrogen capabilities alongside solar PV or onshore wind, which could even out the electricity sent to the power grid 7 . Hydrogen-ready plants would be plants with gas-fired turbines, and a requirement to provide a detailed roadmap showing how they will switch to hydrogen no later than 2040.

In August 2023, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action said it had completed negotiations with the European Commission over provision of state aid to these three types of plant 8 . Plans were drawn up to subsidise 4.4 GW of sprinters, 4.4 GW of hybrid plants, and up to 15 GW of hydrogen-ready plants. A first tender was intended for December 2023.

However, like so much of Germany’s planned climate expenditure, this agreement was thrown into question by a November 2023 constitutional court ruling that COVID-19 debt allowances could not be rolled over into Germany’s Climate and Transformation Fund (Klima- und Transformationsfonds, KTF), on the basis that the rollover would breach government spending rules 9 . The KTF would have been the source of the originally-planned subsidies for three types of hydrogen plant.

Therefore, a compromise was worked out, culminating in the government’s 5 February announcement 10 . The government now plans to subsidise a lower volume of 10 GW hydrogen-ready turbines and has scrapped plans for the 8.8 GW combined sprinters and hybrids. A tender process will offer state support for the construction and operation of four natural gas-fired power plants. Bidders should draw up plans for transitioning to hydrogen between 2035 and 2040. The estimated cost is €16 billion 11 .

This would create a demand for hydrogen of 20 TWh annually once all plants are converted, assuming 1,000 running hours per year 12 . Demand of 20 TWh is significant but not disproportionate in the context of wider plans. Total German hydrogen demand today is 55 TWh, of which almost none is supplied as clean hydrogen produced using renewable electricity 13 . The German national hydrogen strategy sets a target for between 40 TWh and 75 TWh total clean hydrogen demand in 2030 (BMWK, 2023).

Until plants are converted to hydrogen, they will consume natural gas, again estimated at a 20 TWh annual consumption. This compares to typical annual German gas demand of 800 TWh, which will be substantially lower by 2030.

Read the full analysis at the original link.

About the authors

Ben McWilliams is working for Bruegel as an Affiliate fellow in the field of Energy and Climate Policy. His work involves data-driven analysis to critique and inform European public policy, specifically in the area of the energy sector and its decarbonisation.

Georg Zachmann is a Senior Fellow at Bruegel, where he has worked since 2009 on energy and climate policy. His work focuses on regional and distributional impacts of decarbonisation, the analysis and design of carbon, gas and electricity markets, and EU energy and climate policies.

After the nuclear exit, solar and wind capacity helped fill the 8.1 GW gap, but clean electricity generation still fell 5.6% in 2023.

Fossil generation declined by 21% in 2023, yet coal plants were also returned to service during winter supply squeezes.

Title:

Content: Germany will go to an unpopular measure for the sake of heat in the winter
The German authorities will return to work coal thermal power plants for the sake of uninterrupted power supply in the winter
The German government has decided to return to work several coal-fired thermal power plants (TPPs) in order to ensure uninterrupted power supply during peak periods of demand in the coming winter.
This is reported by Bloomberg.
We are talking about the permission to resume work at the stations owned by the energy companies RWE and LEAG.
As specified in the Ministry of economy and climate protection, this unpopular in the context of the desire of the German authorities to achieve zero carbon emissions measure should help the country to save natural gas and prevent interruptions in energy supplies during the heating season.
At the same time, experts warn that the decision of the Bundestag to return to work “dirty ” TPPs risks complicating the achievement of the country ’ s climate goals, including a complete abandonment of coal generation by 2030.
Since 2020, such energy facilities began to emit much more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
So, according to the Federal Agency for Environmental Protection, by the end of 2022, the volume of emissions of harmful substances approached the mark of 250 million tons, although a few years ago they were at the level of 209 million.
The return to operation of several German coal-fired power plants is associated with a sharp reduction in the supply of Russian energy resources, including pipeline gas.
This forced the German government to rely on burning coal to produce electricity.
The situation with the stability of power supply in the country is also affected by the phased decommissioning of the remaining nuclear reactors in Germany.
In the first half of July, Reuters reported on a number of challenges that the German authorities are at risk of facing on the way to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
For a more active transition to hydrogen energy, the country needs to lay 1,800 kilometers of converted and new pipelines, which will require significant financial support from the German and European authorities.
However, even after that, Germany will have to import at least half of the required consumption rate of this type of fuel from abroad.
The good tape is deactivated.
Welcome to the real world.

Power prices surged, with electricity around 160% higher than in 2019, and energy costs strained manufacturers and long‑term planning.

Title:

Content: 11 Feb, 2024 13:59

German industry ‘moving abroad’ – Bild

A growing number of manufacturers are relocating operations outside the country, an industry lobby warns

One in three German manufacturers is considering moving production to other countries amid economic troubles, double the number recorded in 2022, Bild news outlet reported on Saturday, citing Siegfried Russwurm, the head of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

According to the report, among the latest firms planning to relocate is household appliance manufacturer Miele, which plans to cut 2,000 jobs in Germany and move 700 positions to its site in Poland. Heating manufacturer Viessmann had already moved 3,000 jobs to Poland.

Volkswagen said last year that it would build a new battery factory in the US, and BASF announced plans to invest €10 billion in a petrochemicals plant in China amid job cuts at its headquarters in Germany. French steel pipe manufacturer Vallourec shut down production in Germany in September last year, while tiremaker Michelin and its US rival Goodyear said they would also close their German plants by the end of 2025.

Russwurm says that a growing number of companies have reported that their “patience with Germany is at an end.” According to him, the slowdown in economic growth and high rates of inflation, especially with regard to energy, have resulted in less investment, and Berlin lacks a strategy to turn the situation around. This in turn leads to a gradual decline in manufacturing, he said, and while existing production lines may continue to operate for a while, “new ones are no longer being built in Germany.”

Many companies point to the high energy prices, which soared after Germany lost access to Russian natural gas in 2022, as one of the major causes of their problems. This was exacerbated by Berlin’s decision to phase out nuclear energy and coal and switch to renewables, which, according to Russwurm, put manufacturers working in Germany at a significant disadvantage compared to other industrialized nations.

“Nobody can say with any certainty today what our energy supply will look like in seven years’ time, and that’s why no one can say how high energy prices will be in Germany then. For companies that have to make investment decisions, that is absolutely toxic,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times earlier this week, adding that the government is making mistakes regarding its energy policy with its ambitious climate agenda, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and switch 80% of power output to wind and solar energy by 2030.

“Companies are saying they are finding it increasingly difficult to do any long-term planning. They have great doubts about continuing to invest in Germany under these conditions. The conditions are better elsewhere. And they’re going abroad,” Russwurm said.

For more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section

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The Russian‑Ukrainian war severely disrupted Germany’s energy supply, culminating in the loss of Russian pipeline gas in 2022 and a sharp rise in gas prices.

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Content: Germany in the Russo-Ukrainian War: the government should fight for democratic values, but energy can not be without Russia
Photo Credit: Reuters
What we want you to know is
Looking at the Ukrainian resistance to Russia for several weeks undefeated, the German government stated that it wants to fight for democratic values, and the price of aid to Ukraine is to counter Russia at all costs, but Germany's energy can not be without Russia, so far, although the German people have not fought war, it is a wound in the economy.
Written by Liu Wei-liang
German train station welcomes refugees and new Ukrainian students at school
The most visible yellow and blue signs of the Ukrainian flag in Germany are the various train stations, large and small, marked with the direction of registration.
Ukrainian residents could have come to Germany without a visa for 90 days, now the emergency of the war allows them to come to Germany to work immediately, without the need for refugees from other places to go through strict vetting.
Other refugees, such as those from Afghanistan or the Middle East who have come to Germany before they are recognized, will be deported the next day, even if they have vocational training, school or work.
Refugees from Ukraine also experience war in the same way as in the Middle East, where they can stay unconditionally for up to 90 days and guarantee visa extensions ranging from one to three years, with strong discrimination.
But even with Germany ’ s favorable conditions for accepting Ukrainian refugees, there are at least 370,000 Ukrainian refugees in Germany, most of whom are women and minors. More than a third believe that the war is short-lived and that they will return to Ukraine soon.
The Russian-Ukrainian war is a thousand miles away, and Germany has the past experience of receiving refugees. In the face of this wave of Ukrainian refugees, organizations and related institutions that have been engaged in volunteering for a long time have gradually been on the track, which seems to be in order.
Arriving at school early in the morning, I saw him sitting quietly in the class, dressed in a formal white shirt, as if deliberately to give him the feeling that the upper class family came to the class, compared to the original class of male classmates are dressed casually and simply, his appearance is dressed up by the adults.
All of a sudden, I thought that the teacher received a notice from the principal last weekend, asking the teacher to prepare three school bags and stationery supplies on the weekend, because gradually Ukrainian children will come to school, and these stationery will first let the teacher go to Zhang Luo.
I suddenly want to suggest to the teacher, why not ask the class, let the students home surplus stationery donated to help?
The teacher ’ s answer made me a little shocked, she said that the students in the class should not know that children from Ukraine are poor.
This student ’ s small body, obviously carrying heavy pressure, came to the second grade class, he did not smile, only obeyed the arrangements of the adults.
Two adult women brought him to the school class, one to translate and one to talk to the teacher.
He rubbed his hands, seemingly unaware of what was going to happen, and looked a little nervous.
After the teacher arranged for his classmates, he specially asked the German-Russian family student who had emigrated to Germany a few years ago to sit next to him as a translator.
Russian is the mother tongue of the classmates. The arrangement of translating Russian to Ukrainian students is definitely good, but it has also been heard that Ukrainian children are being bullied by Russian-speaking children.
It may be that the values formed by Putin ’ s inner declaration, received by families receiving Russian-language messages, differ greatly from those of Western countries.
The view of the German youth
Many of the millions of refugees from different religious backgrounds who have been accepted by young Germans over the past few years are no strangers to refugees from different countries, but these decisions are not in their hands.
This Russian-Ukrainian war came too suddenly, and it was impossible to think that a real war would break out in a place where they lived nearly 1,000 kilometers away. After all, such a war has been a long time ago.
The war has been very emotional for most young people, who are difficult to digest or face.
Because they could hardly believe that the outbreak of war was so close and real, many chose not to talk about it.
Some people think they have no ability to talk about how to talk, and ask them about the possibility of receiving Ukrainian people to live in their homes, and they shake their heads more.
Some people think that Putin is not trustworthy at all, and they are full of fear of war, but because of the busy routine of daily affairs, they also shift their fear and naturally fade away.
There are also a few who believe that the United States is most at fault, singling out Germany or the European Union for splitting up with Russia because of the geographical relationship between Europe and Russia, which is one and whose interests are closely related to each other.
It is necessary and natural that European countries should not be hostile to each other but complement each other ’ s needs because of their geographical relations and friendship with Russia.
And in recent years, the United States behind the promotion of Ukraine pro-NATO actions, is basically provoking Russia.
Anti-American young people believe that Ukraine should be completely neutral or preferably pro-Russian, which is the king of Europe ’ s common interests, because it can minimize Russia ’ s sense of crisis, which is the greatest security guarantee for Europe and Russia.
For young Germans who oppose Ukraine ’ s accession to NATO, it doesn ’ t matter that Ukraine is democratic or undemocratic. Germany and other European countries have good relations with Russia because of their interests.
In the eyes of these people, Germany is only a small brother of the United States, so it cannot fight for its own best interests and must sacrifice its own interests between the two great powers of the United States and Russia.
Of course, some of the more cosmopolitan and humane young people will think that although Germany has a crisis of livelihood, but because of the money, these floating problems can be solved, more seriously affected are those African countries that need to export Ukrainian agricultural products, because of the war their food may be severely reduced and the famine.
In addition, some people think that although the people around her began to tire of Ukraine for so long and let the people lose peace, but she is a citizen of the West, should not only pursue their own comfort and interests, but also should respect the determination of others to fight for freedom, and hope that more people will hear the voice of Ukraine and spend a little effort to understand what life under the dictatorship. She supported full support for Ukraine ’ s struggle, and even hoped that German troops would help Ukraine more.
The first two chancellors were pro-Russian and locked the German throat.
Germany in this Russian-Ukrainian war, of course, the biggest impact is natural gas and raw materials of oil, followed by electricity prices.
Since the start of the war, the price of natural gas has risen by a third the next day.
In addition to rising prices, the biggest worry is that there will not be enough gas since April without payment in rubles.
Now it is not the EU ’ s problem to hit Russia, but Russia can completely counter it.
If Russia does not continue to do so, there is no need to shoot any nuclear bombs, as long as the pipeline of natural gas is tightened, and never sent natural gas to Europe, then the serious loss of industrial shutdown, starvation and freezing of the European people.
The German people who wanted to oppose Putin had spontaneously initiated the power outage, which was simply made by some Westerners to look at themselves, and it felt as if they were standing with Ukraine, and in fact any anti-Russia was self-defeating, as ridiculous as a baby weaning itself off its mother ’ s milk.
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Berlin declared an “energy war” response with a €200 billion price‑cap package as recession risks mounted and manufacturing contracted.

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Germany declares ‘ energy war ’ with Russia
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SEPTEMBER
2022
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German Finance Minister Christian Linder warned on Thursday that Berlin was in an “energy war ” with Russia, while his government announced funds to cap energy prices.
“We find ourselves in an energy war linked to prosperity and freedom, ” Linder told reporters, noting that the new €200 billion fund to counter rising energy prices was“ a very clear response to Putin. ”
We are economically strong. ”
Germany plans to spend up to 200 billion euros ($195 billion) to help people and businesses keep up with rising energy prices.
Chancellor Olav Schulz said on Thursday that the government would reactivate the Economic Stability Fund (ESF), which was previously used during the global financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Russia ’ s decision to cut off natural gas to Europe and the recent leaks from Nord Stream 1 and 2 have shown that realistically no more energy supplies should be expected from Russia in the near future, ” he said.
Anticipate Depression
Germany ’ s leading economic institutes predicted on Thursday that Europe ’ s largest economy would enter recession next year due to persistently high energy prices.
Ifo, RWI, EWH and EFW report: “Germany ’ s economy will not be able to avoid recession next year. ”
A report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) predicts that Germany will enter a recession next year as Europe ’ s largest economy shrinks by 0.7 percent — down 2.4 percentage points from previous forecasts.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February, Germany has been suffering from a worsening energy crisis due to Russia cutting off gas supplies to Europe as a result of sanctions and counter-sanctions between the West and Moscow.
Nord Stream Crisis 1 and 2
Russia cut gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows entirely in August.
Moscow has blamed Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties in transporting gas to Europe.
The new Nord Stream 2 did not enter commercial operations, as Germany canceled its plan to use it to supply gas, a few days before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
Nord Stream 1 and 2 experienced a new crisis after gas spilled below sea level this week, leading to recriminations over who was behind what was described as “deliberate sabotage. ”
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Content: Schörz visits China _ Germany to protect the world 's largest auto market and get rid of the "sick man of Europe"?
Author: Law Baoxi
Published: Updated:
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrived in Shanghai on the 15th to continue his three-day visit to China, pointing out that Shanghai is the center of German manufacturing layout in China, and this trip highlights the potential of green technology cooperation between the two countries.
On the occasion of the German Chancellor ’ s visit to China, the financial director of the Siemens Group said that it will be difficult for German companies to get rid of their dependence on China, and it may take decades for local manufacturers to reduce their dependence on China.
These words not only reflect some of the recent challenges facing German enterprises, but also reveal some of the economic difficulties of the European power in recent years, and reveal some of the importance of this visit to China.
According to a survey released by the German Economic Institute (IW) earlier this month, one in three German companies is sceptical about the domestic economy this year.
Given geopolitical issues, a weak global economy, and interest rate factors weighing on demand for corporate goods and services across the country, their view of the outlook is negative and production is expected to decline this year.
Last month, major German economic institutions warned that Europe ’ s largest economy would grow by 0.1 percent this year and 1.4 percent next year.
Germany ’ s export-led economy, which relies heavily on global growth, is expected to slow to 2.4% this year, according to the World Bank.
However, there are regional differences in production expectations, with the proportion of companies expecting production increases and decreases in the south-east of Germany roughly the same in Sachsen and Freistaat Thüringen, while in the east in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt Sachsen-Anhalt and the Berlin region are the most pessimistic.
About 48% of companies in these regions expect production to decline this year, while 17% expect production to increase.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attends an event with students at Tongji University in Shanghai, China, on April 15.
(Reuters)
The above survey also shows that the German service sector is the only optimistic sector, with about 34% of service companies expecting to create jobs and increase investment.
The outlook for the industrial and construction sectors is particularly bleak, with 39% of companies saying their current performance is worse than a year ago, and only 18% saying their performance has improved.
This is another slight decline in expectations for 2024 since last fall ’ s survey.
It is worth noting that nearly 40% of industrial enterprises believe they will lay off workers and reduce investment.
“This means that Germany ’ s industrial base is increasingly crumbling, we ’ ve been in an investment crisis for too long, and politicians need to address it, ” said Michael Grömling, an economics expert at the German Economic Research Institute.
The Russian – Ukrainian War to Rebuild German Industry
In recent years, the German economy has fallen into a difficult time, mainly related to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
This severely cut off Germany ’ s cheap and vital gas supply after the war began, and allowed Europe ’ s largest economy to find itself a major laggard in the region ’ s economic engine.
Among them, energy-intensive industries, which were the driving force of the former economic powerhouse, have been languishing and have become a major test for the country.
The Russian-Ukrainian war had a serious impact on the German economy. On March 15, near the Ukrainian town of Bakmut, Ukrainian soldiers fired 120 mm mortar shells at Russian troops on the front line. (Reuters)
Some German renewable energy business owners believe that relying too much on Russia in the past may be a mistake that the country will regret forever, because the consequences of the energy crisis will permanently damage local industries.
Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG, one of Germany ’ s largest public utilities companies, explains: “As Germany relies on LNG imports, gas prices are structurally higher than in other European countries. ”
Before Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, 55% of Germany ’ s gas supply came from Russia.
Russia is also a major source of oil and coal imports.
Although Germany has managed to break away from most of its dependence on Russian gas, the country ’ s natural gas imports are expected to decline by 32.6% last year, mainly due to the cut-off of Russian supplies, according to the German energy regulator.
However, Germany ’ s energy supply remains highly dependent on other countries, which creates cost pricing issues for the struggling German economy, especially for local industries, where the impact is most pronounced and likely long-term.
After a 0.3% contraction last year, Germany is on the brink of a technical recession.
The German government lowered its target for this year ’ s GDP growth forecast from 1.3% to 0.2%, reflecting a gloomy outlook.
In addition, the German construction purchasing managers index (PMI) has been declining since the beginning of 2022, and the manufacturing sector has been declining since mid-2023.
“To make matters worse, the scope of the downturn is very broad, covering both capital goods and intermediate and consumer goods, ” said Cyrus de la Rubia, chief economist at Commerzbank Hamburg.
Germany, which used to be highly dependent on Russian natural gas, may now look like a big mistake, pictured, on September 30, 2022, the unused Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the German port of Mulkland.
(Reuters)
The situation has sparked debate about whether Germany can once again be considered the “sick man of Europe, ” a label that was often labeled as a result of domestic economic problems in the 1990s and early 2000s.
According to the latest ranking of the IMD World Competitiveness of the Lausanne School of Management in Switzerland, Germany ’ s position among the developed economies has been declining.
From 15th place in 2022 to 22nd place last year, all dimensions considered in the ranking deteriorated, including economic performance, business efficiency, government efficiency and infrastructure.
Is it true that the international status of Germany is also the basis for the general election?
In fact, with just over a year to go before the next national election, Schörtz has no time to create a miracle to reverse his government ’ s disastrous position in the eyes of the German public.
Some analysts believe that this three-day visit to China is his longest and most important visit since he took office at the end of 2021.
For the chancellor, whose approval ratings have been at record lows and who has been at loggerheads within the coalition, this visit is not only an opportunity to prove his international standing, but also an opportunity to show voters that he will protect the national interest and German business at all costs.
While Germany faces a wide range of growth challenges, from chronic shortages of skilled workers to overregulation, for some economists, the most serious problem is corporate and consumer pessimism.
“The German economy seems to be paralyzed, with low sentiment and high insecurity, ” said Timo Wollmerhäuser, an economist at the Ifo Institute, a leading German economic think tank.
Nearly 40% of Germany ’ s industrial companies believe they will lay off workers and cut investment, and Schorz hopes the visit will at least ensure German companies ’ prospects in the Chinese auto market.
(Reuters)
While there have been recent voices in Germany that Germany should take action to withdraw from China, a recent local study suggests that while a “decoupling ” from China would shrink the German economy by about 5%, it would be less different from the recession experienced after the 2008 financial crisis or the Covid-19 pandemic, and its impact“ would be brutal, not fatal. ”
This trend is particularly evident in the Green Party, which is critical of China.
Moritz Schularick, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), said, “Our country has enough resilience to deal with this extreme situation. ”
However, it is easy to know.
Some analysts believe that in the context of increasing geopolitical friction, industrial policies adopted by many countries in the world to distort and restrict trade to protect local industries, Germany's most important strategy is to focus on diversification, borrowing money to invest, and attract overseas investment, betting on European innovation.
It seems to run counter to this country ’ s strategy.
What ’ s more, at a time when the German economy was already in trouble, Schörtz simply couldn ’ t afford a further erosion of the country ’ s business ties with China.
From the current situation, Schorz hopes to use this visit to China to consolidate relations between the two countries at a delicate time when the United States and the European Union threaten to crack down on Chinese batteries, electric vehicles and other goods in the subsidy dispute, and ensure the prospects of German companies in the world's largest auto market.
After all, with the German economy in the doldrums, German companies urgently need more equitable access to the Chinese market.

Germany halted Nord Stream 2 certification and rapidly diversified via LNG, procuring floating terminals and new import sites while replacing Russia with Norway as its top gas supplier.

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Content: Wilhelmshafen (Germany): Germany ’ s most strategically important construction site is at the end of a dock on the North Sea coast where workers are constructing the country ’ s first LNG import terminal.
Starting in winter, the platform near the port of Wilhelmshaven will be able to supply the equivalent of 20 percent of the gas that was imported from Russia.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has cut gas supplies to Germany while two Nord Stream pipelines carrying huge amounts of gas passing through the Baltic Sea to Europe were damaged last week in what a Danish-Swedish report called “deliberate action. ”
Seeking alternative sources, the German government has spent billions on five projects similar to the one in Wilhelmshafen.
The new fleet is supposed to be able to handle a total amount of gas of about 25 billion cubic meters per year, which is roughly half the capacity of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
At the site in Wilhelmshaven, the half-finished sea-based concrete platform sprays light spray on workers in bright yellow vests.
On land, trucks connect parts of a pipe that will connect the station to the gas grid.
LNG terminals allow natural gas to be imported by sea after it has been cooled and converted into liquid for easier transport.
A specialized vessel known as the FSRU, which can store fuel and convert liquefied natural gas (LNG) into ready-to-use gas, has been connected to the platform to complete construction.
Unlike other European countries, Germany has not yet had an LNG terminal, relying instead on relatively low-cost Russian supplies.
But since invading Ukraine, Germany has eased its dependence on Russian gas exports, which previously accounted for 55 percent of its supplies.
In order to diversify its sources, ensure adequate fuel supplies and keep its plants running, Berlin has heavily staked on liquefied natural gas (LNG) to fill the gap left by Russian imports.
Last week, Chancellor Olav Schulz signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates on liquefied natural gas supplies, while touring Gulf countries in search of new sources.
Berlin ’ s lease of five FSRU vessels to connect to the new terminals would cost three billion euros ($2.9 billion).
After the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Germany passed a law to speed up the approval process for liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants.
In Wilhelmshaven, the work develops rapidly.
Volger Kretz, who runs the project for German energy company Uniper, said work on the plant was due to be completed "this winter".
Construction has progressed with surprising speed due to the plant ’ s strategic importance.
"Normally, a project of this kind takes between five and six years," Kretz told AFP.
Many Wilhelmshafen residents welcomed the new plant as the curtailment of industrial activity raised the unemployment rate to 10 percent, double the national average.
Ingrid Shaun, 55, told AFP: "It's a good thing she's in Wilhelmshaven.
It will bring jobs. ”
The opposition comes from groups who fear the impact of rapid deadlines for approvals and construction work on the environment.
Activists from the Ende Gelaende group closed the site in Wilhelmshaven for a day in August.
The German environmental organization DUH stated that the actions "will irreparably destroy sensitive ecosystems while putting porpoise habitats at risk".
The source of the fuel has been a point of contention amid concerns that natural gas produced by fracking technology in the United States could be imported through the new plant.
Green Economy Minister Robert Habeck played down criticism of the project, while stressing that "energy security" was a priority.
By 2030, the site ’ s activities will be converted to the import of environmentally friendly hydrogen produced by renewable energy sources, supported by Berlin as part of its plan to transition to clean energy sources.

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Content: Last Updated:

Germany Acquires Four Floating LNG Terminals In Order To Limit Reliance On Russian Gas

Germany, which was previously hesitant about the Russian oil and gas embargo has secured four floating LNG terminals to limit its reliance on Russian gas.

Image: AP

European countries are desperately looking for alternatives for gas to limit their reliance on Russian supplies. Germany, which was previously hesitant about the Russian oil and gas embargo has secured four floating LNG terminals, as per the reports of Euractiv. However, it must be regasified before it can be used for energy, which necessitates the construction of a unique terminal that will take around five years. Faced with the urgent need to find alternatives to Russian energy, the German government is betting on more adaptable floating terminals and onshore locations.

On May 5, Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck revealed that the state of Lower Saxony will have at least one onshore and one floating LNG facility. He stated that today, more than ever they need to put more sturdy pillars in place for their energy supply, adding that efforts to boost renewables as well as the development of an LNG import system are critical.

Germany announced plans to develop two LNG terminals in February

Earlier in February, Germany announced plans to develop two LNG terminals in Brunsbüttel and Wilhelmshaven in an effort to minimize its reliance on Russian gas. After this, Germany's government said in April that it had made the "urgent" decision to invest around €2.5 billion in four floating LNG terminals. In addition, the federal government has signed an LOI for the chartering of four floating storage and Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs).

German energy company, Uniper will run the FSRUs. Klaus-Dieter Maubach, who is the CEO of Uniper stated that Russia's war against Ukraine has turned the world upside down and this is especially true for the energy industry. He claimed that they are doing everything they can to assist the German government in its strategy to diversify Germany's natural gas and, in the long run, hydrogen supply sources, according to Offshore Energy.

Floating terminals require a deep water port

Floating terminals require a deep water port capable of landing very large ships. Germany wants to open its first terminal in Wilhelmshaven before the end of the year, enabling annual imports of up to 5 billion cubic meters. Germany currently lacks LNG terminals and floating LNG terminals, according to Offshore Energy. However, projects in Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel will change that.

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How Europe abandons Russian gas - INFOGRAPHICS
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Natural gas supplies to Germany reduced by 75% since the beginning of the year - Copyright AP Photo
During the first months of the war in Ukraine, exports of goods from the EU to Russia fell by 48%, but during the same period, Russian exports to the EU countries grew by 68% - due to rising oil and gas prices.
Reducing the dependence of European markets on Russian gas is not only the subject of numerous sanctions packages against Russia, but also the subject of heated discussions at the sessions of the European Parliament in Brussels.
Some EU countries are fundamentally ready to abandon the import of natural gas from Russia at least tomorrow.
But for others, this is a serious question in the field of import substitution: what alternative energy sources will they be able to use in the long term?
And most importantly, in the short term, where to get gas, if not from pipelines laid from Russia?
A more detailed analysis of gas supplies to EU countries shows that the problem of finding alternatives is not so difficult and is already being solved by large gas importers.
Global gas supply market
To understand where natural gas supplies come from, it is necessary to look at which countries have turned out to be the owners of the largest explored fields, or, as they are also called, "proven natural gas reserves."
According to the annual statistical assessment of British Petroleum, the Middle East accounts for the largest share of proven gas reserves - more than 40%.
And over the past 20 years (from 2000 to 2020), reserves in the region grew by 30% - mainly due to the discovery of new deposits in Qatar and Iran.
In second place in terms of reserves are the CIS countries, which as a whole account for more than 30% of the world's natural gas reserves.
Russia ’ s share in the world market is just over 20%.
Over the past 20 years, the volume of proven gas reserves in the territory of the Russian Federation has grown by 13% and today amounts to 37.6 trillion cubic meters.
This is comparable to the reserves found in Iran (32.1 trillion cubic meters) and Qatar (24.7).
The United States (12.6) and Turkmenistan (13.6) also have fairly large gas reserves.
No other country in the world comes close to these largest deposits.
For comparison, the main gas producer in Europe, Norway (not an EU country), has reserves of 1.5 trillion cubic meters.
meters of gas.
And on the territory of the European Union, the proven reserves are only 0.4 trillion cubic meters or 0.2% of the world volume.
Given the volume of production at the current level and proven reserves, gas in the Middle East will be enough for the next 110 years, and in the CIS countries - for 70 years.
Other countries will deplete their reserves much faster (on average, they will last for 48 years), unless the volume of production in Russia or Iran will not grow many times.
In 2020, according to the report of British Petroleum, 3,853.7 billion cubic meters of gas were produced in the world.
Moreover, the largest producer of steel in the United States (23.7% of total production).
In second place is Russia (16.6%), followed by Iran (6.5%), China (5%) and Qatar (4.4%).
In the EU countries, less than 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas are produced per year, which is about 1.2% of the world ’ s production level.
Who consumes all this gas?
The United States accounts for 21.8% of global consumption.
Thus, this country is the largest market for natural gas sales.
Just over 10% of consumption comes from Russia.
A little lower - 9.9% - the share of EU countries in gas consumption.
At the same time, China, a country with a population of one and a half billion and one of the largest economies in the world, accounts for only 8.6% of world consumption of methane fuel.
Assessing the trade balance in the gas sector, it is worth noting that Russia occupies more than a quarter of world exports (taking into account supplies both through pipelines and in liquefied form - LNG).
The closest competitor, the United States, supplies less than 15% of global gas exports to the world market.
But among importers, Europe clearly stands out, which buys almost 35% of world imports.
About 15% of gas imports come from China, where 2 / 3 of the supply is LNG.
How much do European countries depend on gas supplies from Russia?
According to European media, in the first three months of the war in Ukraine, Russia continued to export oil and gas at an average of almost $1 billion a day.
At the beginning of 2022, China, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany bought the most oil from Russia.
But which countries directly import the most Russian natural gas?
By mid-2022, among the countries most dependent on gas supplies via pipelines from Russia are Germany, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria and Austria.
Before the war in Ukraine, Italy bought about a quarter (24%) of all Russian natural gas exports worth USD 5.8 billion.
This represented 39% of the government ’ s total gas purchases in Rome.
At least 37 countries directly imported Russian gas in 2019.
The countries that import the largest amount of Russian natural gas in the energy mix of these players include Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Norway and Serbia: each of them imports about 99% of natural gas from Russia.
What is Europe doing to end dependence on gas from Russia?
To extract and pump natural gas into a pipe or store it in liquefied form (LNG) in special storages is half the battle.
Getting it from the production site or from the LNG terminal to the importing country is sometimes much more difficult.
Russia has the largest infrastructure in Eurasia to deliver natural gas from fields to the final buyer.
The total length of the gas pipelines built by Russia exceeds 100,000 km.
More extensive structure of gas pipelines only in the United States.
According to the International Energy Agency, in 2021, European gas imports through pipelines from Russia amounted to more than 380 million cubic meters per day, which totaled about 140 billion cubic meters for the year.
Another 15 billion cubic meters were supplied from Russia in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Thus, Russia accounted for about 45% of gas imports to the EU and 40% of all gas consumed by it.
The EU has announced a strategy to reduce its dependence on Russian gas by two-thirds by 2030, but the initial timeline was revised to phase out as early as 2023.
The plan is aimed at finding alternative gas supplies from other countries and more environmentally friendly energy sources (installing solar panels, increasing the share of biomethane and developing infrastructure for hydrogen energy).
Since Russia occupies a significant place in the world oil and gas market, after the introduction of tough sanctions on the Russian energy sector, their consequences are felt all over the world.
Electricity prices in Europe and the UK rose significantly in the spring of 2022, following Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, and continue to rise.
The largest market for gas consumption in the EU is, as it is easy to assume, the strongest economy of the bloc, Germany.
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was completed in September 2021.
Deliveries on this branch from Russian fields could double Russia ’ s gas exports to Europe, but also double Europe ’ s dependence on pipeline gas from Russia.
But it was Germany that blocked the start of operation of Nord Stream 2, refusing Moscow to issue licenses.
Natural gas supplies to Germany: changing import structure
The German authorities are constantly looking for new suppliers of energy.
The goal is to meet the high demand for gas and find a replacement for supplies from Russia.
In the context of the energy crisis, the German government is going to spend several billion euros to compensate as much as possible for the negative consequences of reducing Russian gas supplies.
At the end of June this year, 26% of natural gas imports to Germany came from Russia, but by August this share had dropped to 9%, or four times compared to the level of spring supplies in 2022.
Such a significant drop is the result of the repair of the Nord Stream-1 gas pipeline, which lasted several days and a further reduction in supplies from Russia.
Before the war in Ukraine, Russia accounted for more than 50% of the gas imported into Germany.
The loss of imports from the Russian Federation is compensated by the growth of supplies from Norway and the Netherlands.
Norway and the Netherlands supply 9 times more gas to Germany than Russia
According to the latest statistics, Norway has replaced Russia as the largest supplier of gas to Germany: over the past few months, Norway ’ s share has grown to 38.3%.
This follows from the reports of the Association of European Transmission System Operators (ENTSOG) and the Association of Transmission System Operators (FNB).
Since the summer, Norway has increased gas supplies to Europe, and the country now accounts for about 26% of European gas demand.
Among other markets, Norway has increased its supplies to Germany.
Today, Norway supplies Europe as much as its production capacity allows.
The third most important source of gas for Germany (after Russia and Norway) until now was the Netherlands.
According to ENTSOG, in June the country provided 21.2% of gas demand.
In August, due to the reduction in the volume of Russian gas through Nord Stream 1, the Dutch share increased even more: to 24.1%.
The Netherlands became the second most important country among the suppliers of natural gas to Germany.
According to experts in the field of hydrocarbon supplies, theoretically the Netherlands can further increase production at the Groningen field.
But it is still difficult to implement these plans for political reasons: the authorities are met with serious resistance from the local population.
Once the world ’ s largest gas field in Groningen is located near the border of Germany and the Netherlands.
It was planned that it will be closed by the autumn of 2022 due to the increased incidence of subsidence of soils and damage to houses in the region as a result of drilling wells.
But in connection with the emergency situation in the energy sector, the Dutch government extended the license for operation.
Now the field in Groningen will work at least until October 2023.
Only 5% of German gas is produced domestically, all reliable on LNG
Natural gas reserves in Germany itself are small, and domestic gas production has declined significantly in recent decades.
Back in 2001, 21% of the gas consumed in Germany was produced at home fields.
Today, that share is only about 5%.
Currently, the government is exploring the possibility of increasing domestic production, there are plans to develop a new field in the North Sea.
However, "green" politicians oppose further exploration in the sea, as well as the development of shale deposits.
In the medium term, shale natural gas (LNG) has the greatest potential for diversification of supplies, which is transported in liquefied form under high pressure.
So far, Germany, like other European countries, has mostly imported LNG from the US.
According to analysts of the gas market, in 2022, the United States became the world's largest exporter of LNG, primarily supplying it to Europe.
LNG supplies are expected to diversify in the future, with negotiations underway with Qatar, Australia, Algeria and Nigeria.
Germany will also be able to get shale gas from Canada.
However, there are no quick solutions here, since export terminals for LNG have not yet been built on the east coast of Canada.
In the short term, according to experts, with the help of other supplier countries, about a third of the volume of Russian gas can be replaced by LNG.
Liquefied gas will flow to Europe through the ports of the Netherlands and Belgium, and then through the European pipeline network to Germany.
Belgium and the Netherlands currently account for about 20% of LNG imports at the Rotterdam terminal.
Germany itself does not yet have its own LNG terminals, but two floating LNG terminals on the North Sea at Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel will soon be commissioned.
New gas supplier - Azerbaijan
The EU is working hard to find new suppliers of natural gas.
Brussels has already held talks with the United States, Qatar, Norway, Algeria and Israel.
Azerbaijan has agreed to increase the volume of supplies by 50%.
The gas is delivered via pipeline through Turkey and Bulgaria.
In the situation of the gas crisis, the EU countries can support each other by concluding agreements on gas exchange and redistribution within the European network on the principles of solidarity.
So far, such agreements are few: Germany has signed agreements only with energy-self-sufficient Denmark and Austria.
It is most likely that the governments of each of the EU countries will have to independently provide gas to their domestic markets.
Other EU countries are less dependent on Russian gas
Some EU countries have already got rid of their dependence on Russian gas.
Italy, for example, has concluded gas supply agreements with Algeria, Qatar and Azerbaijan.
As a result, the share of Russian gas imports has already decreased in this southern European country to 21% of total energy needs.
The situation of Spain and Portugal is even better: they are largely independent of gas from Russia and even supply natural gas to other EU countries themselves.
Spain is playing an increasingly important role in the European shale gas market, with six LNG terminals located on the Iberian Peninsula.
France is also trying to keep up with its neighbors: three LNG terminals have been commissioned here.
So far, France imports most of its natural gas from Norway via a pipeline under the North Sea to Dunkirk.
Denmark and Sweden largely meet their own energy needs.

Title:

Content: Germany to build LNG terminals to reduce gas dependence on Russia
Germany has decided to reduce its dependence on Russian gas after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
To do this, Berlin decided to build two new terminals for receiving liquefied natural gas (LNG).
This was stated by the Federal Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz, speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the Bundestag on Sunday, February 27.
The meeting was devoted to Russia ’ s military invasion of Ukraine.
“We must change course to overcome energy dependence on imports from individual suppliers.
The events of recent days and weeks have shown that responsible energy policies are crucial not only for our economy and the environment.
It is also crucial for our security, ” said Olaf Scholz.
According to Scholz, Germany is starting to build two new terminals for receiving liquefied natural gas.
They will be built in the cities of Brunsbüttel and Wilhelmshaven.
The billion-euro project aims to reduce Germany ’ s dependence on Russian natural gas.
There are LNG terminals on the territory of the European Union, but not in Germany.
Scholz also announced that the federal government has decided to increase the volume of natural gas in storage by two billion cubic meters.
Berlin intends to buy additional volumes of natural gas on world markets.
Support for Ukraine
During a speech in the Bundestag, Olaf Scholz strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The freedom of Ukrainians and Ukrainians calls into question his own regime of oppression, ” said Scholz, commenting on Vladimir Putin ’ s decision to attack Ukraine.
In this regard, Scholz stressed that Berlin should support Ukraine.
In particular, he recalled the decision to provide our state with 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles.
“There can be no other answer to Putin ’ s aggression, ” Scholz said.
The German chancellor added that a military invasion of Ukraine would lead Russia to “catastrophe ” due to large-scale sanctions.
Berlin's Other Steps
Against the background of the attack of Russian troops on Ukraine, Germany wants to increase the defense budget.
As noted by Scholz, we are talking about €100 billion.
In addition, Berlin plans to invest more than 2% of GDP in defense in the future.
Germany is also closing its airspace to Russian aircraft.
Recently, Germany decided to stop the certification of the Russian gas pipeline Nord Stream 2.
As noted by Olaf Scholz, certification can not continue due to the aggression of Russia in relation to Ukraine.
Source: NDR.de, Die Zeit, Deutsche Welle
Photo by Getty Images
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The country also filled gas storage without Russian supplies to buffer winter risks, though authorities warned of tight supply.

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Content: German gas network chief promises to fill gas storage facilities without Russian help
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The head of the German Federal Gas Network Agency Klaus Müller said that Germany can guarantee full filling of gas storage facilities without fuel supplies from Russia.
According to the newspaper Handelsblatt, the gas storage facilities compensate for fluctuations in gas consumption and thus form a buffer system for the market, while the energy saving policy helped the country to survive the winter with relative success.
“We are now ending the winter with relatively complete storage facilities, which will help fill them in the summer without Russian pipeline gas, ” Mueller said.
We also need to prepare well for the coming winter.
That means we continue to use gas economically. ”
Swedish Energy Minister Ebba Bosch said on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of the European Energy Council that the upcoming heating season in the European Union may be accompanied by risks, as rejecting Russian oil and switching to other suppliers will not help solve the problem of energy shortages in the European Union.
According to the European Gas Infrastructure Operators Association, as of March 5, gas storage facilities were 59.57% full, 20% higher than the average for this period over the past five years.
But the index fell below 60% already on December 15 for the 2021-2022 heating season.
Source: Novosti
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Content: Russia, Ukraine, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia
Comments ‧ World Situation 2022 / 07 / 11
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On the level of the art of war, the soldiers of the non-war army are of course the highest state.
If you really want to fight, the military is expensive and fast, the first choice of lightning.
If the lightning war is not successful, it will fall into a consumption war, long-term and cruel, at this time has not been able to talk about any winners, can only lose less when winning, and expect the enemy to collapse before themselves.
The same is true of physical warfare with guns and ammunition, and the same is true of economic warfare with energy currencies.
Russia ’ s comprehensive war with the West over Ukraine has long turned into a war of attrition, and Russia seems to be slowly gaining momentum, and cracks are appearing in the Western camp.
In the second half of the year, everyone is in the northern hemisphere, the night is getting longer, the temperature is dropping, and Ukraine may be about to become an outcast.
1 billion euro deficit, Germany's first trade deficit
When the Russian army won the victory last week and took all of Luhansk, Europe ’ s largest economy raised an alarming alarm.
Germany reported May trade data, unexpectedly recorded a 1 billion euro deficit.
For the first time since 1991, the world ’ s largest exporter has lost money.
Why? Consumption is showing.
Germany ’ s exports fell and imports rose, as natural gas prices soared, stimulating electricity prices more than doubled from the beginning of the year, and the cost of factory production and export transportation soared, which also overlapped with the impact of the epidemic and geopolitical tensions on various raw material supply chains.
After the Russo-Ukrainian War, Europe fought with Russia and boycotted Russian oil and gas, but European countries did not share weal and woe.
Germany is not like a small country in Eastern Europe with little electricity, nor is it like France that relies on nuclear energy and Champagne red wine.
More than half of Germany ’ s natural gas comes from Russia. Without these energy sources, Volkswagen, Siemens appliances and Bayer pharmaceuticals cannot be produced, and industry accounts for more than a quarter of Germany ’ s GDP, significantly more than about 20% in Italy and about 15% in France.
Of course, Russia is not a good person, beating snakes and hitting seven inches, looking at Germany's weak points and laying heavy hands.
At the beginning of the year, Germany stopped the newly completed Nord Stream 2 gas pipe project, and Russia took a stance, and in June, Russia attacked it, reducing Nord Stream 1 gas transmission by 60%.
This is not finished, Nord Stream 1 is scheduled to be routine maintenance from today, suspended gas supply for 10 days, which is enough for Germans to sit on needle blankets, and everyone is waiting for Russian President Putin to take the opportunity to stop supplying.
Once the gas outage is real, the German government is bound to launch the final plan - the implementation of natural gas rationing.
According to the plan of the authorities, the factory will be restricted first.
The German trade union federation has warned that industries such as aluminum, glass and chemicals are feared to collapse at the earliest.
Chemical industry alone has dominated the rice bowls of 346,000 people, which is the third largest industry in Germany.
It is also difficult for residents to have a good day.
Hamburg, the largest non-capital city in the European Union, has warned of a shortage of natural gas or a threat to the city's hot water supply.
Officials urged the public to take a shower, not to take a bath, but to hurry up.
“The more you save now, the easier it will be in winter. ”
Germany ’ s central bank estimates that the country ’ s economy will be in recession until mid-2024 when rationing takes effect, and will contract by 8.5% in the first quarter of next year.
Don ’ t forget that Germany is the fourth largest economy in the world, and this contraction is equivalent to the total evaporation of Hong Kong ’ s GDP.
There's no one to save Germany. The euro zone can't escape.
When there was an accident in Greece, Germany came to the rescue, but if there was an accident in Germany, no one could save it, and the entire euro area could not escape.
In the event of a recession in Germany, Italy, which is particularly sensitive to any wind and grass, and Austria, Poland and other countries with close industrial relations with Germany, are believed to be the first to bear the brunt.
Other countries can ’ t stand on their own in this industrial tsunami, just like the tourism and service industries of France and Spain, what to do without customers?
Speaking of Russia, the cost of fighting the West is indeed enough.
Russia ’ s “fortress economy ” has withstood the shock of the West; its current-account surplus has benefited from the surge in oil and gas prices, which rose to the highest level since 1994 in the first four months of this year; and the ruble has pumped 18% against the US dollar this year under capital controls and measures such as the ruble to buy gas.
But this is only a tactical victory for the overdraft coffin.
The governor of Russia ’ s central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, warned in April that the economy was not a horse and that the days of surviving by draining reserves were coming to an end, and the country would have to be structurally transformed by the third or fourth quarter of this year.
She said that the real impact of Western sanctions is not on the financial side, but on the difficulties of Russian factories and enterprises in importing the materials they need, which is bound to drag down the country's exports in the future, and the people will lose their purchasing power under inflation.
However, just as Europe knows that it wants to cut its seat with Russia, so for the Kremlin, Russia ’ s current economic problems are also political and cannot be solved by economic means alone, and political leverage can only be found on the battlefield.
Putin did not pay much attention to Nabiulina, and began the second phase of military action: the Battle of Donbas. Three months later, Putin is expected to bet on the right, even if the bet is won, it is only a crushing victory, less than the opponent.
In the war of attrition, it is not one or two new weapons that will determine the victory, but who can more sustainably and economically, send more weapons to the front line faster, dump more firepower, and kill more enemies.
The loss of thousands of tanks, placed in the Western countries means that the armoured regiment is destroyed, the tiger has no teeth, but for Russia, to destroy 1,000 of the most advanced, there are 10,000 in the back, even if the old is still a tank, can also crush the enemy.
Western military aid to Ukraine is not bad, but the amount is too small, and may not be in the right place at the right time, and it is difficult to play a role in the overall situation.
That was the reason why the German Tiger tank unhindered the Soviet T-34 all the way to Berlin.
Today, the Russian artillery is said to be 20 to 1, and some people laugh at the old artillery shells that only explode on the ground, rather than the more lethal air bombs, but it is this constant flow of water that allows the Russian army to continue to weaken the vitality of the Ukrainian army and slow down to gain the upper hand.
Of course, the Russian army has so far only fought with a low level of consumption, and to truly win the ticket to force the opponent to negotiate, it seems that it will still have to fight an annihilation battle of at least the scale of the battle.
Next, whether the Russian army can encircle the Donetsk Soviet heavy army group, I believe it is crucial to when the war will end; it is good to go west to Odessa to take the last Ukrainian coastline, but to be honest, the Russian army may not have this ability now.
Putin ’ s “Untouched Genuine ” Europe is on the verge of internal strife
Time is running out, Russia ’ s national reserves are running out, and the German and European economies and even the humanitarian crisis are heating up.
At this time, Putin is undoubtedly ironclad to continue to insist, and last week he proudly said that "we have not begun to move the truth."
On the other hand, Europe is on the brink of war.
Anti-Russian vanguard Lithuania blocked the storm in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, while the European Union said it was in line with sanctions and secretly feared setting itself on fire (think what the United States did to the Soviet Union ’ s blockade of West Berlin).
Reported that the European Union is considering to be exempted in recent weeks, anyway, the Russian mainland to and from Kaliningrad does not involve entrance and exit, Germany and France are the promoters of the cooling plan, Lithuania is very dissatisfied.
In addition, Italy's former largest party, the Five Star Movement, also announced a split at the end of June over whether to provide military aid to Ukraine.
The world has become a ghost today, losing less has been a win, the stock market is like this, the economy is like this, and so is war.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, the world ’ s largest hedge fund, commented on the United States Independence Day that Russia has occupied Ukraine, the economic downturn is bearable (recently expected to shrink by about 8% for the whole year, Dalio believes that less than 15% is bearable, more than 30% is unbearable), Putin continues to hold power and still enjoys the international stage, Russia seems to be a “small loser. ”
Who will be the loser, it is self-evident.
Nord Stream 1 is scheduled for routine maintenance starting today, with the gas supply suspended for 10 days, and there is concern about whether Russia will stop supplying gas to Germany. (Reuters data picture)
Author: Lien Siu-feng
Column: Chugai Wide Angle Mirror
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To bridge shortages, Germany temporarily reactivated coal plants for winter generation, complicating its plan to exit coal by 2030–2038.

Public opinion shifted during the crisis, with 60% saying abandoning nuclear was wrong and 67% supporting a five‑year extension in 2022, while 41% favored building new plants.

Title:

Content: “There is no excuse for the rich West to be oblivious to the global debt crisis. ” – The Guardian
We start with an opinion piece by Larry Elliott, the Guardian ’ s economic editor, entitled “The wealthy West has little excuse for finally waking up to the global debt crisis. ”
“After a decade or more of their obsession with their own problems, countries in the wealthy West have begun to pay attention to the threat of a looming debt crisis in the poorer parts of the world, ” he says at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week.
The good news is that debt has risen to the highest level on the policy agenda and is seen as a problem that needs to be regulated, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said about the need for distressed countries to help: “Help them deal with the debt burden, which has made the shocks of past years more difficult; and help ensure that the IMF can continue to support them in the years to come. ”
The bad news, according to Elliott, is that Georgieva ’ s appeal has not yet been heeded, as rich countries are still primarily interested in their own problems.
The geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is also not helping.
Creditor countries may wake up to the idea that there is a debt problem but it is far from a solution.
Talk is not like work. ”
Achim Steiner, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said: “There are more than 50 countries on his radar that can default very quickly. ”
Steiner believes that the UN has no chance of meeting its ambitious 2030 development goals, unless there is urgent action.
The volume of lending by the private sector has made attempts to restructure or write off debt more complex than in the past.
At the time of the HIPC initiative, creditors tended to be either individual governments or multilateral organizations such as the World Bank.
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“But since the global financial crisis, many countries, especially middle-income countries, have borrowed heavily in financial markets, taking advantage of very low interest rates to finance domestic projects. ”
After the setback of the COVID-19 epidemic, low- and middle-income countries have since been hit by two other undesirable shocks: the war in Ukraine, which led to higher food and fuel prices, and the sharp increase in central bank interest rates in large Western economies.
The result is that debt servicing has become much more expensive, with many countries now frozen out of financial markets altogether.
Steiner said: "The issue is not financial but political.
The United States has mobilized $400 billion to secure Silicon Valley Bank deposits.
This is more than the developing world has received in three years.
It took the Swiss government less than 48 hours to find 100 billion Swiss francs to secure the rescue of one of its banks.
“The lesson of the recent banking crises is clear.
Rich countries can act fast enough when they want to, ” the writer concludes.
Fears of Macron ’ s politics
We turn to another Financial Times opinion piece by Alain Beatty, a trade writer, entitled “The Risks of Emmanuel Macron ’ s Strategic Insistence. ”
Macron ’ s focus on keeping a distance from both Washington and Beijing in pursuit of the EU ’ s vague “strategic autonomy ” is not an innovation among European policymakers, but geopolitical Europe enthusiasts need to recognize that the lack of unity and trust within the EU, rather than the sinister manipulation by Washington and Beijing, is the main obstacle.
“We ’ ve already seen this happen in trade policy, which is one area where the EU has long had the ability to act collectively.
In the same way that there is nothing stopping European governments from increasing military spending and playing a greater geopolitical role, the bloc can certainly increase its ability to use trade to project its strategic influence.
But while France has been keen to create new tools for intervening in trade and investment, other member states recognize that the views and interests of Paris are not necessarily those of the bloc as a whole.
“In recent years, the European Commission has carefully designed a range of trade instruments to confirm the bloc ’ s geo-economic weight.
The most politically salient is the anti-coercion tool ECI, which will allow the EU to use a wide range of trade and investment measures to retaliate against the bullying of trading partners.
France has strongly supported all this activity, and has also called for the creation of new EU central funds to pursue industrial policy.
“But the Commission will struggle to use this set of tools if there is opposition from other member states that are mindful of their export interests or distrust in using trade tools to manage a centralized strategic policy.
A few days before Macron ’ s trip, the Commission succumbed to pressure from some EU governments, including Germany, and gave member states a major role in determining the use of ECI.
Berlin instinctively avoids confrontation that could damage German exports and investments abroad.
There have also been more principled objections from liberal member states including Sweden and the Czech Republic, sceptical of attempts to politicize trade policy and the likelihood that it will be overly influenced by certain governments.
Macron inadvertently contributed to these concerns, especially as he unnerved some other EU governments two years ago with a clear orientation toward a major investment deal with China, “leaving a legacy of caution. ”
“Attempting to push a union with divergent views to adopt a single approach to a specific global issue is unlikely to produce long-term results. ”
German split on energy policy
We remain with an article by Laura Bettel, the Financial Times correspondent in Berlin, entitled “Germany is being torn apart by energy policy with the closure of nuclear plants. ”
Bethel said Germany ’ s last remaining nuclear power plants were shut down on Saturday, “marking a watershed moment in a country that has long had deep doubts about atomic energy. ”
Anti-nuclear activists hailed the shutdown of three reactors as a victory after a temporary delay following the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war that forced Berlin to look for alternatives to Russian gas.
Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe ’ s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.
After decades of anti-nuclear protests, the decisive moment came in 2011 when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country ’ s nuclear plants until 2036, bringing the phase-out date to 2022.
The anti-nuclear movement in former West Germany dates back to the 1970s, when a popular campaign succeeded in stopping the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southwestern village of Weil.
The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 fuelled that movement.
But German public opinion shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War: an August 2022 poll from Der Spiegel found that 67 percent of Germans supported a five-year extension of the country ’ s nuclear plants.
41% supported the construction of new plants.
In a similar poll three decades ago, only 3% said yes.
But the German Green Party, now part of the three-way coalition government led by Olaf Schulz, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.
“The way in which Germany has chosen to phase out nuclear power, and step back from fossil fuels as a bridging gap even as renewables increase dramatically, has been highly controversial. ”

Polling in 2022–2023 showed majorities for extending existing reactors’ lifetimes, and ministers debated limited extensions, but the Chancellor rejected a nuclear return citing high costs and long construction times.

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Content: German Economy Minister Robert Habeck ruled out renewing the country ’ s last three nuclear plants to save gas, saying the plant would only save up to 2 percent of natural gas use.
In a public discussion with the public on the government ’ s Open Day, Haberk said such savings would not be enough to reopen the debate on decommissioning nuclear power because there was a consensus on the issue.
After the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, with the support of a majority of the German people, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a bill to stop using nuclear power by the end of the year; but due to the reduction of natural gas supply in Russia, people are worried about the energy crisis this winter, attitudes have changed, and the three-party coalition is also divided on the issue.
"It was the wrong decision to do so because there was not much savings," said Mr Harbaugh.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Harburg's Green Party began as an anti-nuclear movement.
On the other hand, Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the Free Democratic Party reiterated his position that extending the life of nuclear power plants for a limited period of time would be better than reusing coal-fired power.
“We shouldn ’ t be too critical, we should keep all possibilities open, ” Lindner said, adding that in the current situation, he was open to extending nuclear power“ for a few years. ”
In addition to the debate over gas-saving measures, Haberke said he was open to extending the life of one of Bavaria ’ s nuclear plants if stress tests showed that it was necessary to ensure grid stability and power supply in winter.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the results of the stress tests should be available by the end of the month or early next month, when a decision will be made.
(Translator: Zheng Shiyun / Authored by: Lu Yingzi) 1110822
# Hubble # Save # Nuclear Power Plant # Natural Gas # People

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Content: German Chancellor rejects demands for his country ’ s return to nuclear energy - Sunrise Gate
Monday 4 March 2024 3: 47 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
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German chancellor rejects calls for his country to return to nuclear power
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Zendelwingen (Germany) - DPA
Published on: Monday 4 March 2024 - 3: 34 PM | Last updated on Monday 4 March 2024 - 3: 34 PM
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz rejected the demands of his country to return to the use of nuclear energy in the generation of electricity, pointing in this regard to the high cost and long time required to rebuild nuclear plants.
Speaking at a vocational education centre in the city of Zendelwingen in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, Schulz said: “If someone decides now to build a nuclear power plant, it will be completed in 15 to 20 years according to the current construction times.
By then, we should have solved all our problems already. ”
The electricity generated by such plants costs twice as much as electricity generated from wind, solar or other production sources, Schulz said, noting that uranium stocks are ultimately limited.
"If we look back 20 years later, whoever made a less expensive and more efficient decision to produce electricity, it will be our country," he said.
In its draft new core program, the Christian Alliance (which leads the opposition in the country) expressed support for the use of nuclear energy and said it wanted to rely on "fourth-generation and fifth-generation nuclear power plants".
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Content: MOSCOW, June 24 — PRIME.
According to a survey by ARD-Deutschlandtrend, almost two-thirds of Germans are in favor of extending the life of nuclear power plants, and the majority support more large-scale use of coal power.
The poll was conducted for ARD on June 21-22 among 1,248 German voters, with a statistical error of 2 to 3%.
56% of respondents support an increase in the load on coal-fired power plants, 36% disapprove of this measure proposed by the German Energy Ministry as part of an emergency plan for gas conservation.
Of the respondents, 61% supported the initiative of a number of politicians from the former ruling faction of the CDU / CSU and the liberal democratic FDP to continue operating nuclear power plants after the end of the year, when it was planned to completely abandon nuclear energy, 32% of respondents opposed.

Some reports note calls to bring reactors back online and claims that fuel and safety conditions would allow restarts, while other analyses find no broad sectoral push for reversal.

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Content: World Vision: Restarting nuclear power, dragging the German government into crisis
November 06, 2022 00: 03
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With Germany following the NATO sanctions against Russia, the German energy crisis is deepening and leading to serious political instability.
The gold-painted sign “Made in Germany ” has been peeled off. First, the business community complained about the high price of electricity in Germany, averaging 0.37 euros per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared with 0.18 euros in France, 0.24 euros in the United Kingdom and 0.10 euros in Hungary.
Even if the German government proposed energy subsidies, but other European governments such as Britain and France will do so, German companies still can not compete. The result is that more and more industrial products that Germany was proud of in the past, either set up factories in foreign countries or import some foreign parts to complete in Germany.
In addition, some townships began to have problems with the opening up and strengthening of thermal power generation and transmission, and now there are rare power outages, which have caused great dissatisfaction among the public.
The Minister of Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Hajbek have become the target of attacks by the industrial sector, the German opposition, and the Liberal and Social Democrats in the government, focusing on Habek, who has no economic expertise but is responsible for the environmental ideology, and the government ’ s lack of understanding and compassion for industry, and has been deceiving the three nuclear power plants.
Halbek has always stressed that the German people have long been the majority of anti-nuclear power, but the latest poll shows that 64% of the people support restarting nuclear power to increase supply and reduce electricity prices due to the energy crisis, with 40% of the Green Party voters.
In addition, the Green Party has spoken out in favor of improving climate change, but has been hiding experts ’ suggestions that turning on nuclear power could cut Germany ’ s carbon emissions by 25 million to 30 million tons a year.
In addition, Halbek stressed that the nuclear fuel rods needed for the nuclear power plant may not be available by early next year, but the expert opinion is that the old nuclear fuel rods can also be used and the nuclear power plant can be gradually opened.
Halbek stressed that it would take a long time to open the safety inspection of nuclear power, but the world-famous German Technical Supervision Association immediately hit the face, claiming that they did a comprehensive inspection in March, all three nuclear power plants are normal, as long as limited further testing and monitoring, restart is not a problem at all.
The opposition party also criticized the three-party coalition government for delaying the setting of a gas price cap until March next year. At that time, the weather in Germany has begun to warm up. As a result, the opposition party and the public demand that Habaker resign, which can be regarded as the ruling coalition's biggest crisis to date.
Ph.D., Freie Universität Berlin

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Content: Russia, Ukraine under international sanctions to reduce dependence on Moscow for natural gas supply
BERLIN (AFP) – Moscow ’ s invasion of Ukraine highlights Germany ’ s dependence on Russian gas, forcing Europe ’ s largest economy to urgently adjust its domestic energy mix.
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"We have to change course to overcome our dependence on imports," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told a special session of the Bundestag on the Ukraine crisis.
With Russia increasingly isolated from the rest of the world as a result of sanctions imposed on the Ukrainian economy, Berlin can no longer rely on Moscow to supply more than 50% of Germany ’ s natural gas.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Monday that energy supplies were still mostly exempt from Western sanctions, but that policymakers still had to respond to Russia ’ s decision to stop gas supplies.
A coalition of the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the Liberal Democrats (FDP) came to power in December last year, with the new government pledging to withdraw coal-fired power by 2030, but upholding former Prime Minister Angela Merkel ’ s decision to let nuclear power out of service by the end of 2022.
But in Germany ’ s green energy transition plan, natural gas plays a critical and excessive role, providing existing energy supplies before wind and solar power are in place.
Robert Habeck, Germany ’ s economy and climate minister, recently said, “In the short term, we may have to leave coal-fired power in reserve. ”
Green ministers also did not rule out delaying the decommissioning of Germany ’ s last three nuclear power plants.
However, the German government faces significant challenges in pursuing the nuclear option.
“You can ’ t delay the decommissioning of a nuclear power plant after you decide to shut it down, ” says Karen Pittel, an energy expert at the think tank IFO.
Power company RWE told the German daily Handelsblatt that maintaining nuclear power plants in operation would face “extremely high barriers ”“ on a technical and administrative level. ”
(Translator: Liu Shuqin / Review: Chen Chengyi)

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Content: World News
German Environment Ministry: Leak at Esar 2 Nuclear Power Plant
The German Environment Ministry said on Monday that the operator of the Esar 2 nuclear power plant in Germany had informed it of a leak at the site.
The leak did not affect security but could complicate the government ’ s winter energy plan, the ministry said, adding that a week-long repair period would be needed during which operations would be halted.
Essar 2, located in the southern state of Bavaria, was due to stop at the end of the year under Germany ’ s plan to phase out nuclear power.
Earlier, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner called on Monday for the country ’ s nuclear power plants to be restarted amid an ongoing energy crisis, a proposal that runs counter to the coalition government ’ s stance that defends the “reserve ” status of facilities.
Lindner, a representative of the ruling Free Democratic Party (FDP), told a news conference: “We cannot shut down reliable and environmentally friendly production facilities (nuclear plants) during the electricity and energy crisis. ”
He added that the German government should “do everything to provide the country with electricity, ” noting that coal plants capable of producing additional electricity are not operating in the country.
Proceeding from these facts, the finance minister urged the German authorities to increase the production capacity of the electricity market to curb price rises.
You can also read the news at the source of the Russian website Sputnik.
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Advantages cited for the nuclear phase‑out include reduced accident risk and radioactive waste, alignment with climate neutrality goals, and catalyzing investment in renewables, grids, storage, and hydrogen.

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Content: Saturday 28 Jumada I 1443 AH - 1 January 2022 |
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Germany shuts down half of its nuclear plants
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German authorities on Friday shut down half of its nuclear plants still in operation, a year before the end of their decades-old use.
The three reactors, Brockdorf, Gründe and Gündermpengben, were commissioned and now closed for the first time in the mid-1980s.
Together, they have provided electricity to millions of German homes for nearly four decades.
The center-left government of Gerhard Schroeder made the decision in 2002 to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but his successor, Angela Merkel, reversed its decision to extend the life of German nuclear plants in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan and set 2022 as the deadline for their closure.
Some in Germany have called for the decision to end the use of nuclear power to be reconsidered again because already operating power plants produce relatively little carbon dioxide.
Advocates of atomic energy argue that it could help Germany meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets.
The German government said this week that shutting down all nuclear plants next year and then phasing out coal use by 2030 would not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
The remaining three nuclear plants – Emsland, Essar and Neckarostheim – will be decommissioned by the end of 2022.

Disadvantages observed include higher reliance on coal during shortages, setbacks to clean generation in 2023, and significantly higher electricity prices.

Economic costs include decommissioning expenses of roughly €1.1 billion per plant over about 20 years and a modeled social cost around $12 billion annually from shifting generation from nuclear to coal.

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Content: Germany / EU / Energy
Germany opposes EU's inclusion of nuclear, natural gas in "green" energy plan
Germany on Sunday announced its opposition to the inclusion of energy from nuclear and natural gas in the EU ’ s “green ” investment program, which the European Commission is expected to introduce this month to decide whether to include natural and nuclear energy in the EU ’ s“ sustainable investment program. ”
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Reuters reports that Germany is withdrawing from nuclear power. On December 31, 2021, the German government closed three of the remaining six nuclear power plants, but the entire withdrawal process will take 20 years, and the cost of exiting each nuclear power station is about 1.1 billion euros.
"For the German government, natural gas is an important alternative energy source in the process of phasing out coal burning," a German government spokesman said. "The German government's position on nuclear energy remains unchanged, that nuclear energy cannot be considered a sustainable energy source."
While EU member states are still divided on whether nuclear and natural gas are “green energy ”, Reuters reported that the EU has plans to include some nuclear and natural gas in its“ green investment projects ” program.
The European Commission is expected to propose rules this month to decide whether to include natural gas and nuclear energy programmes in the EU ’ s Sustainable Investment Programme.
According to the draft proposal seen by Reuters, investments in nuclear power plants can be marked as “green ” if they have plans, funds and sites for the safe disposal of radioactive waste and have a construction permit by 2045.
Investments in natural gas power plants must meet the conditions of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions below 270 grams per kilowatt-hour (kWh), replace more polluting fossil fuel power plants, obtain construction permits by December 31, 2030, and plan to switch to low-carbon gases by the end of 2035.
EU countries and a panel of experts will carefully review the draft, which is due to be officially released later in January, after which changes may also be made.
Once published, the draft could still be rejected by a majority of EU member states or the European Parliament.
For more than a year, European countries have been divided over which fuels actually meet sustainability standards.
Austria, Germany, Luxembourg and other countries have expressed opposition to nuclear energy, while the Czech Republic, Finland, and France, which generates 70% of its electricity from nuclear energy, argue that nuclear energy is an indispensable alternative in the process of phasing out coal.

Title:

Content: 'Sustainability challenges' What Big Oil, green movement conceal from us

The US funds its military aid to Ukraine with tax dollars and some of America’s allies fund Putin’s military with purchases of his oil and gas exports. And that’s the absurdity that has come to define the Russian invasion
Representative image

NEW YORK: It has long been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. By that definition, we’re the ones detached from reality if we keep accepting what the oil industry and the green movement keep telling us over and over again and expecting a different result. The greens keep saying that because the price of wind and solar is now as cheap as, or cheaper than, fossil fuels, they’ve won the energy war. Game, set, match — welcome to the green planet.

The oil companies say — as they have in each previous energy crisis since 1973 — that the only answer to this energy crisis is the one they’ve offered for the past 49 years: drill, baby, drill. Welcome to reality. Well, they’re both wrong, and accepting the repetition of either of these tired shibboleths is hurting us economically, environmentally and geopolitically — especially, of late, geopolitically.

Because our continued addiction to fossil fuels is bolstering Vladimir Putin’s petrodictatorship and creating a situation where we in the West are — yes, say it with me now — funding both sides of the war. We fund our military aid to Ukraine with our tax dollars and some of America’s allies fund Putin’s military with purchases of his oil and gas exports.

And if that’s not the definition of insanity, then I don’t know what is. Have no illusion — these sins of the green movement and the oil industry are not equal. The greens are trying to fix a real, planet-threatening problem, even if their ambition exceeds their grasp. The oil and coal companies know that what they are doing is incompatible with a stable, healthy environment. Yes, they are right that without them there would be no global economy today. But unless they use their immense engineering talents to become energy companies, not just fossil fuel companies, there will be no livable economy tomorrow.

Let’s look at both. For too long, too many in the green movement have treated the necessary and urgent shift we need to make from fossil fuels to renewable energy as though it were like flipping a switch — just get off oil, get off gasoline, get off coal and get off nuclear — and do it NOW, without having put in place the kind of transition mechanisms, clean energy sources and market incentives required to make such a massive shift in our energy system.

It’s Germany in 2011, suddenly deciding after the Fukushima accident to phase out its 17 relatively clean and reliable nuclear reactors, which provided some 25 percent of the country’s electricity. This, even though Germany had nowhere near enough solar, wind, geothermal or hydro to replace that nuclear power. So now it’s burning more coal and gas.

A 2019 working paper for the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research found that in Germany “the lost nuclear electricity production due to the phaseout was replaced primarily by coal-fired production and net electricity imports. The social cost of this shift from nuclear to coal is approximately $12 billion per year. Over 70 percent of this cost comes from the increased mortality risk associated with exposure to the local air pollution emitted when burning fossil fuels.”

Today, the European Union is drawing up a plan to break its addiction to Russian oil and gas by 2027, but, in the meantime, Putin is laughing all the way to the bank. As CNN reported in April, citing a report by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air: “Russian revenues from fossil fuel exports to the European Union soared during the first two months of the Ukraine invasion” — to $46.3 billion. That was more than double the value of Russian energy imported by the E.U. during the same two-month period a year earlier.

That was not because the E.U.’s volume of imports doubled. Higher oil and gas prices accounted for most of that increase. In other words, Putin starts a war that creates instability, which drives up oil prices, so he makes twice as much money exporting roughly the same amount of oil.

While Germany jumped off nuclear before it had a safety net of sufficient clean alternatives, at least it has been on a serious, path-defining quest to get them. Indeed, the whole world owes Germany a huge debt for driving down the price of solar panels and wind turbines through the subsidies and tax incentives it created. In Germany, wind turbines, solar panels and other renewables covered 54 percent of power consumption this past January and February — which is AMAZING. In 2021, renewable energy sources accounted for only about 12 percent of total U.S. energy that was consumed.

Still, the most important delusion of the green movement today — of which I am a proud, if grouchy, member — is telling itself that because the price of wind and solar technology has fallen so low now that it can beat coal and natural gas in most markets, often even without subsidies, it’s “game over” for fossil fuels. I wish. Price is only half the story.

If you can’t install the transmission lines — to get that sun and wind power from the vast open spaces where it is generated to the big urban areas where it is needed — and if you cannot set aside more land to install the scale of solar and wind farms you need to replace coal, gas or nuclear, it doesn’t matter that your renewables are cheaper on a per-kilowatt-hour basis.

And today transmission is a huge problem in the U.S. and Europe, where many people don’t want wind farms, solar fields, electricity lines — or natural gas pipelines — in their backyard. I wish this were not the case, but there is no immaculate pathway from brown energy to green energy. The road is paved with cruel trade-offs. Pick your poison — but grow up. Meanwhile, ever since the 1973 Arab oil embargo, the big oil companies have basically said in each successive crisis: Sure, we need more clean energy, but you have to understand — it doesn’t scale. Right now, we’re in an emergency, so we just need to drill more. You hear the same refrain today, which is why we’re in danger of wasting yet another oil crisis and never breaking our fossil fuel addiction.

For those oil companies sitting on large natural gas deposits — which are needed in this transition because gas is cleaner than coal — it means tapping those deposits but doing so with zero methane leakage; otherwise gas becomes as bad as coal. But it also means thinking much more seriously about how fossil fuel companies truly make the transition to become “energy companies,” not just oil companies, so they can leverage their amazing pools of engineering talent to provide more energy solutions that save the planet, not warm it.

Friedman is an Opinion Columnist with NYT©2022

The New York Times

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Content: A state-owned Dutch company, the biggest electricity grid operator in Germany, said on Thursday that talks to sell its German business to the Berlin government have ended.

TenneT, one of four transmission network operators in Germany, announced plans for the talks back in February 2023, saying at the time it needed a "structural solution" to funding needs for its German business as the grid is bolstered to handle the transition to renewable energy, which it put at about 15 billion euros ($16.1billion).

The transmission lines are vital for Germany's plans to completely shift its power production from fossil fuels to renewable energy by 2045 at the latest. At present, some of the electricity generated by wind farms in northern Germany can't be dispatched to the south due to lack of transmission capacity.

The German government has now informed the Netherlands that "it cannot deliver on the planned transaction due to budgetary challenges," TenneT said in a statement Thursday. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's three-party coalition is currently rowing about how to put together a 2025 budget while adhering to Germany's tight self-imposed rules on running up debt.

This has already forced a hasty, court-mandated rehash of the 2024 budget, complete with subsidy cuts that prompted protests by farmers. TenneT, which also runs the electricity grid in the Netherlands, spoke of "tapping into public or private capital markets for a structural funding solution for its German operations."

They further added that the German government "is committed to support such alternative solutions."