Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants in 2023 as part of its plan to transition away from nuclear energy.

The country's nuclear phaseout plan, begun over 20 years ago, was accelerated by the 2011 Fukushima accident.

Germany aims to achieve its green goal without nuclear power, which is not considered sustainable in the country.

The shutdown of its last three plants ended Germany's 60-year nuclear energy production era.

Due to the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany kept two nuclear plants on standby until mid-April 2023.

Economy Minister Robert Habeck decided to keep the plants on standby to address the energy crisis.

As a result of shutting down its last nuclear power plants, Germany's electricity price is 160% higher than in 2019.

The country's fossil fuel consumption has increased and clean electricity generation fell 5.6% in 2023.

German chemical and fertilizer production has fallen to its lowest level due to high energy costs.

Russia has cut off natural gas supplies to Germany and Europe, significantly impacting Germany's energy supply.

The German government remains committed to its nuclear phaseout plan, aiming to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

The country plans to abandon coal by 2030, having relied on it for 51% of its electricity in 2021.

Germany seeks alternative energy to reduce its 40% dependence on Russian gas, considering options like wind power, solar energy, and green hydrogen.

The country is building an LNG terminal to diversify its energy sources and aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.

The European Commission has approved Germany's €28 billion plan to reduce carbon use and promote renewable energy.

Germany plans to accelerate renewable energy capacity expansion to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Germany shut down its last nuclear power plants in 2023 as part of its plan to transition away from nuclear energy.

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Content: Home / News / World /  Germany quits nuclear power; shuts final 3 plants
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Germany has shut its final three nuclear plants, marking the end of the country's end of nuclear era that has spanned more than 60 years.

Nuclear power has long been contentious in Germany.

The move has come as Germany's eyes achieve its green goal. Steffi Lemke, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment and Consumer Protection and a Green Party member, "The position of the German government is clear: nuclear power is not green. Nor is it sustainable".

Closure of three nuclear plant's history:

Germany shut three plants-- Emsland, Isar 2, and Neckarwestheim, representing the culmination of a plan set in motion more than 20 years ago.

During the 1970s, a strong anti-nuclear movement emerged in Germany. The movement gave birth to the green party, which is now part of governing coalition.

However, it was in the 2000s the German government pledged to phase out nuclear power and start shutting down plants.

But in 2009, a new government came to power and it seemed brief as if nuclear would get a reprieve as a bridging technology to help the country move to renewable energy.

Then Fukushima happened. In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused three reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi power plant to melt down.

Three days later then-Chancellor Angela Merkel who was previously pro-nuclear, announced Germany would accelerate a nuclear phase-out, with older plants shuttered immediately.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine provided another plot twist.

Germany isn’t the only country committed to walking away from nuclear — Italy gave up the technology in 1990, and Lithuania recently struck a deal to dismantle its Soviet-era reactors, which have sat idle for over a decade. But in many advanced economies, nuclear is experiencing a resurgence.

On Sunday, Finland will start regular power production at Europe’s newest and biggest reactor. The 1,600-megawatt Olkiluoto-3 unit that faced years of delays had been planned to enter commercial production on Monday. France is planning to build at least six new reactors by 2050 as well as experiment with smaller, modular ones. The UK has similar ambitions. And even in Japan, after a decade of paralysis following the nuclear accident in Fukushima, the public is warming up to the use of nuclear power. The Japanese government wants to restart reactors that have sat idle since the disaster and to extend the lifespan of existing units.

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The country's nuclear phaseout plan, begun over 20 years ago, was accelerated by the 2011 Fukushima accident.

Germany aims to achieve its green goal without nuclear power, which is not considered sustainable in the country.

The shutdown of its last three plants ended Germany's 60-year nuclear energy production era.

Title:

Content: The last station closed.
Germany ends production of nuclear energy
Germany has cut the last three remaining nuclear power plants off the grid, ending the country ’ s nuclear energy production after more than 60 years.
The three remaining nuclear reactors in Germany, Essar II in Bavaria, Issland in Lower Saxony and Neckarvistheim in Baden-Württemberg, were shut down yesterday.
The operator of the Nikarvistheim 2 nuclear plant was the last to report that the shutdown had been completed.
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Due to the energy crisis caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Germany kept two nuclear plants on standby until mid-April 2023.

Title:

Content: Germany says two nuclear plants will remain on standby until mid-April 2023
World News
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / tqy1
Germany said on Monday it would keep two nuclear plants on standby beyond the end of the year in a political shift as a cut in Russian gas supplies threatens Europe with an energy crisis.
Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a speech that following a new grid stress test, two of the remaining three power plants “will remain available until mid-April 2023 if needed, ” partially delaying a planned nuclear exit under former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Source: AFP
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Economy Minister Robert Habeck decided to keep the plants on standby to address the energy crisis.

As a result of shutting down its last nuclear power plants, Germany's electricity price is 160% higher than in 2019.

Title:

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

The country's fossil fuel consumption has increased and clean electricity generation fell 5.6% in 2023.

German chemical and fertilizer production has fallen to its lowest level due to high energy costs.

Russia has cut off natural gas supplies to Germany and Europe, significantly impacting Germany's energy supply.

Title:

Content: Germany ’ s nuclear power plant will remain on standby until 2023
BERLIN (AFP) - As Russia cuts off natural gas supplies and Europe struggles to find energy sources, Germany today announced a change in its nuclear policy to keep two nuclear plants on standby after a deadline expires at the end of this year.
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Economy Minister Robert Habeck said in a statement that after the stress tests, the authorities decided that two of the last three nuclear plants, originally scheduled to be decommissioned by the end of the year, would remain in operation until April 2023 as backup capacity and could generate electricity if needed.
The move resulted in a partial nuclear exit plan laid out by former Prime Minister Angela Merkel.
But Haberke said Germany remains committed to scrapping its nuclear program and that all nuclear plants will be off the grid by the end of this year.

The German government remains committed to its nuclear phaseout plan, aiming to generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

Title:

Content: 0
0
138
Germany shuts down three of its six remaining nuclear power plants
17: 00 31.12.2021 Source: Interfax
In Germany, on Friday, half of the six still operating nuclear power plants will shut down, according to the Associated Press.Then, according to the plan of the authorities, in another year it is planned to close the remaining three nuclear power plants and completely switch to other sources of energy.
The decision to phase out nuclear power was made in 2002 by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Then his successor, Angela Merkel, first came out in favor of still extending the life of the German nuclear power plant.
However, after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011, Merkel changed her position and decided that in 2022 the country should complete the closure of all nuclear power plants.
The current government of Germany, headed by Olaf Scholz, left these plans in force.
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Content: This content is not available in your region
Germany closes three nuclear power plants
Comments
Lev Udolsky
Copyright AP Photo / Heribert Proepper
With the end of the year, the phase-out of nuclear energy in Germany is entering a new phase.
On December 31, three nuclear power plants will be disconnected from the grid, including the Brockdorf nuclear power plant, located in the north of the country.
Its construction, begun in the 1980s, already caused a lot of protests.
The management of the company regrets its closure.
“In recent days, the mood has been very sad, ” says Guido Nott, chairman of PreussenElektra.
We have been running this station for 35 years.
We monitored her condition, maintained at the highest technical level and always ensured the safety of her work.
Meanwhile, among opponents of the use of nuclear energy, the closure of the nuclear power plant does not cause any sadness:
“I feel a calm but constant joy that this facility is now closed, ” says Karsten Hinrichsen, an activist.
Some have asked if victory has been won.
I say no, because it took too much time.
The ban on the operation of nuclear power plants in Germany was adopted after the accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima in 2011.
During the vote in the Bundestag, this initiative was supported by 513 out of 600 deputies.
The oldest reactors were shut down immediately, and the shutdown of the remaining nine was decided to proceed in stages.
Following three nuclear power plants located in Bavaria, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, which will stop generating electricity this year, the remaining three will be shut down by the end of next year.
At the same time, the work related to the NPP shutdown will continue for several more years, since the dismantling of the stations is a very complex and lengthy procedure.
Meanwhile, the country plans to increasingly switch to renewable energy sources.
It is estimated that by 2030, 80% of electricity will be generated by wind turbines, solar panels or biogas plants.

The country plans to abandon coal by 2030, having relied on it for 51% of its electricity in 2021.

Title:

Content: Germany on Friday shut down three of the six nuclear power plants that were still in operation.
Three closed reactors were first put into operation in the mid-1980s, reports AP News.
Together, they provided electricity to millions of German families for nearly four decades.
One of the stations, Brockdorf, is located 40 kilometers northwest of Hamburg on the Elbe River.
It became the center of anti-nuclear protests sparked by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986.
The other two are Gronde, 40 kilometers south of Hanover, and Gundremmingen, 80 kilometers west of Munich.
The German government said this week that the decommissioning of all nuclear power plants next year and the subsequent abandonment of coal by 2030 will not affect the country ’ s energy security or its goal of making Europe ’ s largest economy “climate neutral ” by 2045.
According to the Fraunhofer Institute, renewable energy provided almost 46% of Germany ’ s electricity generation in 2021.
Coal accounted for more than 51% and nuclear energy for more than 13%.
The decision to phase out nuclear power and switch from fossil fuels to renewables was first made by Gerhard Schröder ’ s center-left government in 2002.
His successor, Angela Merkel, has set 2022 as the deadline for the plant ’ s closure.
Earlier, in December 2019, the Philipsburg nuclear power plant, one of the seven nuclear power plants operating at that time, was shut down in Germany.
You may also be interested in news:

Germany seeks alternative energy to reduce its 40% dependence on Russian gas, considering options like wind power, solar energy, and green hydrogen.

Title:

Content: What are Germany ’ s options after refusing to pay Russia ’ s gas bill in rubles?
BERLIN (Reuters) - The effects of the Russian attack on Ukraine have spread to most parts of the world, where countries have enormous underground and agricultural wealth that is needed by the whole world, not just the European continent.
In addition to his military attack, there are other weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun to use in his war, to impose a reality on the ground through them, primarily the energy weapon, and in the forefront, gas exported to Europe.
Russia is the first country in the world in gas production, with exports of about 200 billion cubic meters in 2020.
Its gas reserves are estimated at 48.9 trillion cubic meters, making its harsh winter European neighborhood in great need of its imports of gas, which is described as environmentally friendly and cheap.
Energy War and Alternative Currency
Since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the conflict has appeared to be directed against the European Union in general, and Germany, Europe ’ s major economic power, in particular, which has provided military support to the Ukrainian side, calls for a 300% increase in the military budget, and a parallel economic war between Berlin and Moscow.
A little before the Ukrainian war, Germany stopped implementing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project despite its readiness, and the German government justified it by looking for alternative means of energy under the pretext of protecting the climate, while observers explained that Berlin seeks to get rid of Russian dominance in gas supplies, which imports from Moscow about 40% of its need for gas.
With the escalation of the Russian-European dispute, Putin surprised the world by asking to pay the value of gas exports in rubles, which Germany refused, and announced that the payment will be in dollars or euros, as signed in the contracts between the two parties.
Conflict over the monetary system
On Putin ’ s request to pay the value of energy contracts in Russian ruble and the risks of this on the global currency, the US dollar, says economist Mohammed Abdul Wahid Ghanem, “There is no doubt that America was able to tighten its financial control through a monetary system imposed on the world by paying dollars after the Bretton Woods Treaty 1947, and Europe supported this before the emergence of its unified currency“ euro ”.
Ghanem believes that the dispute over the means of payment in dollars reflects a desire to change the monetary system and get rid of the control of the dollar, and this is not allowed by the United States, as changing it leads to the collapse of America and a global war.
Ghanem told Al Jazeera Net that Putin is trying to use the means of payment as a weapon, especially as he is the first producer of gas in the world, as well as Russia's massive oil production, which reached 11.60 million barrels per day in February.
This step, says the economist, is a declaration of a world war, especially since America since the early 1970s depends on the strength of its currency on what is known as the petrodollar, the peg of the value of oil purchased to the US dollar.
Alternatives to Germany
Although multiple sanctions have affected Russia ’ s energy sector by the United States and its allies, this has not included Europe ’ s cessation of imports of Russian gas, particularly the two important industrialised countries, Germany and Italy.
In the face of the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis and Putin's demand to pay for gas in Russian rubles, the German government began work on a strategic plan to stop dependence on Russian gas and move towards other alternatives.
According to the British Financial Times, the German government announced its first steps to regulate gas with an emergency plan based on three stages, the first in which a crisis team from the Ministry of Economy and the private sector implement harsh measures to reduce consumption, and if the crisis continues, gas is cut off from certain sectors and preferential treatment for families.
Meanwhile, experts have warned that the escalating gas crisis will push Germany ’ s inflation rate to 6.1% this year.
Risks and Solutions
On the risks that Germany will face if it decides to stop importing Russian gas, and the solutions put forward by its government, asked Aljazeera Net German energy expert Samer Rahal.
Rahal says the German Energy Industries Association has announced that the early warning of the emergency plan for Russian gas is justified in light of the dispute over the currency that will pay for Russian gas shipments.
This “dangerous development ”, Rahal calls it, makes joint action by all German federal agencies and private sector companies all the more urgent, to minimize economic damage in the event of a shortage of Russian gas supplies.
It is unclear what will happen to the industry when gas is scarce.
The biggest risk is the sudden disruption of supply chains, which in turn will cause machines to stop working, severe damage to production facilities, and massive job losses, which means serious social problems that the federal government may not be able to manage.
Therefore, the EI renewed its demands to use coal as an alternative to natural gas in power plants for a limited period of time and only during the current crisis.
Experts say this is immediately possible and will pre-emptively reduce demand for natural gas regardless of the potential shortage of gas.
“If we rule out the option of returning to nuclear power, the government should build a liquefied gas plant in the north, accelerate alternative energy plans such as green hydrogen, import liquefied gas from the United States, Qatar and Algeria, expand the construction of wind power fields, and extend the period of reliance on coal in power plants, ” Rahal says.
Source: The Island

The country is building an LNG terminal to diversify its energy sources and aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.

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Content: German Chancellor vows to achieve energy independence while protecting climate - Sunrise Gate
Wednesday 1 June 2022 12: 34 PM Cairo Cairo 24 °
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German chancellor vows to achieve energy independence while protecting climate
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Published on: Wednesday 1 June 2022 - 12: 20 PM | Last updated on Wednesday 1 June 2022 - 12: 20 PM
Chancellor Olaf Schulz has pledged that Germany will manage both independence from Russian energy supplies and greater climate protection.
"We want to achieve energy independence as soon as possible," Schulz said in a budget debate in the German parliament on Wednesday in Berlin, explaining that this is a goal for Europe and Germany as well.
Schulz added: “We know this is very urgent these days in light of the Russian attack.
We want to achieve total CO2 neutrality by 2045.
It can be accomplished.
They both belong to each other, they are not mutually exclusive, and we will achieve both. ”
Carbon dioxide neutrality means that all greenhouse gases must be avoided or stored in order to protect the climate.
Schulz explained that it is important to ensure the security of power supply at all times, saying: “Power must always be available – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. ”
Schulz also pointed to plans for rapid expansion of renewable energy, which will be accompanied by new legislative packages aimed at reducing the administrative time taken to implement energy projects by at least half, adding: “We will not let our spirits be discouraged, ladies and gentlemen, not by lobbyists, not by sceptics, not by defenders of the status quo...
"This year is the year of decisions, decisions will be made."
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Content: This is an audio transcript of the FT News Briefing podcast episode: Russia’s move on Ukraine triggers western sanctions

Marc Filippino
Good morning from the Financial Times. Today is Wednesday, February 23rd, and this is your FT News Briefing.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Russia is edging closer to war. President Vladimir Putin is endorsing Russian-backed separatists who claim the entire Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, western powers are pushing back both with sanctions and by suspending the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. But can Germany kick its Russian gas habit?

Guy Chazan
Its industry has really become addicted to relatively cheap Russian gas so it’s in a bit of a bind, really.

Marc Filippino
Plus, how are Russian markets holding up through all this? Unsurprisingly, not so great. We’ll tell you more. I’m Marc Filippino, and here’s the news you need to start your day.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Very late on Monday night, Russian president Vladimir Putin decided to send what he called peacekeeping troops into eastern Ukraine. They’ll support two Russian-backed separatist states that he’s recognised as independent. This crossed a line for western powers, and they retaliated with a salvo of sanctions against Moscow on Tuesday. The US is targeting two of Russia’s largest financial institutions, as well as Russian elites and their family members. The FT’s Henry Foy has more on Europe’s sanctions towards Russia.

Henry Foy
So the European Union has decided to sanction a lot of individuals and entities. They’ve gone after 351 members of the Russian parliament. These are elected MPs, elected representatives who voted for the independence of these statelets, these separatists to be recognised for troops to be sent in, and also 27 individuals and entities who are linked to actions that have undermined Ukraine’s sovereignty. The key thing here, though, is the EU, just like the US and the UK who also announced their own sanction packages, are saying this is not it. This is just the first wave. And if you continue aggression against Ukraine and if there is a full invasion of the rest of Ukraine not held by these pro-Russian separatists, then there will be more — much, much more. This first wave is targeted. It’s not particularly economically damaging, but it’s a sign that there is unity across the west in standing up to this.

Marc Filippino
Henry, is all this enough to push Russia from further escalation?

Henry Foy
Well Marc, officials I speak to here in Brussels, in the EU, inside of Nato, tell me basically, no. That effectively, Putin has made a decision that he is going to go the whole way and invade Ukraine. That’s a decision that he’s built up over years. It’s an emotional decision. It’s an irrational one. And there’s really little that the west can do about it, given that Putin has thrown away and torn up all the diplomatic efforts. And he will take these sanctions and the sanctions will slow him down. They will affect the Russian economy. They will make an invasion more painful than perhaps it would have been before. However, they’re not going to stop him if that is what he intends to do, and most people, the Nato intelligence community, the defence community, believes that that is his decision.

Marc Filippino
Now, how is Nato’s approaching all this? You know, a crucial issue for Russia is that it wants to keep Ukraine and other former Soviet countries out of Nato. What’s its role right now?

Henry Foy
So Nato’s role, they’ve been very clear about this, is to protect itself, to protect alliance members, to protect Nato members in Europe. So what they’ve done in recent months and weeks is to deploy more troops in eastern European countries that border Ukraine and Russia effectively as deterrents to Russia to say, look, if you are going to invade Ukraine, you’re not going to come anywhere near us because we are going to defend our own, our own members, but also to help with any cross-border fallout from an invasion of Ukraine, which is likely to be in the form of refugees, potentially spillover events such as terrorism.

Marc Filippino
Henry Foy is the FT’s European diplomatic correspondent.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The news of Russia sending troops to Ukraine sent the price of oil up to nearly 100 bucks a barrel yesterday, and there was other energy news too. Germany has frozen the approval process on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Chancellor Olaf Scholz says Berlin would not approve the Kremlin-backed project. The pipeline is owned by the Russian-backed company Gazprom and would have increased a Russian gas supplies to Germany and the rest of Europe. The pipeline project has been in the works for years, and there has been a lot of pressure on Germany to stop it. But now that it’s been stopped, what’s next for Germany’s energy sector? Our Berlin bureau chief Guy Chazan joins me now to talk about this. Welcome to the show, Guy.

Guy Chazan
Hi.

Marc Filippino
So Guy, one of our Lex columnists wrote that Germany has been like a junkie in its addiction to Russian gas. How dependent is Germany on Russian energy?

Guy Chazan
Well, it relies on Russia for 55 per cent of its gas imports, and that’s more than many other countries in Europe. It’s a sort of, it’s an indictment in a way of the country’s kind of energy policies over the past few years because in 2011 it took this rather controversial decision to phase out all its nuclear power stations by 2022, and it’s now also phasing out its coal-fired power stations by 2030. So it has all these very ambitious goals to change its energy mix, but that has made it relatively more reliant on gas. And when you’re more reliant on gas, you’re more reliant on Gazprom because that’s Europe’s major supplier.

Marc Filippino
Yeah, and Russia, in response to Germany’s move, said, OK, well, you know, this is going to have an impact on already high energy prices. How hard will higher prices hit Germany’s economy?

Guy Chazan
Well, we’ve already been getting a taste of it because over the past few months, energy experts have said that Gazprom seems to be deliberately withholding supplies to the spot market in Europe, and that has driven up prices. But it’s basically destroyed the reputation of Gazprom as a reliable supplier in Germany. The green minister of the economy yesterday said that explicitly, and that’s really a big change because in the past, whenever you sort of ask German officials, you know, what about this relationship with Russia? They always say, well, you know, even in the worst times during the cold war, Russia was a reliable supplier. Those flows of gas were never affected. But that seems to have changed in recent months, and the perception of Gazprom has accordingly changed as well in Germany.

Marc Filippino
So given that this perception of Gazprom has changed, what alternatives does Germany have when it comes to energy sources?

Guy Chazan
Well, none at the moment. That’s the problem. It basically is building a terminal for the import of LNG, liquefied natural gas. But that is very expensive, much more expensive than Gazprom’s gas. So it’s in a bit of a bind, really. But the big difference, I suppose, really from the Merkel era, the governments of Angela Merkel, is that we now have this government with the Greens, and they are determined for Germany to go carbon neutral in the next 25 years. And if that ambition is achieved, then there will be much, much more renewables, much more wind and solar, and much less reliance on fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas.

Marc Filippino
Less of a question on the economics of this whole thing and more about the safety of German people. I mean, it’s the middle of February. If people aren’t able to heat their homes, is there a potential issue with people being safe and warm in Germany?

Guy Chazan
Well, I don’t think so, because the consensus is that Gazprom and Russia would not do anything as suicidal as withhold gas supplies to Germany. I mean that literally would be destroying an energy relationship, which is mutually, very, very beneficial. It’s not just Germany that benefits from this. It’s Russia, too, which relies very, very heavily on the flow of foreign currency into its exchequer. I think actually, if it were to come to that, Germany is actually quite well placed at the moment because the winter is drawing to an end and it’s getting sort of LNG shipments via Rotterdam. So it has been able to diversify. And apparently ministers have been saying the energy security situation is OK at the moment.

Marc Filippino
Guy Chazan is the FT’s Berlin bureau chief. Thank you, Guy.

Guy Chazan
Thanks.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Marc Filippino
Moscow’s main stock benchmark has collapsed by a third since October. Markets have been responding to the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Investors are mostly worried about two things — one, a full-blown invasion by Russia into Ukraine, and two, how sanctions, which you know, we talked about earlier, will affect assets. Our capital markets correspondent Tommy Stubbington has been following this and says there’s one area in particular investors are watching.

Tommy Stubbington
Possibly the most extreme form of sanctions in terms of their impact on the Russian stock market would be an outright ban on trading Russian stocks or Russian bonds on the secondary market, which would make it effectively impossible for western investors to hold those assets. Now we’re not there yet, but I mean, obviously any outside risks that investors see will lead to investors effectively dumping the Russian assets that they hold, and they do hold those assets largely because they are included in the indices, the investment benchmarks, the billions and billions of dollars of investments follow.

Marc Filippino
Now how insulated is the market overall? And is it likely that the Kremlin would react?

Tommy Stubbington
Share price declines, on their own, are probably something that I imagine the Kremlin wouldn’t be too worried about. They’d be more worried about the sanctions hurting at the level of the whole economy. And on that basis, the Russian economy is fairly well insulated from sanctions by the high level of dollar reserves that their central bank holds, which, you know, should be able to protect the rouble from any kind of run from overseas investors. And so the answer is the, you know, the Russian economy is certainly more sanctions-proof than possibly it was in the past.

Marc Filippino
Tommy Stubbington is the FT’s capital markets correspondent.

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The European Commission has approved Germany's €28 billion plan to reduce carbon use and promote renewable energy.

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Content: Thursday 22 December 2022 Abu Dhabi UAE
Prayer times
News Highlights
Today 's Issue
Today 's Issue
Arabic & International
EU approves German renewable energy plan
A solar and wind farm
December 21, 2022 18: 44
The European Commission said on Wednesday it had approved a 28 billion euro ($29.69 billion) renewable energy support plan from Germany aimed at accelerating the expansion of wind and solar power.
This plan will replace the current scheme to support renewable energy and will be valid until 2026.
The plan aims to meet Germany ’ s goal of producing 80 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
The European Commission said the plan was "necessary and appropriate" to encourage the use of renewable energy and reduce emissions that are warming the planet.
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement: “The German Renewable Energy Act 2023 plan will accelerate the reduction of carbon use in electricity production.
Source: Reuters
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Germany plans to accelerate renewable energy capacity expansion to reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and generate 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2030.

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Content: Meta removes Russian disinformation campaigns, Starlink extends service in Ukraine, and Germany proposes a renewable energy plan.

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Tuesday, March 1st, and I’m your host, Pragya Sehgal.

Early this week Meta said it detected and removed two disinformation campaigns run by groups in Russia and Ukraine. One of the two campaigns was operated by Ghostwriter, a Russia-linked disinformation and hacking group, Business Insider reported. Ghostwriter gained access to people’s Facebook accounts and then posted disinformation. According to Meta, additional security was placed on targeted accounts and affected users were notified. The other campaign used a network of fake accounts belonging to fictitious people claiming to be based in Kyiv. Meta said the display photos for these fake accounts were most likely created using a type of AI called generative adversarial networks. On Friday, the company released advice for Ukrainian users on how to lock and secure their accounts.

Over the weekend, Elon Musk said that Starlink‘s internet service is active in Ukraine and that more terminals are being sent as Russian troops disrupt internet access. Musk made the move after a senior Ukrainian government official asked him to provide more Starlink stations to the country. The vice prime minister of Ukraine and minister of digital transformation tweeted: “While you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations.”

Germany aims to fulfil all its electricity needs with supplies from renewable sources by 2035, according to a government draft paper. The country has been under pressure from other Western nations to become less dependent on Russian gas. However, its plans to eliminate coal-fired power plants by 2030 and to shut its nuclear power plants by the end of 2022 have left it with minimal options. Germany’s economy minister has described the accelerated capacity expansion for renewable energy as a vital element in making the country less dependent on Russian fossil fuel supplies, Reuters reported. The government draft paper revealed that the corresponding amendment to the country’s Renewable Energy Sources Act is ready and the share of wind or solar power should reach 80 per cent by 2030.

And now for something a bit different. Swedish researchers have created an artificial neuron that can control the snapping of a Venus flytrap’s mouth, paving the way for a new type of neurotechnology. The engineered artificial neuron could be useful for future research linking artificial, synthetic devices with biological systems such as brain-machine interfaces. In a study published in Nature, researchers from three Swedish universities constructed the neurons from polymers that can transport electrical signals to cells in the Venus flytrap which control the plant’s mouth. Venus flytraps, like other plants, don’t have nerves like humans and other animals. However, they are able to generate electrical impulses called action potentials that human neurons use to convey information to neural neighbours in the brain and spinal cord. The researcher’s next step is not only to get these artificial neurons to be faster but to advance them to more complex biological systems which they say they are already working on.

That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, catch the next episode of Hashtag Tendances, our weekly Hashtag Trending episode in French, which drops every Thursday morning. If you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Pragya Sehgal.

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Content: Germany set to miss climate targets for two years in embarrassing admission

GERMANY is set to miss its climate targets for the next two years, despite green pledges from Olaf Scholz' new government.

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Climate protestors gather outside Cop26

Germany will probably miss its carbon emissions reduction targets in the coming two years, Economy and Climate Protection Minister Robert Habeck told Die Zeit newspaper.

After a top court ruled in April that Germany must tighten its climate protection law, the then-government set more ambitious CO2 reduction targets, including being carbon neutral by 2045.

The new coalition government presented plans to step up climate protection efforts entailing far-reaching reforms for the utility sector and across manufacturing industries, buildings, transport and agriculture.

Habeck, co-leader of the Greens who are part of the new ruling coalition said: "We will probably miss our targets for 2022. ... Even for 2023 it will be difficult enough. We are starting with a drastic backlog."

Germany aims to cut emissions in industry, the biggest carbon emitting sector, to 177 million CO2 tonnes in 2022, down 38 percent compared with 1990.

Germany will probably miss its climate targets for the next two years (Image: GETTY)

In the transport sector, CO2 emissions should be reduced to 139 million tonnes in the coming year, down 15 percent from 1990.

In the transport sector, CO2 emissions should be reduced to 139 million tonnes in the coming year from the 145 million of the current year.

Habeck said the number of wind turbines built in Germany per year will rise to 1,000-1,500 from around 450 in the previous years, in an effort to meet the government's targets for renewables to meet 80 percent of power demand by 2030 and to dedicate 2 percent of land surface to wind power infrastructure.

The government aims to have laws on accelerating approvals of wind turbines ready by the end of next year, he said.

READ MORE: Omicron could ‘usher in end of Covid epidemic’ says new study

He added: "2022 will be one of the most exhausting years this ministry has experienced in a long time."

The embarrassing admission comes as more than 100 leaders last month agreed to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by the end of the decade, underpinned by $19 billion in public and private funds to invest in protecting and restoring forests.

The commitment - made at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow and backed by forest-rich countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the Democratic Republic of Congo - covers forests totalling more than 13 million square miles (33.7 million sq km).

Fran Raymond Price, global forest practice lead at environmental group WWF International, said there was an urgent need to see the Glasgow forest declaration turned into meaningful action.

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Germany's Greens co-leader Robert Habeck (Image: GETTY)

She told the Thomson Reuters Foundation: "The political will demonstrated by the governments who signed this commitment is a welcome first step.

"(But) we need to see this now translated into legislative action within the next year or two, with transparency, accountability and involvement of ... indigenous peoples and local communities."

Cutting down forests has major implications for global goals to curb warming, as trees absorb about a third of the planet-heating carbon emissions produced worldwide, but release the carbon they store when they rot or are burned.

Forests also provide food and livelihoods, clean the air and water, support human health, are an essential habitat for wildlife, regulate rainfall and offer flood protection.

Last year, an area of tropical forest the size of the Netherlands was lost, according to monitoring service Global Forest Watch.

The Glasgow declaration was broadly welcomed but many environmentalists noted similar zero deforestation pledges had repeatedly been made and not met by both governments and businesses.

Those include the 2014 New York Declaration on Forest (NYDF), the United Nations sustainability goals and targets set by global household brands.

Under the Glasgow pledge, further leader and ministerial meetings are expected in 2022 and beyond to assess progress and drive implementation of the pact.