Germany chose a 2011 nuclear exit, closing its last reactors in 2023.

Berlin targets 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

Berlin rejects a nuclear revival given €15–20 billion costs and 15‑year lead times.

Nuclear power fell to zero in 2023, offset by solar and wind additions.

In 2023, clean generation fell 5.6%, industrial demand declined, and prices were 160% above 2019.

Grid reliability is strained by lost capacity, transmission bottlenecks, and imports, adding to high household prices.

Policymakers are exploring capacity mechanisms, including batteries that could displace up to 9 GW of gas.

Plans include 355 GW of wind and solar, €20 billion for hydrogen, and related infrastructure by 2032.

Grid investments include a €10 billion 10‑year plan, TenneT’s €100 billion program, and a €5.4 billion Prysmian–Amprion cable deal.

The Russia‑Ukraine war exposed Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian gas and oil, prompting emergency measures.

Before the war, Russia supplied 55% of Germany’s gas; after cuts, dependence fell to 12% for oil and 35% for gas.

Germany is building LNG import terminals but must rely on existing infrastructure short term.

The government allocated over €460 billion for the crisis, including gas and power price caps.

Industry relief includes an electricity‑tax cut and €28 billion in packages and subsidies to lower industrial power prices.

Debates over reversing the nuclear exit intensified during the energy crisis, despite the coalition’s opposition.

The transport minister and others proposed extensions, but the Green Party strongly opposes.

Polling shows 64% support a temporary restart, 61% favor lifetime extensions, and 56% back more coal.

Germany kept two reactors in reserve until spring 2023.

Germany cut greenhouse gases 10.1% in 2023, aiming for 65% by 2030 and net‑zero by 2045.

Germany chose a 2011 nuclear exit, closing its last reactors in 2023.

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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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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

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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

Berlin targets 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

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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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Europe's Insatiable Hunger for LNG

Europe is consuming large amounts…

German Grid Regulator Plans to Spread Clean Energy Costs Across All Regions

Consumers in Germany’s states with lower clean energy production may end up paying higher grid fees as the regulator plans to spread out evenly among regions the higher costs of adding renewables to the system.

The Federal Network Agency, Bundesnetzagentur, proposed on Friday a plan to evenly distribute the higher costs of adding a lot of renewable energy generation to the grid.

This essentially means that German states in the north of the country, where most of the onshore wind power is generated, would pay lower grid fees. But the large industrial consumers in the south of Germany, as well as households, may end up paying more in grid fees per kilowatt-hour, according to the plan.

Renewable energy sources are expected to generate more than 50% of Germany’s electricity this year, Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in September. By 2030, Germany aims to have renewables account for 80% of its electricity generation, Habeck said.

“Regions that generate significantly more renewable electricity than they consume incur significant network costs,” Klaus Müller, the president of the network regulator, said

The regulator proposes that these network fees be reduced for regions with high renewables share and distributed nationwide “in a spirit of solidarity,” he added.

“In regions that generate significantly more electricity than they consume, there are considerable costs for upgrading the grid. At the same time, the electricity not only supplies the region, but also the whole of Germany,” the regulator in its rationale for the proposal.

“The network fees in these regions should decrease. On the other hand, this leads to manageable additional costs for all electricity consumers in Germany,” Bundesnetzagentur added.

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The regulator is now seeking feedback on the proposal until January 31, 2024. It will announce its decision on the appropriate distribution of the grid fees in the third quarter of 2024. If the plan wins approval, it would come into effect on January 1, 2025, at the earliest.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Title:

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.

Berlin rejects a nuclear revival given €15–20 billion costs and 15‑year lead times.

Title:

Content: Germany will not resume the use of nuclear energy
Nuclear energy died in, turning into a “dead horse ” for the country ’ s economy.
will not build a nuclear power plant and relies only on solar and wind energy.
This was stated on Saturday by the Chancellor of Germany, reports AP.
In a Saturday radio interview with Deutschlandfunk, Scholz stated that nuclear power is "a dead horse" in Germany.
(This expression literally translates as “dead horse ”, and means something that has exhausted itself, a question that has lost its relevance; a question that is better to forget).
“Nuclear power is over.
The problem of nuclear energy in Germany has exhausted itself, it is a dead horse.
Anyone who wants to build a new nuclear power plant will need 15 years and will have to spend 15 – 20 billion euros (16.2 – 21.6 billion dollars) each, ” said Scholz.
According to him, any talk about the resumption of the use of nuclear energy will imply the construction of new nuclear power plants.
But this is not in the plans of the FRG.
Scholz stressed that Berlin intends to “expand the use of renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy ”
Earlier, the German Chancellor rejected the proposal of the junior partner in the power coalition that the country should leave open the possibility of using its closed nuclear power plants.
Rambler: top news

Nuclear power fell to zero in 2023, offset by solar and wind additions.

In 2023, clean generation fell 5.6%, industrial demand declined, and prices were 160% above 2019.

Grid reliability is strained by lost capacity, transmission bottlenecks, and imports, adding to high household prices.

Policymakers are exploring capacity mechanisms, including batteries that could displace up to 9 GW of gas.

Title:

Content: Battery storage on a capacity market

Share

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.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.

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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."

Title:

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.

Title:

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 Russia‑Ukraine war exposed Germany’s heavy reliance on Russian gas and oil, prompting emergency measures.

Title:

Content: Pelosi in Kiev.
Turkey is called the “Istanbul Trail ”.
Is Germany Drifting to ‘ Burn Bridges ’ with Russia?
T + T - normal size
The course of the war in Ukraine is deepening, and talk about the possibility of making progress or holding hopes on the diplomatic track and a negotiated solution, to the extent that Turkey returned yesterday to remind the world of something called the “Istanbul track ” in the negotiations, and that the longer the war, the more complicated the circumstances. Others.
This American support increases pressure on less impulsive and more war-affected allies, such as Germany, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been busy responding to critics who accuse him of being too slow to support Ukraine, but the continuation of the war is gradually eroding middle or less impulsive positions.
On Sunday, Schulz appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop the war, telling him: “Silence the weapons and withdraw your troops. ”
The German chancellor defended his policy in dealing with the Ukrainian crisis, amid accusations that he was acting with hesitation and fear in the face of Russia.
The leader of the opposition Christian Democratic Party, Friedrich Merz, recently accused the German chancellor of being too timid given German arms supplies to Kiev.
Ukraine ’ s ambassador to Germany, Andrei Melnik, described Schulz ’ s policy as slow, telling German newspaper Bild am Sonntag: “Olav Schulz takes almost the same approach as Angela Merkel: first he waits, watches, then makes a decision later at some point, or doesn ’ t take either, what he lacks is imagination and courage. ”
On Tuesday, the German government approved the supply of German-made Gibbard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine.
These are the first heavy weapons to be supplied directly from Germany to Ukraine.
During a visit to Japan on Thursday, the German chancellor declined to respond to a question about whether the federal government would authorize further deliveries of weapons requested by Ukraine, such as Leopard tanks and Marder armored personnel carriers.
Energy Dependency
The pressure of allies and adversaries on Germany seems to be bearing fruit, and its ability to take a stand distinct from those of Washington and London is limited in light of the major media campaign within the weapons of war.
In this context, the German government announced that it had made progress in reducing its energy dependence on Russia since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
According to a report by the German Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, “there have been advances in oil and coal in particular in recent weeks. ”
“Germany is in the process of reducing its energy dependence on Russia very quickly and is in the process of establishing a wider energy supply base. ”
According to the report, the dependence on Russian oil fell from 35% last year to 12% now, and the dependence on Russian gas fell from 55% last year to about 35% now, and the dependence on Russia in coal fell from 50% at the beginning of this year to about 8% now.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said: “All these steps we are taking require a huge joint effort from all actors, and they mean costs that will be felt by the economic community, as well as consumers, but they are necessary if we are not to be blackmailed by Russia later. ”
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Title:

Content: People 's Daily Online > > Economy and Technology
Russia – Ukraine conflict intensifies German inflationary pressure
Xie Fei
April 02, 2022 09: 21 | Source: Economic Daily
Small number
Previous: Russia-Ukraine conflict intensifies German inflationary pressure
At a supermarket in Berlin, Germany, few edible oils are left on the shelves.
This reporter thanks for the photo.
As one of the European countries most dependent on Russian energy, the German economy is facing severe inflationary pressure due to the continuous COVID-19 epidemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
At present, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is facing great uncertainty, and the duration and scope of the conflict will have an impact on the international energy market, which in turn will affect the price level of Germany.
Although the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will not cause the world economy to fall off a cliff like the COVID-19 epidemic, it may take longer to recover.
The crisis in Ukraine and Russia has disrupted the economic recovery process in Europe.
As Europe's "locomotive" and one of the countries most dependent on Russian energy, the German economy is facing serious inflation pressure, and even the risk of stagflation.
According to the latest preliminary calculation of the Federal Statistical Office, the consumer price index (CPI) in Germany reached 7.3% in March this year, far exceeding the previous forecast of 6.3% by experts, and close to the level of price growth during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
Energy and food prices are rising at a record high in the past 40 years.
Specifically, energy prices in Germany rose 39.5% in March, while food prices rose 6.2%.
Energy prices in Europe have been rising since before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which has exacerbated this trend.
According to the latest data of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, before the outbreak of the conflict in Russia and Ukraine, energy market uncertainty and tight supply situation in the natural gas market have led to a sharp increase in energy prices.
Recently, Germany's most authoritative economic forecasting agency, the German Economic Experts Committee submitted the latest macroeconomic forecast report to the German federal government, which believes that Germany's GDP growth rate is only 1.8% this year.
In its report last November, the commission's forecast for the economy for this year was still 4.6 percent.
The report also pointed out that Germany's economic growth is expected to return to 3.6% in 2023.
Schnitzer, a member of the committee, said that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will have a major impact on the German economy and it is very dangerous to impose an energy embargo on Russia.
Schnitzer said that if the escalation of the conflict results in a tight supply of energy and raw materials and prices of primary products, the German economy will face a structural shock, the impact of which will be far greater than the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said here today that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is facing a great deal of uncertainty.
The duration and scope of the conflict will have an impact on the international energy market, which in turn will affect the price level in Germany.
Although the Russian-Ukrainian conflict will not cause the world economy to fall off a cliff like the COVID-19 epidemic, it may take longer to recover.
Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Western countries, including Germany, have imposed a series of economic sanctions on Russia.
At present, the market confidence of German export companies has been affected.
According to the German Ifo Economic Research Institute, the German export expectation index has dropped to -2.3 in March, while the index was as high as 17.0 in February.
The institute's director, Forster, said that companies with more trade links with Russia are particularly pessimistic about the expectations of the next few months, and German export growth to Russia will significantly slow.
At the same time, the IFE economic research institute's forecast for Germany's economic growth this year has also been sharply reduced from the previous 3.7% to between 2.2% and 3.1%.
Analysts believe that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has greatly pushed up international energy prices and impacted the global supply chain system, resulting in higher prices of raw materials and primary products and a shortage of supply, which has brought great uncertainty to the German economy.
At the same time, rising prices of raw materials and energy have put considerable inflationary pressure on the German economy.
German inflation is forecast to rise to 5.1% to 6.1% this year, up sharply from its previous forecast of 3.3%.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict has also had some impact on the lives of ordinary Germans.
For example, there has been a recent shortage of flour and cooking oil in most parts of Germany.
In the past two weeks, many supermarkets in Berlin have only a small amount of flour and cooking oil in stock or are out of stock.
The supply of bread in some supermarkets has also been reduced.
In order to prevent large-scale panic hoarding, many stores have to take measures to restrict the purchase of these two types of food.
Whether to impose an energy embargo on Russia is currently the most widely discussed issue in Germany.
Some experts believe that Germany can withstand the negative impact of a comprehensive energy embargo on Russia.
But German Chancellor Gerhard Scholz and Economy Minister Halbek rejected the plan.
According to the German Economic Research Institute, German inflation is likely to reach 10 percent if Germany imposes an embargo on Russian energy.
Recently, the Economic East Council of Germany also warned that the sanctions imposed by Germany and its allies on Russia should not be aimed at destroying the Russian economy, but should accurately pressure the behavior of the Russian political elite.
According to experts, the long-term impact of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the sanctions imposed by the West on German companies is not clear.
Many enterprises believe that the current situation will have a greater impact on the continued investment and expansion of business in Russia.
Despite the difficulties faced by German companies operating in Russia, most of them still want to stay in Russia.
There are more than 3,600 German companies operating in Russia, with a total of 280,000 employees.
German manufacturing companies alone have invested up to 25 billion euros in Russia.
(Editor: Shen Jiaping, Chen Jian)
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Title:

Content: Germany / Ukraine / Russia
Russia ’ s peace talks with Ukraine are unrealistic
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a government statement on Wednesday that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were unrealistic, German radio reported.
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Schorz told the German parliament that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes in the possibility of a forced peace.
That is why the possibility of negotiations is "very, very remote."
Therefore, the goal remains for Ukraine to repel the Russian attackers.
Schorz also raised the prospect of a new strategic concept for NATO.
A partnership with Putin ’ s aggressive imperialist Russia is inconceivable for the foreseeable future.
In the current crisis of security policy, Germany has a very special responsibility.
It will expand its military presence in the Baltic region.
According to Scholz, "every square meter of Allied territory must be defended."
Scholz thanked all who approved special spending for the Bundeswehr, saying it laid the foundation for a new security structure in Germany.
Germany recently decided to allocate an additional 100 billion euros to the Bundeswehr to upgrade its armaments.
Scholz added that Russia is waging a ruthless war against the Ukrainian people, which is why Ukraine will continue to receive massive support.
This includes financial, economic, humanitarian and political support, as well as the supply of weapons.
At the same time, the impact of the war in Ukraine on Germany is increasing.
Energy prices continue to rise.
Officials warned that energy supplies could be tight in the winter.
German Economy Minister Stefan Halbek is preparing to launch a national gas emergency plan in response to Russia's recent drastic cuts in gas supplies to Germany.
According to the German newspaper Le Monde, the second phase of emergency regulation could immediately and significantly raise gas prices for all consumers.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Lindner warned on German television that Germany is facing a severe economic crisis over high energy prices.
At the very least, he said, the continued use of nuclear energy should be considered.
"It is absolutely possible to extend the use of nuclear power plants," the governor of Bavaria, Solda, told German radio.
Governments should consider all options regardless of ideology.
But Prime Minister Schulz of the Social Democratic Party expressed reservations about extending the life of the nuclear power plant.
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Before the war, Russia supplied 55% of Germany’s gas; after cuts, dependence fell to 12% for oil and 35% for gas.

Germany is building LNG import terminals but must rely on existing infrastructure short term.

Title:

Content: Archive | Countries | Persons | Catalog | News | Discussions | Jokes | Contacts | PDA
| Central Asia | Afghanistan | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan | Uzbekistan |
News & Events
|
Wednesday, 25.05.2022
14: 00 The time of peace is over.
Global Mission of Russia
13: 57 Hamshahri: Will Russian oil overtake Iranian oil in the Chinese market?
Henry Kissinger: Ukraine will have to surrender the territory of Russia
China urged to create a "green corridor" for grain exports from Russia and Ukraine
13: 46 A gas pillow for the Old World is filled with the whole world, - O. Nikiforov
13: 45 Rebellion in Steplag.
As Solzhenitsyn Banderovtsev sang
13: 44 In Orenburg will honor the memory of the common heroes of Kazakhstan and Russia - Manshuk Mametova and Talgat Begeldinov,
13: 43 Cultural censorship.
Why Kyrgyzstan is increasingly banning performances and exhibitions
13: 41 Russia VS Ukraine, - M.Ivlev, N.Ponomarenko
13: 40 The American Conservative: The total LGBT-ization of America
13: 39 Moldova and Romania prepare Sfatul Cerii № 2? - A.Karaman
13: 36 The hysteria around Ukraine must stop.
It ’ s time to acknowledge the obvious. – Katrina Huvel
12: 26 Niyazov, a Zamakim of Mangistau region, arrested in February for swindling, went to... his former job
12: 13 20: Death toll in primary school shooting in Texas
11: 34 Ugly Uzbek singer Nargiza Zakirova deported from Russia
11: 25 Putin went to the southern breakthrough of the trade blockade of Russia.
Cut through the "window", - "MK"
10: 46 Soros cliche World War III because of the Ukrainian crisis, - "MK"
10: 31 New norms of law in "New Kazakhstan", - M. Bashimov (on the rights of delusions)
10: 11 Why Russia has almost no allies in the post-Soviet space - Gevorg Mirzayan
09: 56 Germany cancels €15 million debt to Kyrgyzstan
Under what conditions?
09: 19 Army Z hacked Svitlodar shaft Ukr
08: 58 The Second Great Patriotic War and the Reset of Russia, - Dayan Jayatilleka
08: 13 Biden the Destroyer, - Nikolay Kuzmin
08: 10 Unstable Mangistau.
Protests only dream? - Alma Bektenova
07: 49 Twilight of the Western Gods, - Yuri Borisov
00: 40 Zelensky evacuated his parents to Israel.
Time for slippers? - "SP"
00: 32 Satanovsky: The Third World War is already underway
00: 30 Tokayev reports to Davos Forum on his unprecedented "reforms"
00: 24 The Pentagon will take under the hood of the naval militia of China, - Vladimir Skosyrev
00: 23 No oil, no gas and no bread.
The worst of Europe is yet to come - Vesna Knyazhevich
US is trying to turn Central Asia against Russia, - V. Panfilova
Russia is preparing for an eternal quarrel with the West and an eternal friendship with China, - "NG"
00: 15 Zakat Nazism: DPR issues postage stamp in support of Ukraine ’ s denazification
Tuesday, 24.05.2022
22: 49 Tajikistan.
Is it only about Mamadbakirov? - Safo Rasulov
18: 54 Writer Olzhas Suleimenov revives his deceased party "People's Congress of Kazakhstan"
18: 27 General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan Zh.Halykula (a relative of Nazarbayev) arrested for corruption
17: 52 Don 't you dare insult Pamir the gentlemen who slaughtered Uncle Sam, - Safo Rasulov
17: 40 Space Monitoring and Geoinformation Technologies Center established in Uzbekistan
17: 37 China may become the main target of sanctions war of collective West, - V. Katasonov
14: 29 The State Duma of the Russian Federation denounced the agreement on pension guarantees of citizens of the CIS
14: 24 EMERCOM of Russia headed by former adjutant of Putin, General Kurenkov
12: 21 Huanqiu Shibao: Europe has become a victim of the Russian-American game.
Who's to blame?
12: 19 American Thinker: Biden ’ s America is rotting from the head.
Collapse is inevitable
12: 18 Secrets of the Kazakh Amazons (Steppe Furies)
12: 16 On the “abolition ” of post-Soviet Russia.
Reanimation of the pioneer – the actual return to the state ideology
12: 13 Time: The West turns a blind eye to the defeat of Ukraine.
It's dangerous.
11: 56 Kum Medvedchuk testified against ex-Ukrprez Poroshenko.
Together illegally traded Donetsk coal
11: 35 What, son, have your lyahs helped you, or the Kiss of Duda, - A. Krengel
11: 06 How Alma-Ata survived under seven previous mayors.
Ch. 4, - E.Kosenko
11: 02 The main dog breeder KazMVD was caught in corruption.
Stealing from dog bowls?
10: 47 In Chisinau arrested "pro-Russian" ex-president Dodon
Archive
© CentrAsiaTop
CenterAsia |
The gas pillow for the Old World is filled with the whole world, - O.Nikiforov
13: 46 25.05.2022
Gas pillow for the Old World is filled with the whole world
Greens prefer to turn a blind eye to the environmentally “dirty ” American LNG
Oleg Nikiforov
Executive editor of the application "NG-Energia"
Existing and under construction LNG receiving terminals in Europe.
Map of the European Commission
Events in Ukraine prompt the German government to reduce dependence on Russian gas as soon as possible, according to a scientific paper prepared by the Berlin Foundation for Science and Policy (SWP).
Estimates of the fund are important because they are actively used by the German government in the development of long-term plans.
The way out, according to experts of the fund, is diversification of supplies, and the rate should be made on liquefied gas (LNG) plus the creation of gas reserves.
According to the adopted plans, Germany should rely on 100% renewable energy sources in its energy supply by 2035.
But in fact, experts say, the federal government is facing a complex dilemma and a difficult choice of directions for future actions, which is associated with the adoption of geopolitical and geo-economic decisions that go far beyond the measures of the so-called energy transition.
What are we really talking about?
Events in Ukraine put the energy transition, or transformation of energy, of Germany before a significant dilemma.
On the one hand, the pace of change and its expansion are required.
This also applies to the refusal to supply Russian energy resources, which must be significantly reduced.
On the other hand, the government is faced with a choice between the planned goals in the climate sphere and ensuring the reliability of energy supply.
And now these problems have become even more urgent.
According to experts, dependence on Russian gas can be reduced only by a significant increase in LNG imports.
But this is hampered by the limited capacity to receive LNG both in Germany and in Europe.
As of the beginning of 2022, Europe has import terminals for receiving LNG, which can take about 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
Europe ’ s gas needs are now estimated at 530 billion cubic meters per year.
Germany consumes about 90 billion cubic meters of gas per year.
And even for the period up to 2040, the need for gas for Europe, according to a number of examinations, will amount to 430 billion cubic meters.
However, they do not solve the problem of gas supply to Europe.
According to Fred Hutchison, head of LNG Alies in Washington, the construction of additional terminals will do nothing if the United States can not offer additional volumes of LNG.
Yes, the United States, which claims to be the main supplier of LNG to Europe (in 2021, the United States agreed to supply 22 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, and in 2022 the EU expects to increase supplies by another 15 billion cubic meters of gas), there are, according to experts, problems with the development of infrastructure.
According to Spiegel magazine, there are currently seven terminals in the United States.
But the increase in LNG production in the United States, which is a prerequisite for the construction of new terminals for imports, is due to the fact that in the United States, the method of hydraulic fracturing is used for gas production, which is considered harmful to the environment.
Of course, now the German "Greens" prefer to turn a blind eye to the environmentally "dirty" American LNG, but in the United States, the expansion of production by fracking meets with resistance from environmentalists.
The German government does not lose sight of Qatar as a possible promising supplier of LNG (now Qatar supplies 5% of the volume of European gas imports to Europe).
But given the fact that this country is the third largest gas producer in the world (after Russia and the United States), there were hopes in Germany for the possibility of increasing the supply of Qatari LNG.
Therefore, in March of this year, Federal Minister of Economy and Climate Robert Habek went to Qatar to negotiate an increase in the supply of Qatari LNG.
Portal Ingeneuer.de calls this trip "controversial way".
The portal indicates that for the German Greens (and Habek belongs to the Union 90 / Greens party), respect for human rights plays an important role, which, according to the portal, is an international problem in Qatar.
But Habeck backtracked on this point and began to argue that there are differences between “an undemocratic state in which there are problems with human rights, and an authoritarian state waging an aggressive war in front of German doors. ”
In other words, there are States with varying levels of human rights violations, and some of them can be dealt with.
It is possible that the main factor in this is the willingness of Qatar Petroleum to participate in the financing of the construction of LNG terminals in Germany.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that the main consumer of LNG is in Asia, which accounts for 2 / 3 of the sales of all LNG.
And the need for such major LNG consumers as China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, India, is growing.
This growth, according to Spiegel, will increase by 77% by 2040.
To reorient the main LNG flows from Asia to Europe, prices higher than in Asia are needed.
Role of LNG
The main project in the construction of an import terminal in Germany is the port city of Wilhelmshaven, which now serves as a base for the German Navy.
The capacity of the planned terminal will be 7.5 billion cubic meters per year.
This accounts for about 8.5% of Germany ’ s total gas exports.
The German company Uniper is involved in the construction.
The company plans to use floating terminals of four vessels to reload incoming LNG before the launch of the main terminal.
Uniper and RWE intend to acquire two Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRU) for this purpose.
Regardless of this ongoing construction, there is a project for the construction of a more powerful import terminal with a capacity of 16 – 20 billion cubic meters. E.ON and Tree Energy Solutions intend to participate in its financing.
The beginning of construction is scheduled for 2025.
In the land of Schleswig-Holstein, in the town of Brunsbüttel, located at the western entrance from the Kiel Canal, the construction of an LNG import terminal with a capacity of 8 billion cubic meters has begun. It is planned to finish in 2026.
The project is financed by the German state investment bank KfW, which intends to invest up to half of its cost.
Dutch energy concern Gasunie intends to participate in 40% of the project cost, and 10% will be taken by the German concern RWE.
Land Prime Minister Daniel Gunther announced that from the beginning of 2023 he intends to take over the floating terminal to supply LNG land.
The third import terminal with a capacity of 12 billion cubic meters of gas per year will be built in the town of Stade, near Hamburg.
It will be put into operation in 2026.
Belgian company Fluxys, Swiss firm Investor Partners Group and German logistics firm Buss will take part in the construction.
The fourth participant is the international chemical corporation DOW Chemical.
The project is being implemented by the German company Hanseatic Energy Hub.
Germany's own gas
During the discussion on achieving independence from Russian gas, the Economic Council of the CDU made a proposal to increase the level of gas production in Germany itself.
In 2021, according to the Federal Union of Natural Gas, Oil and Geoenergy (BVEG), Germany produced 5.2 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
The main gas fields are located in the state of Lower Saxony.
And in 2001, domestic production covered 21% of demand in Germany itself.
By now, its own production has fallen.
The reason for this is the activity of environmentalists and tightened production standards in connection with it.
According to the Union, a realistic goal is to increase domestic gas production to 6 billion cubic meters per year, which would correspond to an increase in the share of domestic gas in consumption to 5-6%.
A significant amount of gas, says the newspaper Tagesspiegel, citing Miriam Arens, a press representative of the Federal Association for Natural Gas, Oil and Geoenergy of Germany, could be produced in Germany using the method of hydraulic fracturing, which is prohibited for environmental reasons.
However, Michael Hüther, head of the Institute for German Economy (IDW), said in an interview with the Rheinische Post that all available opportunities should be considered for the speedy abandonment of Russian gas.
We are talking about shale gas, which today can be produced by pumping chemicals into rocks.
In support of fracking (the so-called method of production by hydraulic fracturing) expressed and the Minister of economy of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia Andreas Pinquart and Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Seder.
In the book Die Schlacht um Europas Gasmarkt, published in 2018, it is noted that the shale gas reserves in Germany, according to various estimates, from 0.7 trillion to 2.3 trillion cubic meters.
Their extraction would satisfy all the country ’ s gas needs for 13 years.
The CDU Economic Council draws attention to the natural gas reserves located in the border region between Germany and the Netherlands.
They amount to 60 billion cubic meters and could be produced jointly by the two countries.
It is noteworthy that the Dutch company One-Dyas intends in the Borkum area (on German territory) to build a marine platform for gas production from this field, called N05-A, which was discovered only in 2017 and is located between the German Borkum and the Dutch island of Schirmonnikog.
This will allow to produce annually up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas.
The land government in Lower Saxony initially opposed the project for environmental reasons – as the site of the proposed extraction is located directly near the national park, but changed its position.
However, German environmentalists are still opposed to this project.
And even if all obstacles are overcome, production can begin no earlier than 2024.
From the point of view of the Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner, the requirement in the coalition agreement not to conduct gas and oil production in the North Sea in connection with the current events in Europe related to the Ukrainian crisis, is already outdated.
He said this to the European magazine.
Opportunities in Norway
Norway is traditionally the only alternative to Russia as a direct supplier of pipeline natural gas to Germany.
Today, it is considered the second largest supplier of blue fuel to Germany after Russia.
In 2021, 30-45% of Germany ’ s natural gas imports came from Norway via three main pipelines.
Norway exported 120 billion cubic meters of gas in 2021.
Taking into account the Ukrainian events, Norway decided not to reduce the level of gas production.
But to increase the level of production, as reported by the Norwegian Ministry of energy, the country can no longer.
The transfer of repair work can only allow not to reduce gas supplies to Europe.
According to Equinor, the country ’ s main gas producer, a slight increase in production is possible at three gas fields in the North Sea.
We are talking about the fields "Ozeberg", "Heidrun" and "Trol".
Ozeberg can additionally produce about 1 billion cubic meters of gas, at the Heidrun field - 0.4 billion cubic meters.
According to Business Portal Norway, the largest Norwegian field “Trol ” is also planned to increase production in the amount of 1 billion cubic meters per year.
In this field, another 715 billion cubic meters of gas remain available for production.
In practice, this means the possibility of gas production from this field after 2050, says Helge Haugane, senior vice president of Gas and Power.
There is no hope for Groningen.
It is known that until recently, the Dutch government intended to stop gas production from its fields by mid-2022, which was due to environmental circumstances.
Although initially the implementation of this step was planned for 2030.
However, events in Ukraine prompted the government to change its plans.
According to the German economic newspaper Handelsblatt in its April 22, 2022 issue, the government has decided to support those firms that intend to produce gas in the North Sea.
However, at the time of writing, the reaction of the German government to this step was still unknown.
We are talking primarily about the Dutch company One Dyas and its project 500 m from the German border in the area of   the German island of Borkuma.
However, natural phenomena (an earthquake in the production area at the Groningen field) are prompting the government to close production at this site in 2023.
As you know, Groningen is considered the largest European field with gas reserves of 2.7 trillion cubic meters, it was discovered in 1959.
Of these, 1.5 billion cubic meters have already been extracted.
However, since 1959, more than 900 earthquakes with an amplitude of up to 3.6 points have been recorded in the mining area.
Earthquakes were linked to the development of the field.
The initial termination date at Groningen was set for 2030, then it shifted to mid-2022 and has now been increased to 2023.
Therefore, experts of the Fund tend to attach importance to accelerating the expansion of the construction of renewable energy plants, especially wind, and reducing energy consumption.
The experts of the fund believe that a return to nuclear energy could help Germany in the event of a complete abandonment of coal energy both in terms of solving the set climate problems and in terms of reducing dependence on gas.
But in Germany, this requires a thorough political discussion and social consensus.
Under the current conditions, experts say, the federal government is betting on the "absolute priority" of hydrogen.
It can be used both as an energy carrier and for energy storage purposes.
But rising energy prices complicate this step, especially in energy-intensive industries such as steel and chemistry.
Without rapid scaling of the production of green hydrogen, experts say, and without the volumetric support of the state, the positive development of the electrolysis process (a necessary component for the production of hydrogen) will go at a slow pace.
Experts believe that most likely Germany will have to reckon with the fact that neither Russia nor Ukraine will become its partners in the production of hydrogen.
Germany will have to find other partners.
Therefore, experts believe, the importance of North Africa and the Middle East in terms of organizing a partnership for the production of hydrogen will increase.
In this case, the question arises about the search for a suitable technology, the characteristics of hydrogen, its derivatives, transport and logistics problems.
Of course, experts say, Germany should not lose sight of alternative sources of hydrogen production, in particular from natural gas.
But in this case, it is necessary to diversify sources of supply.
Events in Ukraine prompt Germany to redefine priorities in the energy triangle: sustainability, competitiveness, security of supply.
From the point of view of security of supply and competitiveness, the federal government needs to take into account three long-term nature of decisions: from a geopolitical point of view, energy transition acquires a forced importance, and not only taking into account the actions of Russia; from a technological point of view, Germany enters into competition with the United States and China; from the point of view of reliability, provision of critical raw materials and supply chains becomes important.
Sustainability and reliability of production sites are important.
Geo-economically, the move away from Russia will, in the medium and long term, increase Germany ’ s dependence on ports and maritime energy trade and on a volatile global gas market.
An additional complicating factor will be the possible abrupt termination of stable pipeline supplies of energy resources.
And the proposed re-equipment of the gas infrastructure for transporting hydrogen from Russia and Eastern Europe in the foreseeable future is difficult to implement both politically and economically, experts say.
Germany ’ s geo-strategically expected exit from continental energy trade with Russia will have two kinds of consequences.
On the one hand, on the basis of Russia ’ s dominant infrastructure and regulatory position in Eurasia, the development of energy partnership in the region will be difficult.
In the long term, we should expect the development of Russian pipeline exports of energy resources in the direction of Asia and China.
Source - NG
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Content: Geopolitics / Ukraine
The Ukraine War Affects Germany ’ s Energy Strategy
Russia ’ s war on Ukraine forced Germany to overhaul its energy strategy.
Berlin has urgently started the construction of two previously abandoned LNG terminals.
This is the subject of a field interview published by our RFI correspondent in the French "Chronique Reportage International" column on Thursday, March 3rd.
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In an interview published on Thursday, March 03, 2022 in Chronique Reportage International, correspondent Julien Méchaussie reported from Berlin that Germany, which imports more than 50% of its natural gas and relies on Russian supplies, is now forced to review its energy strategy from the bottom up.
In the face of the inevitable price increase, the people are very worried.
The original title of this RFI column in French was: [Guerre en Ukraine: les conséquences sur l'appropriationnement en gaz russe pour l'Allemagne].
The war in Ukraine: consequences of Russian gas supplies for Germany.
Below is a brief summary for information.
The German people are upset -
In a live interview from Berlin published Thursday in Chronique Reportage International, RFI ’ s French-language network, a passer-by said in German on his way to work that the outbreak of the war in Ukraine had caused a decades-old energy policy to collapse in a matter of days.
Rising energy prices are not good for anyone.
This is not good for the job market, which automatically leads to price increases for all products.
People will be afraid of huge inflation, and the impact on the economy is tragic.
Here, the RFI French correspondent pointed out that the fear of the passer-by interviewed represents many German people.
In Germany, which has a long history of importing Russian gas, Prime Minister Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
The pipeline linking northern Germany to Russia via the Baltic Sea was completed in September 2021.
The project has now come to a halt. Nord Stream 2 declared bankruptcy this week and more than 100 of its collaborators lost their jobs.
There were signs before the war -
A well-known professor of environmental and resource economics called Germany naive.
He said that at the beginning of this winter, the wind has turned around.
Before the war, Russian gas exports to Germany had dropped to their lowest level in months.
Despite the record price, it is now good to see that this is clearly part of the overall strategy of the Russian side.
German Deputy Prime Minister and Federal Minister for Economy and Climate Robert Habeck plans to increase coal imports.
The German Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises has called for an extension of the deadline for coal abandonment, which was decided at the end of last year.
Germany, now seeking to diversify its energy supply, will turn to countries like the United States and Qatar.
But the problem is that these countries are now exporting liquefied natural gas, and Germany has no corresponding terminal to be docked.
Experts interviewed pointed out that Germany is in urgent need of new liquefied natural gas terminals.
However, it takes three to four years to build a terminal.
Of course people can do it as quickly as possible, but this new strategy is not a very short-term solution.
We need to rely on existing infrastructure.
Once the new terminal is put into use, the sky should clear up.
Germany launches old project -
Abandoned two years ago due to a lack of political support, two projects to build LNG terminals in the North Sea have now been urgently launched at a cost of around €1 billion.
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Content: Alert
The secret identity of Hu Ge 's wife is revealed, "spend 3.5 million to learn makeup to attract him"
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How did the German model achieve an unbearable energy transition war across the sea?
【 By Fu Guanqi 】
Environmental awareness, green energy production has always been regarded as the world's superior Germany, but because of a Ukrainian-Russian war, let the bright achievements behind the unfinished business, exposed to the world.
Is this general review of energy security, ignited by war, a crisis or a turning point for Germany, which rose from the ashes of World War II? Can Germany break through the status quo and turn into a new model for a sustainable economy in the future?
Or is it a death on the road to transformation? How can Taiwan find its future direction from this “energy transition war ”?
Just after Christmas, for many Dodd families, the most wanted Christmas gift may be a heat pump to make the whole family better through the winter.
Unlike the tens of millions of domestic heating systems in Germany that still use natural gas or oil as fuel, heat pumps are powered by electricity, which can be seen as "reverse air conditioning", which has a higher thermal conversion efficiency and symbolizes energy access at a lower price.
The energy crisis caused by the Russo-Ukrainian War has become a watershed in the price of energy in Germany.
The past dependence on Russia to import a large amount of cheap energy can not be returned, and the international carbon pricing mechanism is increasingly complete, which has led Germany to realize that only green energy is the way to reduce energy prices again.
The "Vision" team traveled to Germany, in-depth interviews and observed that the consensus that permeates German society today is: "There is not much time for the energy transition, and we must accelerate progress."
German Green Party MP Till Steffen, who visited Taiwan in 2022, told Visionary that "this' energy crisis' has accelerated the 'energy transition' and become a priority for the government."
German Economy Accelerates Greening, Renewable Energy Becomes National Security Foundation
This is not just a matter of paper. At the end of 2022, Germany inaugurated the country ’ s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal.
Germany decided last spring to build it, and it could be completed in a few months. “This is super fast for Germany, ” Steffen said.“ We need to scale up renewable energy at the same rate. ”
If you make decisions at the slow pace of your past habits, you won ’ t be able to achieve the goals you set. ”
In the past, far less ambitious than the Green Party ’ s liberal finance minister, Christian Lindner, has also designated renewable energy as “free energy ”, emphasizing its function to enhance Germany ’ s energy security and economic independence.
In this context, the two pillars of the energy transition, "switching to renewable energy" and "improving energy efficiency", have also become the top priorities of enterprises in the country.
Even the German machine tool manufacturer MAG, a pioneer of Industry 4.0, has re-examined energy conservation and is preparing to install solar panels on its plant.
“Many investment plans are being reevaluated because of higher energy prices, ” explains Sebastian Schoning, MAG ’ s head of Europe & Americas.“ Many investments that were previously unprofitable are now justified. ”
Solar panels that can be used for their own use and can be sold for electricity have been greatly shortened, and with tax incentives, large and small businesses and families have been selling out; installation technicians are so hot that waiting in line has become a new normal in the last few months.
Yen Chien-ho, general manager of the German branch of FSP, which has been operating solar energy storage business for more than six years from Taiwan, revealed that the green energy product line is already the main revenue of the company, and it is estimated that by 2023, solar related products can grow by 50%.
Quanhan also saw the business opportunities of green energy vehicles in Europe and decided to set up a new R & D center in Germany to attack customized charging devices.
Another Taiwanese company that has been working in Germany for ten years, Servo Press Co., Ltd. is also favored by European customers due to the fact that the product consumes about 50% less power than traditional presses, and is expected to double its business performance in 2023.
Germany has been driving the energy transition for decades. The driving force of this energy crisis is mainly reflected in the change of mentality and the re-calculation of business interests.
First, in terms of mentality, Germany used to import about 60% of its energy, and is more heavily dependent on cheap fossil fuels from Russia.
However, when energy is no longer so readily available, it has also greatly changed the German society's view of energy: in the past, everyone saw renewable energy as a threat to the stability of electricity supply, and now it is an important basis for protecting national security.
Second, in the eyes of enterprises, green energy has become the only energy source that can maintain long-term competitiveness.
"We all know that there is no future for fossil fuels," said Markus Rosenthal, director of government relations at the German Association for Energy Storage Systems. He cited the withdrawal of Allianz, Germany 's largest insurance company, and the active investment of major banks in decarbonization technology as examples. The effect of greening the German economy is greater than anyone else. "
Many may have heard of Germany ’ s Energiewende vision after the Fukushima disaster.
But such a concept has taken root in Germany ’ s anti-nuclear movement since the 1970s.
Since then, the Green Party movement has developed with the greatest political influence in the world.
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 1: Lack of work, insufficient capacity of Northern Power South
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG), which came into force in 2000, made Germany the first major economy to promote renewable energy.
Over the next 20 years, the proportion of renewable energy supply has grown significantly from 6% to 46%, and this remarkable achievement has become an international model case for promoting energy transformation.
However, the model of the period of peace seems to be unable to withstand the test of war, and Germany still fell into the dilemma of energy crisis in the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine and the weaponization of energy are certainly uncontrollable factors.
But the German society's caution against nuclear energy has also made Germany more dependent on relatively clean natural gas during the period of phasing out coal.
“We are over-reliant on fossil fuels and the development of renewable energy over the past few years has been too slow, ” said Malte Kuper, energy and climate policy researcher at the German Institute for Economic Research (IW).“ We must accelerate the correction of the structural errors of energy policy over the past decade. ”
Wilhelm Kiewitt, Director of Energy Economics at 50Hertz, a German power grid company, said: “We are vigorously promoting the construction of renewable energy, but we have not updated the grid infrastructure and have not ensured that the design of the electricity market is compatible.
As a result, the energy transition is not doing well. ”
Wind power located on the northern coast of Germany has so far been difficult to reach the industrial heartland of the south because the government has spent too much time coordinating with the residents of the south to accept high-voltage cables cutting through their beautiful landscapes.
The lack of capacity of Northern Power South has become a key missing piece in the German energy puzzle.
In addition, the political lobbying power of fossil fuel companies and strict regulations on onshore wind power have also slowed down the pace of transformation in Germany.
A few months ago, there was a demolition of nearby windmills to expand coal mines in North Wales. Although the efficiency of these windmills was low and they were expected to be rebuilt and upgraded, environmentalists criticized this as a retrograde policy in the midst of the energy crisis.
But the lack of urgency may be the key factor in Germany ’ s gradual deviation from its goal.
According to the German government ’ s 2021 forecast, all sectors, from energy, industry and agriculture, will not be able to meet the 2030 climate goals on the basis of current carbon reduction actions.
In terms of new technology, even if Germany began hydrogen energy research more than 30 years ago, it has not been able to enter the expansion.
Thomas Hilig, founder of THEnergy in Germany and a hydrogen energy consultant, pointed out that “we have studied hydrogen energy thoroughly and want to know everything. ”
But it may be possible to start expanding sooner.
Indeed, now is the time to launch the app. ”
The impact of high energy prices and increasingly extreme weather have become a reality in Germany, forcing the country, accustomed to sound and prudent action, to admit its mistakes and shortcomings and accelerate the progress of the energy transition.
The question is, is it in time?
Opening a recent German newspaper will find that a crisis is not necessarily a turning point.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 99% of the total number of German enterprises, are struggling, and many companies may not be able to survive.
A survey of companies released by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) in the summer of 2022 shows that due to high energy prices, 1 / 4 of enterprises have completed the deployment of production reduction, 1 / 4 have reduced the scale of operations, and the remaining half have not yet begun to act, and are still thinking about the corresponding steps.
At present, the German government has finalized a nearly 100 billion euro energy bill subsidy plan, but Asha Maria Sharma, deputy director of digital services at the Foreign Trade and Investment Agency, believes that financial subsidies are only part of the solution, companies must think about how to use AI, data analysis and other technologies to save energy, in order to remain competitive in the future when energy prices are higher.
However, the resources and financial power of SMEs are not as good as those of multinational enterprises, and it is not easy to face inflation, interest rate hikes, the impact on the dollar exchange rate and energy prices, and to devote more efforts to long-term investment layout.
For example, when the Covid-19 pandemic spread, Alexander Krug, the public relations manager in charge of the Berlin Digital Center for SMEs, observed that about a third of SMEs were suspending or even cancelling strategic digital investments that would bear fruit in the medium to long term.
Moreover, in the global semiconductor shortage, many small and medium-sized enterprises are competing for similar chips with the government-supported renewable energy industry, as well as Germany ’ s powerful automotive industry.
In terms of money and resources, it is difficult to win.
Cooper said that in the long term, the energy crisis can be an accelerator of the energy transition.
But for an industrial powerhouse like Germany, which has a high proportion of energy-intensive industries, there is also a risk that “industry may decline before the green energy transition is complete. ”
Many homes waiting for solar panel technicians to install their doors also reveal another risk: lack of work.
“If you ask a business, what ’ s the biggest question about operations? Almost every time the answer is, ‘ We need people. ’ ”
Especially in the areas of green energy and digital technology, which are crucial to driving transformation, there is a particular lack of technical talent.
Many countries in Europe have a shortage of jobs.
However, in the manufacturing sector, more than 40% of enterprises in Germany are understaffed.
In comparison, France is less than 25%, and Italy and Spain are less than 10%.
Even the director of the German public broadcaster said recently: "We have to recruit people from all over the world... even the German level of the candidates is not so important."
As long as I work hard, I don ’ t worry too much that they can only speak a few words of German. ”
GREEN ENERGY GREEN ENERGY CHALLENGE 2: Higher energy costs, the United States proposed a bill to reduce inflation and siphon off international investment
The evolution of the international situation has also made the adverse situation worse.
The European war is still raging, the epidemic is still hazy, and the tensions between the United States and China have caused Germany, formerly the beneficiary of free trade and international supply chains, to reverse the situation and increase the pressure.
In particular, in August 2022, the United States passed the $369 billion Inflation Reduction Act, proposing a simpler and more attractive subsidy specification than the European Union, which is likely to siphon off more international investment at a time when Germany urgently needs to accelerate the expansion of renewable energy.
Some scholars wonder whether Germany will be able to complete the energy transition that it failed to achieve during a period of relative stability in the face of many challenges.
Only recently did Germany significantly expand public spending to help society weather the epidemic. To date, it has allocated more than 260 billion euros in response to the energy crisis.
This is almost 7% of national GDP, well above the EU average of 83 billion euros.
Meanwhile, Germany is still trying to boost its defense budget to 2% of GDP.
Even if the money is relatively abundant, it is also pressure.
Reinhard Biedermann, a professor in the Department of Global Political Economy at Tamkang University, pointed out that to develop enough renewable energy to replace traditional energy sources requires a lot of investment, manpower and even land, which Germany cannot do at the same time.
“The energy crisis is really an opportunity to expand renewable energy.
But turning the crisis into a turning point is not so simple.
Germany depends not only on imports of fossil fuels, but also on imports of renewable energy.
After the decline of the German solar industry, about 95% of the domestic solar cells are manufactured in China.
Nordex shut down Germany ’ s last wind turbine turnstile plant in June 2022, taking into account costs, causing observers to worry that the wind energy industry may be heading toward a fate similar to that of the solar industry.
Steffen said that due to competition from China, the German solar industry has lost a lot of intellectual and political power, and now is the time to reinvigorate the domestic solar value chain.
“We still have capacity in wind energy, but we can ’ t find a market in our country because Chinese products are cheaper, ” Steffen said.
In some ways, the energy crisis is just beginning.
As the Visionary team rode a high-speed rail at a speed of nearly 300 kilometers across the edge of Germany ’ s beloved forest, they were greeted by rotating fans, solar panels laid on the roof of the building, and high-voltage power towers that transmit electricity over a long distance.
This has gradually become a familiar daily scene in German society.
At this point, it may be seen as an important milestone in the final completion of Germany ’ s energy transition, but it may also be the starting point for the decline of German industry.
Looking back at the challenges of the pandemic, companies in Dodd all agree that agility, flexibility and flexibility are essential skills to survive in the current changing environment.
In particular, German industry contributes more than a quarter of the country ’ s GDP, which is higher than developed countries such as France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
But strengthening the high-priced “Made in Germany ” brand with performance, quality and stability is threatened by higher energy costs.
Steffen acknowledged that many Dodd companies use cheap Russian energy to produce and then sell their products at high prices to the U.S. and mid-market.
This is similar to the common pattern in Taiwan.
Taiwan 's green energy students > risk assessment first, transformation needs to think about the overall order
Sucheta Govil, chief commercial officer of Covestro, observed that energy is already a global issue and resource constraints are becoming the foreseeable future. “Even if you are in Asia, energy prices are still cheap, but price increases are reflected in the supply chain. ”
This advantage is diluted by rising raw material costs, even if Germany considers itself to be of excellent mechanical engineering quality. ”
Even if Germany has only recently begun to cope with the energy crisis, the effectiveness of the policy measures will have to wait for time to prove, and there are still lessons for Taiwan.
First, understand your energy security and independence and conduct a risk assessment.
Leonard believes that encouraging energy conservation by raising energy prices and using this income to invest more in renewable energy is worth considering.
“Explaining to people the higher energy costs they pay will help develop renewable energy and improve energy security. ”
Second, think about the sequence of measures for the energy transition as a whole, and put limited resources in the right place at the right time.
Hans-Joachim Ziesing, a former energy transition consultant for Germany ’ s Future Energy Plan, shared that one of Germany ’ s mistakes was to set a good goal and vision before developing policies to be achieved.
A better approach might be to take a practical approach, clarify the quantitative benefits that each policy can bring, and determine that cross-party consensus can be reached to move forward together.
It is also important to continuously monitor the performance of data and to be accountable to all departments.
Hiliger observed that Germany ’ s national hydrogen energy strategy in 2020 shows that officials have learned from the siting of renewable energy and energy transportation.
“Many projects take production and consumption into account as a whole, for example, by making good use of existing construction, refurbishing natural gas pipelines to become hydrogen pipelines, rather than placing electrolytic tanks next to wind power plants. ”
Preparing businesses and citizens to move away from fossil fuels
Finally, it is the continuation of the momentum of social change.
In the past, Germany saw natural gas as a “bridging energy ” to connect fossil fuels with renewable energy; now, losing its main source of natural gas imports, it has had to restart coal plants and lease liquid-gas receiving stations.
After doing so, it may be harder to get rid of them in the future.
Ideally, when the hydrogen energy market matures, Germany can renovate this batch of liquid natural gas receiving stations into hydrogen energy receiving stations.
But the two are different energy sources after all, and the renovation will be another expense.
Whether it can be developed according to the plan is still uncertain.
After the government finalizes the energy subsidy policy, from the beginning of 2023 to April 2024, 80% of the bill will be protected by the price cap, and users will only pay 20% of the current price.
This will change people ’ s interest.
How to make good use of the incentive mechanism to encourage society to continue to promote energy conservation and transformation at the household, business and infrastructure levels is also a big test.
Although Taiwan, which has a higher industrial share than Germany, has yet to personally feel the waves of the European energy crisis, it will be crucial to be as prepared and adapted as possible to the future of higher fossil fuel prices before the price protection umbrella for long-term contracts ends.
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The government allocated over €460 billion for the crisis, including gas and power price caps.

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Content: Germany allocates 200 billion euros to support households and businesses as energy costs rise
© AFP 2022 / ODD ANDERSENMetrics and facilities for receiving and distributing natural gas were photographed on the territory of the gas transmission and pipeline operator Gazkad in Lubmen, northeast Germany, near the border with Poland, August 30, 2022
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Germany said on Thursday it would allocate 200 billion euros ($194 billion) to protect households and businesses from rising energy costs in the wake of a Russian supply crisis triggered by Western sanctions and maintenance.
Chancellor Olaf Schulz said the German government "will do everything until prices fall", announcing the package that includes a cap on gas prices and a plan to cut windfall profits made by energy companies that have been slightly hurt by rising gas prices.
Schulz said the multi-billion-euro fund was designed "to ensure that Germany is able to cope with the consequences of rising prices this year, next year and the year after that."
He also announced that the government would scrap a controversial gas tax that would have allowed energy companies to pass on increased costs and stabilise their businesses.
The North Stream incident...
How Europe is threatened with a deeper economic crisis than in 2009
Germany, which has been heavily dependent on fossil fuel imports from Russia for its energy needs, has come under intense pressure as Moscow ’ s supplies dwindle.
Thursday ’ s announcement came as inflation rose to a 70-year high of 10 percent in September, according to official data, driven by higher energy prices.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner said: “We find ourselves in an energy war for prosperity and freedom. ”
The government said in a statement that the gas price cap should cover "at least part" of the gas used by households and businesses, while "maintaining an incentive to reduce gas use" during the winter because supplies are limited.
At the same time, the government will work to reduce the price of electricity to consumers by curtailing the profits made by energy companies that have benefited from higher required gas prices but do not use the power source for power generation.
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Industry relief includes an electricity‑tax cut and €28 billion in packages and subsidies to lower industrial power prices.

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Content: Saturday, 11 November 2023 12: 24 GMT
Europe ’ s largest economy unveils plan to cut electricity price for industry
(MENAFN- Al-Anbaa) The German government on Thursday unveiled a massive plan aimed at reducing the cost of electricity to the industrial sector through significant tax cuts and subsidies until 2028.
High tariffs have hit industry in Germany, the EU ’ s largest economy, which has been struggling for months.
The plan, which will cost "about 12 billion euros" over the next year alone, provides for a "significant reduction of the electricity tax" in industry, from 1.537 cents per kilowatt-hour to the European minimum of 0.05 cents per kilowatt-hour, according to a government statement on Thursday.
The reduction will continue "until 2025" and may be extended for an additional "three years".
Firms that consume more energy and are “more exposed to international competition ” will benefit from the extension of the measures“ for a period of five years ”, allowing them to offset part of their costs associated with pollution rights markets.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz noted that the government “significantly relieves the manufacturing industry of electricity costs. ”
The unveiling of the plan comes after weeks of intense discussions between manufacturers, unions and the government, and at a time when questions are being raised about the future of the industry that is central to the country ’ s economy.
Germany has relied for years on low-cost Russian gas for energy supplies and was forced to lay off it following Moscow ’ s invasion of Ukraine last year.
Since then, electricity prices for manufacturers have skyrocketed to some of the highest in Europe, while some energy-intensive industries such as chemicals are struggling to reach their pre-war production levels, threatening to relocate elsewhere.
In the face of this situation, Economy Minister Robert Habeck has called for several months for a price cap, through massive subsidies for the most energy-intensive industries.
A solution that liberal finance minister Christian Lindner flatly rejected, fearing the cost of such a system and its impact on competition.
The German government expects a recession (a decline in GDP) of 0.4% this year.
Germany is expected to be the only G7 country to suffer a recession this year, according to the International Monetary Fund.
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Title:

Content: (Bloomberg) -- The German government agreed on measures to ease electricity bills for manufacturers over the next five years in an attempt to boost the economy.

The support package is set to provide relief worth up to €28 billion from 2024 to 2027, according to the economy ministry, with €12 billion earmarked for next year. The measures include a substantial reduction in electricity taxes for manufacturers — from €15.37 to €0.50 per megawatt-hour — as well as additional support for particularly energy-intensive firms.

German chemical stocks soared in reaction to the agreement.

The country’s manufacturing-heavy economy has seen a protracted period of weakness that shows few signs of abating amid plunging business confidence. It’s the only G-7 member predicted by the IMF to contract in 2023 and high energy costs have been one of the main drags on activity.

While the nation’s electricity prices have moderated from last year’s peaks, they’re expected to remain elevated until at least 2027. That’s when a significant amount of capacity from offshore wind is expected to come online, which could help reduce electricity prices for large industries.

“It’s important that we have found a way to support the competitiveness of industry,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said. “Very energy-intensive companies can achieve an electricity price of less than 6 cents from 2025 through the interaction of the instruments.”

6 cents per kilowatt-hour was the initial price tag Habeck pushed for earlier this year when the coalition began negotiating the scope of further support for industry. However, his plan was only targeted at energy-intensive manufacturers and was estimated to cost up to €30 billion until 2030.

The agreement on the package ended months of in-fighting within Germany’s ruling coalition. Finance minister Christian Lindner — who pushed for relief for the broader manufacturing sector — said the tax reduction now agreed on could be funded from the regular budget and will allow the country to adhere to its constitutional debt brake.

Habeck’s industry power price also may have faced skepticism from the European Commission, which typically has to approve any new state aid within its member states. Since the coalition’s measures tweak existing policy tools, they don’t need to be reported to Brussels’ competition watchdogs.

The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomed the package as an “important signal for extremely electricity-intensive sectors” but warned that companies in trade and services also depend on affordable power prices. “This makes it all the more urgent to reduce prices by rapidly expanding the supply of electricity,” the group’s president Peter Adrian said in a statement.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’ Social Democrats said the coalition will continue to work toward that aim in the coming years through the expansion of renewable energy and other measures, according to co-leader Lars Klingbeil.

--With assistance from Iain Rogers, Isolde MacDonogh and Rachel Morison.

(Updates with €28 billion figure in second paragraph.)

©2023 Bloomberg L.P.

Title:

Content: The German government introduced electricity and gas price caps last year to protect industries and households from rising energy prices.
But German companies still say electricity prices remain high.
Speaking at a conference on Monday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said: “We want industry to stay in Germany and embrace a transformational perspective. ”
The subsidy was opposed by the finance ministry, but Harbek said it would cap the price per kilowatt-hour (kWh) at six cents and cover 80% of industrial consumption.
The price will be calculated on the basis of the average transaction price of electricity, the minister added, which will encourage companies to seek cheaper energy prices from renewable sources.
The subsidy will cost between €25 billion and €30 billion, gradually through 2030, and will be funded by the Economic Stability Fund (ESF).
The fund was set up in 2020 to rescue the troubled Lufthansa.
Small and medium-sized enterprises in energy-intensive industries such as metals and chemicals will be able to benefit, the economy minister said.
“If we don ’ t pay that price, Germany may no longer have an industrial sector in these energy-intensive industries in the future, which will be a loss, ” he said.
# Subsidies # Electricity # Germany # Euro # Corporate

Debates over reversing the nuclear exit intensified during the energy crisis, despite the coalition’s opposition.

Title:

Content: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz opposed the return of the country to nuclear energy, pointing to the unprofitability of the construction of nuclear power plants.
“If someone now decides to build a nuclear power plant, then based on the current construction time, it will be ready in 15-20 years, ” he said during a trip to the city of Sindelfingen in southwestern Germany.
According to the Chancellor, during this period the country will have time to solve all the problems in the field of energy.
Scholz said that the electricity produced by the nuclear power plant is much more expensive than that produced by wind, sun and other sources.
“If you look back in 20 years and see who made a cheaper and more efficient decision on the issue of electricity generation, it will be our country, ” he said.
Author: Editorial | Date: 2024 / 03 / 04, 17: 59 | Heading: World
Topics:,
(No estimates yet)

Title:

Content: How decades of complacency have left Germany facing a cold, dark winter

Betrayed by its own elite, the country is at risk of social unrest

Germany is facing its worst winter for 75 years. The impending catastrophe risks crippling its economy, sweeping away its government and bringing chaos to the heart of Europe.

In 1946-47, perhaps half a million Germans starved or froze to death in their ruined cities. Older Germans still shudder at the memory of the “Hunger Winter”. Some blamed the Nazis, others the Allied occupation. In fact, the British sent food, fuel and clothing they could ill afford to spare themselves.

Now Europe’s largest economy is heading for a winter of recession, rationing and possible blackouts. This time, though, there is nobody to blame except Germany’s complacent – and in some cases corrupt – political establishment.

As Vladimir Putin chokes off Russian gas supplies – already down to a fifth of their pre-war level – by closing the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for “maintenance” yet again next week, the lamps are going out for Olaf Scholz and his “traffic light” coalition of Social Democrats, Liberal and Greens.

'Autumn of rage'

The Bundesbank has been predicting a recession and the latest figures show that business activity is already contracting. Inflation, which hit 8.5 per cent last month, is expected to keep rising along with the rest of the eurozone, probably into double figures.

Yet for historical reasons Germans won’t just accept high inflation as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. The world remembers the hyperinflation that undermined the Weimar Republic a century ago; only older Germans recall the hyperinflation after the Second World War, which lasted longer. For three years Germany’s only stable currency was American cigarettes. No wonder Germans have been allergic to inflation ever since.

It is true that Germans are not yet demanding big pay rises or going on strike. But energy prices are already rising exponentially. The country's one-year ahead power price has skyrocketed to almost €1,000 per megawatt-hour, a jump of more than 720pc since the start of 2022. If Putin turns off the tap, bringing the mighty German economy to a juddering halt this winter, there is a real danger of civil unrest.

Intelligence officials are warning that extremist organisations, such as the neo-Nazis of Combat 18, are planning an “autumn of rage”. As a foretaste, in the old Prussian town of Neuruppin near Berlin, there were ugly scenes this month as Scholz was shouted down by far-Left and far-Right protesters.

But the panic and indignation now brewing go far beyond the ranks of the “unteachable” extremists.

Germans sense that unaccountable elites have ceded control of their country’s destiny to Putin. The more they are must pay him for Russian gas, the bigger his war chest with which to perpetrate genocide in Ukraine.

Forcing Germany to be complicit in a colossal crime against humanity is a diabolical twist in the vengeance that Putin is now exacting upon Europe for backing Ukraine. According to The Economist’s Christian Odendahl, at present prices Germany will need to spend 8.4 per cent of its GDP on gas. Hitherto it was just 1 per cent.

Already preparations are underway for central heating to be rationed or even switched off, forcing residents to seek shelter in schools or town halls.

The country is scrambling to reduce its reliance on gas with a campaign to make households cut back, and a massive national effort has brought gas storage levels up to 81 per cent full.

Food prices, meanwhile, rose at a rate of nearly 15 per cent in July. Those who fear being unable to afford to heat their homes or feed their families are prey to angst and anger.

Actions have consequences... or do they?

Few foresaw the Russian invasion of Ukraine, let alone its devastating consequences for Europe. But it is dawning on the German people that the seeds of the present crisis were sown over the quarter of a century from 1998 to 2022, under Angela Merkel and her predecessor, Gerhard Schröder.

These were the years of plenty for Germany, when Berlin dominated the European Union, ensuring that its export-led economy benefited from the single currency while loading the social costs on to its poorer neighbours. But Germany’s dirty secret was cheap Russian energy.

Under Schröder – who went on to become one of Putin’s “useful idiots” – German industry began to abandon its postwar reliance on coal and nuclear energy in favour of Russian gas and renewables.

In 2011, after the Fukushima accident, Mrs Merkel announced that all German nuclear power plants would be closed down. It was a pyrrhic victory for the Greens but backed by all the major parties. Public opinion had been turned against nuclear energy in the 1980s by the Soviet-funded “peace movement”. Now the Greens are the keystone of the Scholz coalition.

Even in the country’s present predicament, Robert Habeck, the Green Vice-Chancellor and Environment Minister, is refusing to reverse the exit from nuclear to alleviate the energy crisis, though it is still possible over time to reactivate a number of nuclear power stations.

Yet Berlin is demanding that 26 other EU member states make huge cuts in energy use this winter to help Germany – to the irritation of the Spanish and others, who don’t depend on Russian gas and recall lectures from Berlin during the eurozone crisis about actions having consequences.

For decades, the Kremlin acted as Germany’s geopolitical drug-dealer, tempting Berlin to become ever more addicted to the energy that fuelled its manufacturing, pharmaceutical and chemical factories. Now that the Germans are about to go cold turkey, they are discovering how cynically the national interest was betrayed by their politicians and captains of industry.

With Schröder as its salesman, a new Nord Stream 2 pipeline was built under the Baltic Sea — with the blessing of Mrs Merkel, who fended off Anglo-American pressure to cancel what was regarded as a threat to European energy security.

Last year, as Russian tanks massed on the Ukrainian border and Nato warned of imminent invasion, Gazprom redoubled its efforts to keep the flagship project on track.

The Russian energy giant poured €192 million (£163m) into an environmental foundation set up by Manuela Schwesig, the Social Democratic premier of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern — the state that hosted Nord Stream 2 and stood to gain most. She proceeded to denounce the US for opposing the pipeline, claiming that American sanctions were purely self-interested.

Putin’s stooges almost succeeded in persuading Scholz to defy his Nato allies. He dithered until the eve of February’s invasion before shelving Nord Stream 2.

Now, after six months of Europe’s worst war since 1945, some German politicians are once again calling for the pipeline to be opened “so that people do not have to freeze in winter and our industry does not suffer serious damage”, as Wolfgang Kubicki, Vice-President of the German Parliament, puts it.

Meanwhile Ms Schwesig has just been re-elected as leader of the Social Democrats in her state by a large majority. Schröder has yet to be expelled from the party, let alone sanctioned.

Germany’s Achilles’ heel

This is the measure of Germany’s abject reliance, not only on Russian energy, but on the Russian state. For Putin, gas and oil were only ever a means to an end. He has always wanted to reduce the Germans — towards whom Russians have traditionally had an inferiority complex — to a status of servility.

Stalin only succeeded in dividing Germany. Putin seeks to turn the entire Federal Republic into his client state — and thereby impose his will upon Europe.

With the unerring eye of the predator, Putin grasped that energy was Germany’s Achilles’ heel. A single plant of a single corporation, the headquarters of the chemical and pharmaceutical giant BASF at Ludwigshafen, uses as much energy as Denmark.

Over the last 25 years, Germany’s craving for cheap energy led it into an unequal relationship with Russia — what the philosopher Hegel called “the dialectic of master and slave”.

Putin saw that some German politicians could be bought (Schröder), others bamboozled (Merkel), and still others bullied (Scholz). Other EU countries followed the German example by relying heavily on Moscow for energy, influenced by the evasion and ambivalence that has characterised Berlin’s policy for decades.

Germany, whose economy is substantially larger than Britain’s, has given just £1 billion in military aid to Ukraine compared to the UK’s £3.5 billion. The United States has given ten times as much as the EU. Yet Ukraine is a European country under genocidal attack.

The reluctance to provoke Putin that still prevails in wide circles of the Federal Republic is rooted in exaggerated notions of Russian military power, economic importance and cultural pre-eminence.

German fatalism about Russia’s ability to absorb casualties and yet win ultimate victory reflects folk memories of the Eastern Front. But Putin, unlike Stalin, does not have a vast conscript army at his disposal, he does not enjoy technical superiority and he cannot afford the war of attrition that he has unleashed. Nor are the Russian people united against an invading force in defence of their homeland. Only in Berlin do they think this is another Stalingrad.

This historical myopia has much to do with the long-standing German habit of subsuming the other nations that made up the Soviet Union into Russia. To this day most Germans have no awareness of the fact that the Nazis killed millions of Ukrainian civilians and devastated their country.

Ironically, many artists, writers and musicians who have fled Ukraine have found refuge in Germany. One example is the composer Valentin Silvestrov, who fled to Berlin aged 84 with one suitcase, full of his manuscripts. Once there, he discovered that Ukrainian music was unknown in Germany. Now that Silvestrov’s works are being performed, including at the Proms in London, the Germans are slowly waking up to the presence of a greater living composer than any of their own.

Many ordinary Germans, like the British, instinctively warm to the Ukrainian cause. The difference is in leadership – or lack of it. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, unlike Boris Johnson or Liz Truss, has shown only lukewarm support for Kyiv and has been implicitly rebuked by President Zelensky.

Hamburger grilled

Although there is no suggestion that Scholz has been bribed to go easy on Russia, he himself has become embroiled in a corruption scandal. He is accused of helping M.M. Warburg & Co, Germany’s oldest and largest private bank, to avoid a €47 million fine in 2016, during his time as Finance Minister in the Merkel coalition.

The Hamburg-based bank is alleged to have made up to €300 million in a capital gains tax scam which came to light while Scholz was also mayor of the city state. Just as he finds himself facing an unexpectedly grim present and a positively terrifying future, his provincial past has returned to haunt him.

Last week the Chancellor was grilled by a committee of inquiry in Hamburg. The normally meticulous Scholz claimed not to remember any details about his meetings with Warburg’s former chief, Christian Olearius, who has now been charged with tax evasion. Germany’s safe pair of hands, whom millions had entrusted with the nation’s finances, is now accused of being cosy with tax-dodging bankers and being an unimpressive, even unreliable, witness.

In other ways, too, Scholz is failing to live up to the moral example set by the two great Social Democratic Chancellors of post-war Germany, Willy Brandt and Helmut Schmidt. At a joint press conference with Mahmoud Abbas in Berlin earlier this month, Scholz remained tight-lipped while the Palestinian leader delivered an anti-Semitic tirade, accusing Israel of committing “many Holocausts” against his people.

Schmidt, who concealed the fact he had a Jewish grandfather from the Nazis but as Chancellor was an outspoken philosemite, would not have been impressed by his fellow Hamburger Scholz. Nor would Brandt, who famously fell to his knees at the memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Not for decades has anti-Semitism been such a threat in Germany: in July, Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial was desecrated with swastikas. Now, as Putin’s myrmidons massacre and deport Ukrainians near the site of Nazi genocide, while a quarter of the Russian Jewish population has emigrated in anticipation of pogroms, Germany needs a leader who is not afraid to denounce anti-Semitism even at the cost of diplomatic niceties.

After less than a year in office, Scholz’s personal ratings are plumbing depths never seen during Mrs Merkel’s 16 years at the helm. As Germans brace themselves for unprecedented hardships in peacetime, they are led by a weak and indecisive Chancellor at the head of a fragile three-party coalition.

Post-heroic, post-patriotic

Wednesday’s visit to Kyiv by Boris Johnson – his third – to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day was hugely appreciated not only by Volodymyr Zelensky but by all Ukrainians. Yet it was a gesture of solidarity that did not occur – could not have occurred – to Olaf Scholz.

The German Chancellor’s only visit to the Ukrainian capital last June, accompanied by Emmanuel Macron and Mario Draghi, was an awkward, chilly affair that yielded little more than promises. This week, Scholz posted a short video message, concluding: “Our hearts are with you.” Ulrich Speck, a German foreign policy analyst, commented: “Hearts, yes. But not weapons.”

Johnson, by contrast, knows he is among friends in Kyiv – a friendship symbolised by Zelensky awarding him Ukraine’s highest honour, the Order of Liberty. It is impossible to imagine the lugubrious German Chancellor finding the Prime Minister’s pithy words: “While people [in the West] are paying energy bills, people in Ukraine are paying with blood.” Nor would Scholz echo him in declaring: “I believe Ukraine can and will win this war.”

For his part, Zelensky told his people that they had been “reborn” in the heat of war. “We used to say: ‘Peace’. Now we say: ‘Victory’,” he declared.

Highly educated Germans find it hard to empathise with such Churchillian sentiments. Jürgen Habermas, the eminence grise of German intellectuals, makes condescending comments about Ukraine as a primitive place, still captive to the nationalist illusions of the last century, unlike more sophisticated, “post-heroic” Germany. It doesn’t occur to the 93-year-old philosopher that without the heroism of its soldiers and civilians, Ukraine would by now have ceased to exist.

Prussian military prowess has long since given way to post-patriotic pusillanimity. Where Merkel and Scholz feared to tread and even Biden was hesitant, Johnson was the first to commit himself wholeheartedly to the cause and to visit war-torn Kyiv.

Many other nations – the Poles, the Baltic states, the Scandinavians and the Canadians among them – have been more supportive than the Germans, who owe Ukrainians the greatest moral debt.

Berlin boasts of handing out a handful of howitzers while dithering over clapped-out armoured vehicles. Meanwhile British arms and training, Turkish drones and American rocket artillery systems have proved decisive on the battlefield.

Sold down the Dnieper

Although the Scholz coalition officially sides with Ukraine, the unpalatable fact remains that Germany and its EU partners are financing Russian aggression by paying vast sums for Russian gas.

Will they stand up to Putin in Germany when the enormity of the ordeal ahead becomes clear to everybody? Will public opinion continue to back even the present feeble commitment, or will the voices calling for peace at the expense of Ukrainians prevail? It is all too believable that at some point, probably early next year when gas storage facilities are empty, Berlin – and Brussels – will open negotiations with the Kremlin, regardless of Kyiv’s wishes.

Yet it is then that the ghosts of the past may rise up to intervene in the present. The thought of Germans and Russians redrawing the map of Eastern Europe at the conference table sends shivers down the spines of every Pole, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian and, of course, Ukrainian. On August 23, 1940, exactly 82 years ago this week, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed, carving up Poland (which then included Lviv and other parts of present-day Ukraine) and the Baltic states between Russia and Germany. No German Chancellor wishes to be reminded of that precedent.

However, nor can Scholz risk presiding over an even deeper and more lasting recession than that caused by the Covid pandemic. Somehow he must steer a course between the Scylla of appeasing Putin and the Charybdis of economic ruin.

The tension between these positions is reflected in the tripartite coalition. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and the Greens are the hawks, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and his pro-business Free Democrats are the doves, while the Social Democrats are deeply divided. The party leadership leans towards Moscow, the rank and file towards Kyiv. This explains why Scholz never says that he wants Ukraine to win the war, merely that they must not lose it.

The opposition Christian Democrats are only slightly more united. They too have a large wing that privately favours a negotiated peace, represented by their pro-business leader Friedrich Merz, and a smaller but not insignificant group led by the foreign affairs expert Norbert Röntgen, who hope for a Ukrainian victory. Merz has papered over the cracks by focusing on a campaign to reverse his predecessor Mrs Merkel’s exit from nuclear energy.

Meanwhile, the “understanding Putin” lobby has the support of both the hard Left Die Linke and anti-immigration AfD parties. German public opinion has slowly tiptoed away from its initial admiration for Ukrainian resistance and towards a compromise peace.

That subtle shift could soon become an overwhelming tide, once Germans are required to make real sacrifices. Vladimir Putin, we may be sure, is counting on it.

From October, Scholz will impose a gas levy on consumers to compensate energy companies for the cost of replacing Russian gas supplies. Germany’s biggest energy company, Uniper, was bailed out in July to the tune of £12.5 billion; it is now claiming another £18.5 billion of levies.

This policy is bound to be unpopular, since it redistributes tens of billions from the poor to the rich — curious thinking for a government of the Left. But this is nothing compared to the prospect of protests sparked by a national shutdown caused, not by a deadly virus, but by Putin’s energy politics.

A change in the air?

Modern Germany has a volatile history of popular protest. It began with the revolution that toppled the Kaiser in 1918. The Nazis mobilised the masses to carry out their “national revolution” in 1933. A workers’ uprising in East Germany was crushed by Soviet tanks in 1953. Student protests brought about a cultural revolution in 1968. Uniquely bloodless and benign was the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. This was Germany’s finest hour.

The defiance that breached the Wall and sent the Soviet army home was a blessing, but the despair that Putin’s revenge may induce this winter will surely be a curse. Gas has given the Russian dictator coercive control over the German political class, which willingly acquiesced in its fate.

In Kyiv, Boris Johnson said: “I can tell you that we in the UK will not for one second give in to Putin’s blackmail.” Olaf Scholz is incapable of speaking like this — because he does not believe it. He has failed to frame the coming ordeal as a battle in which Germans must make sacrifices for their own liberty, not just Ukraine’s. People don’t mind his lack of charisma; they do mind facing a nightmarish winter with spineless hypocrisy at the helm.

Will it become so obvious by next spring that Scholz is unequal to the task that either he or his coalition are replaced? Can the centre of German politics hold — or are we about to see a terrible revolt of the masses against a discredited political establishment? It has happened before. It can happen again.

Daniel Johnson was the Telegraph’s correspondent in Germany and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s. He is now the editor of TheArticle.

The transport minister and others proposed extensions, but the Green Party strongly opposes.

Title:

Content: Germany ’ s transport minister has called for the creation of an expert committee to examine whether the country ’ s nuclear power plants should be extended.
The move also sparked disagreements within the ruling coalition over nuclear power.
Since Russia ’ s invasion of Ukraine, Germany has tried to break away from its energy dependence and sparked discussions about the use of the country ’ s only three remaining nuclear power plants.
After the 311 earthquake in Japan, the Merkel government appealed for non-nuclear homes, which were scheduled to be completely decommissioned by the end of 2022.
Prime Minister Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) has tried to pressure the dispute between the ruling Green Party and the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP).
The Greens have been pressing for a withdrawal from nuclear power, but the transport minister of the Liberal Democratic Party (FDP) has called for an extension of the plant ’ s life until at least April.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing said electric vehicles are not environmentally friendly unless they use zero-carbon nuclear power.
“We need an expert answer on how to ensure that we achieve our climate protection goals while having a stable and affordable energy supply, ” the minister said.
Critics of Germany ’ s withdrawal from nuclear power say it could force Germany to rely more on coal than expected during its transition to renewable energy.
Coal is more carbon polluting than natural gas.
The Green Party is strongly opposed to the resumption of Germany's nuclear power program, arguing that extending the use of nuclear power would be costly and that more could be achieved by developing renewable energy.
# Nuclear Power # Germany # Minister of Transport # Extension # Nuclear Power Plant

Title:

Content: Germany extends nuclear power plant operation period | Science and technology | DW | 06.09.2022
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Science and technology environment
Germany to extend nuclear power plant operating period
Federal Economy Minister Mark Halbeck has reacted to a possible energy crisis over the winter.
In an interview with the media, he made it clear that “we must expect the worst ” and therefore considered changing the original timetable for the termination of nuclear power and temporarily retaining two nuclear power plants in southern Germany.
German economy minister orders nuclear power plant not to be shut down
Two of Germany ’ s three remaining nuclear power plants will be used as emergency reserves until the spring of 2023.
Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck said this when he released the results of the second grid stress test.
The two plants are the Isar 2 and Neckarwetheim nuclear power plants in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg respectively.
Halbeck said it plans to keep the two plants on standby until mid-April 2023 to be integrated into the southern German grid in the winter of 2022 / 23 if necessary.
According to the results of the second grid stress test, "the probability of an hourly crisis in the power system in the winter of 2022 / 23 is small, but cannot be completely ruled out".
"We cannot hope for the best, we must be prepared to deal with the worst," Habek told the media.
At the same time, the Green Party politician stressed that the current coalition government is adhering to the nuclear phase-out legislation: not to extend nuclear power until after the winter, "no new fuel rods will be filled, and the middle of April 2023 is the end of the reserve period."
For months, there has been fierce debate in Germany over whether to extend the operation of the remaining three nuclear power plants due to Russia's reduced supply of natural gas and sharply rising energy prices.
According to the original timetable for the termination of nuclear power, the Isar 2 in Lower Bavaria, the Emsland nuclear power plant in Niedersachsen and the Neckaveheim 2 in Bavaria should be irrevocably decommissioned by the end of this year.
Nekwestheim nuclear power plant near Heilbronn planned to remain in place until April 2023
Franco-German Energy Partnership
In the face of the current energy crisis, Paris and Berlin recently reached a mutual aid agreement.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced after a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Gerhard Scholz that France could supply Germany with natural gas in exchange for supplying electricity to France if necessary.
"Germany needs our gas, and we need electricity from the rest of Europe, especially Germany," he said.
For some time, a wave of overhauling and over-maintenance of nuclear power plants has led to a reduction in French electricity production and a rise in prices.
In addition, this summer's heat forced the plants, which rely on river water to cool down, to reduce production so as not to cause water temperatures to rise further.
It is not only the opposition CDU / CSU, but also the LDP, which is part of the coalition government, has also called for an extension of the operation period of the nuclear power plant.
On Monday (September 5), the party's chairman and current federal finance minister Lindner called for the three remaining nuclear power plants to be allowed to continue operating.
"At this time, all possible means should be used to reduce electricity prices for people and businesses," he told Süddeutsche Zeitung.
For most Greens, the rejection of nuclear power is a core political tenet they have long upheld.
(DPA, Reuters)
© 2022 Deutsche Welle Copyright Notice: All content in this article is protected by copyright law and may not be used without special permission from Deutsche Welle.
Any misconduct will lead to recovery and criminal prosecution.
DW.COM

Polling shows 64% support a temporary restart, 61% favor lifetime extensions, and 56% back more coal.

Title:

Content: World Vision: Restarting nuclear power, dragging the German government into crisis
November 06, 2022 00: 03
Eastern Network Television
More News Clips
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

Title:

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.

Germany kept two reactors in reserve until spring 2023.

Germany cut greenhouse gases 10.1% in 2023, aiming for 65% by 2030 and net‑zero by 2045.

Title:

Content: Advertisment

Germany Achieves 10% Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions, On Track for 2030 Climate Goals

Germany achieves a 10.1% cut in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, marking significant progress in its journey towards environmental sustainability.

Nimrah Khatoon
New Update

Germany marked a significant milestone in its environmental efforts, reporting a 10.1% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, as confirmed by official data. Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, doubling as the economy and climate minister, announced that with about 673 million tons of greenhouse gases emitted last year, Germany is poised to meet its ambitious 2030 target of reducing emissions by 65% relative to 1990 levels. This progress is attributed to the robust expansion of renewable energy sources and a strategic move away from coal and gas, despite the economic challenges faced by businesses and consumers.

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Strategic Expansion of Renewable Energy

The Federal Environmental Agency highlighted the country's "very successful expansion of renewable energies" as a pivotal factor in the emission reduction. Germany's focused efforts on solar and wind power and other renewable sources have not only contributed to the decline in emissions but also positioned the country as a leader in renewable energy adoption. However, the agency also pointed out that more efforts are needed, especially in the transport sector, to continue this positive trend.

Challenges and Projections

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The ministry led by Habeck noted that while projections for the coming years are promising, showing a potential decline in emissions by nearly 64% by 2030 compared with 1990, challenges remain. The transport sector, in particular, requires significant advancements in electric mobility and a reevaluation of subsidies. The country's economic performance, impacted by high energy prices and global economic instability, underscores the need for continued dedication to environmental goals amidst adversity.

Looking Forward

Germany's commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2045 remains steadfast, with renewable energy playing a crucial role in this journey. The nation's progress, including the notable decline in greenhouse gas emissions in 2023, serves as a testament to its capacity for green transformation. As Germany continues on this path, the global community watches closely, recognizing the potential ripple effect of its actions on international climate policy and the broader fight against climate change.

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Content: Interview: “The biggest problem in the development of electric vehicles is not raw materials ” | Economic Horizontal | DW | 19.02.2023
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Economic stratification
Interview: "The biggest problem in the development of electric vehicles is not raw materials"
Lithium, cobalt, rare earth and other resources are very rich, what problems are restricting the development of the electric vehicle industry?
Matthias Buchert, an expert at the German Ecological Institute, said in an interview with Deutsche Welle that the biggest bottleneck in the development of electric vehicles is how quickly the automotive industry is transforming.
Experts predict that by 2030, more than 200 million electric vehicles will be produced worldwide.
DW: The popularity of electric cars seems to be growing faster than predicted.
Previously, experts predicted that by 2030, the world will produce about 130 million pure electric vehicles.
That estimate has now been raised to more than 200 million.
Mr. Bucht, is there enough raw material to put so many new electric cars on the road?
Bucht: There are enough reserves of raw materials around the world, and resource constraints are not the problem.
Of course, there may be temporary shortages in the industrial chain.
Whether in the actual mining of raw materials or in the process of processing raw materials into finished products, if the demand suddenly rises sharply (they may face short-term problems).
But this does not mean that the whole market will collapse, but rising demand will bring market bumps.
We experienced a shortage of semiconductors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At that time, there were temporary bottlenecks in chips for cars and electronic devices, with deliveries of some vehicles delayed for more than a year.
For electric vehicles, people will of course ask whether there will be a shortage of important raw materials for a long time.
In this regard, experts from the German Mineral Resources Agency believe that the biggest problem lies in lithium, which is a key element of lithium-ion batteries.
I would think this situation is a reminder that the supply side needs to pick up the pace to keep up with the rapidly growing demand.
DW: Do you think this will work?
Bucht: Let ’ s talk about lithium.
At present, lithium is mainly mined in Australia and Chile, and a smaller amount is mined in China.
In the two major mining countries (Australia and Chile), geopolitical instability is unlikely.
In fact, there are many lithium mines in the United States, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe, but so far only a small amount has been mined in Portugal.
There are also potential mining possibilities in Finland, Austria, Serbia, Spain, Portugal and France.
In Italy and Germany, it is ideal to exploit lithium-rich, high-temperature deep groundwater.
Finnish nickel mine: a new hope for electric cars in Europe?
DW: You mean, you think the raw materials sector is mainly a relatively manageable risk and problem?
So, what about the energy supply side? More electric cars will also consume more electricity.
Bucht: Electric cars are very efficient.
If the car industry as a whole and many commercial vehicles are powered by electricity, then it is predicted that the total electricity consumption will not be ten times what it is today, but will only increase by about a third compared to the current total electricity demand in Germany.
Moreover, there is still a great potential for saving electricity, for example in the field of lighting or by replacing old appliances (using a new generation of more energy-efficient appliances).
This also applies to the industrial sector.
Dr. Matthias Buchert, an expert at the German Institute of Ecology
DW: In terms of heating, due to the installation of a heating system with heat pumps, more and more electricity will be consumed in the future. Is the electricity enough?
Bucht: This is the second important area that will certainly be covered.
In the industrial sector, due to the increasing use of green hydrogen energy and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, the demand for electricity is also rising, which requires a large amount of clean electricity.
This is why the EU and German governments want to expand photovoltaic and wind power plants on a large scale.
These are major challenges, and we have not had much time left, not 50 years.
(Germany) The federal government's goal to expand renewable energy has recently been tightened and tightened considerably.
I think in the last 10, 15 years, a lot of time has been wasted.
That ’ s why everything is moving faster in the future.
DW: Electric vehicles also need more charging stations and larger grid capacity.
Think of those debates about whether power supply should be limited at certain peak times, for example, by restricting charging electric vehicles or heating with heat pumps because the grid may not have enough capacity at certain peak times.
Bucht: It really is.
Conversely, at other times, our grid tends to have excess power.
We just need a better balanced system, that is, an intelligent system.
Then, the (electric) car may not start charging at 7 pm, because this is the peak of electricity, and it only starts charging at midnight.
As for the additional charging stations (electric vehicles) needed, research has shown that there is less need for fast charging devices in public places, as many electric vehicles are charged in the parking lot of the home or office.
Of course, this does not mean ignoring the expansion of public charging infrastructure.
But we must also be careful not to confine ourselves to problems that we would otherwise be able to cope with.
DW: But if people don't know if there are enough charging stations, will they still buy electric cars?
Bucht: Of course, the charging infrastructure needs to be expanded as soon as possible, and there needs to be more charging stations.
This requires public authorities to work with private investors in the energy sector.
In addition, the energy industry recently said that the utilization rate of existing charging stations has been greatly improved, which of course can increase the profit margin.
Super cool! German amphibious electric vehicle
DW: If you are an expert, draw up a ranking list.
From today's perspective, what factors are the biggest obstacles to the popularization of electric vehicles?
What is the biggest problem at the moment?
Bucht: The biggest problem is probably that supply lags behind demand.
In addition, some politicians say there are other options besides electric vehicles, such as using synthetic fuels for internal combustion engines.
But this is technically obsolete.
In the car sector, the use of synthetic fuels (E-Fuels) – even if one day yields enough – is too inefficient.
The real challenge is the huge transformation of the automotive industry.
Hundreds of billions of euros will have to be redistributed.
Look at battery production, which so far has mostly been done in Asia.
Europe wants to build more than 30 large factories for the production of electric vehicle batteries, more than half a dozen in Germany alone.
It requires a huge investment.
We also need battery cell components, that is, cathode materials, anode materials, etc.
To this end, Europe ’ s production capacity must also be increased faster.
We have to go further back to raw materials through intermediate materials that come from hard rock, salt lakes or deep geothermal energy, like lithium.
In my opinion, there is too little discussion about electric motors.
The production of electric motors requires so-called permanent magnets, which in turn require rare earths.
So far, China has a strong position in magnet production.
The United States, Europe and Australia all have a lot of room for improvement, which is why huge strategic changes are needed here, and the term “turn of the age ” fits well here.
DW: You think there are still a lot of problems that need to be solved in the development of electric vehicles.
This may be only a small consolation, but the fact is that the internal combustion engine cars we know today took quite a while to develop.
Bucht: It's like that.
The difference is that in the current situation, the time pressure is very high.
According to EU regulations, from 2035, only new cars with zero emissions can be sold, which means they are actually entirely electric vehicles.
Germany wants to be climate-neutral by 2045, so it is best to have no diesel locomotives on the road.
Therefore, we have at most 10 to 15 years to achieve these goals, which is not easy.
Matthias Buchert is Head of Resources and Mobile Transport at the German Ecological Institute (Öko-Institut).
The Institute advises the Government of Germany and has offices in Freiburg, Darmstadt and Berlin.
Deutsche Welle is committed to providing you with objective and neutral news coverage, as well as commentary analysis from a variety of perspectives.
The commentary and analysis in this article represent only the author ’ s or expert ’ s personal position.
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DW.COM

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Content: BERLIN (AP) — Germany is postponing politically sensitive decisions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector until 2023 amid strong opposition from one governing party to the idea of a universal speed limit, officials said Monday.

The libertarian Free Democratic Party, which controls the Transport Ministry, has long blocked the introduction mandatory speed limits seen in most of Germany’s neighbors.

Experts say that limiting speeds on highways to 120 kilometers per hour (74.5 mph) would save 2.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year. A limit of 100 kmh (62 mph) would more than double the savings, according to Germany’s Environment Agency.

Those annual savings would make a significant contribution to closing the remaining emissions gap in Germany’s transport sector of 118-175 million tons by 2030.

Proposals released Monday by the Economy Ministry would close the emissions gap in all other sectors for the country to meet its climate goals. Germany wants to cut emissions by 65% from 1990 levels by 2030, but have acknowledged that this will be a “gigantic” task and the country is lagging. Europe’s biggest economy aims to have ‘net zero’ emissions by 2045.

To achieve this, Germany will have to double its current rate of emissions cuts by the middle of this decade, then triple them from 2030 onward, the ministry said.

It noted that significant measures have already been put in place to increase renewable energy generation and to ramp up the production of hydrogen for industrial use. While Germany plans to introduce a monthly 49-euro ticket to encourage the use of public transit, the ministry said “climate policy failures of the past decades” meant further measures would need to be agreed in 2023.

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