Conservative politicians in Germany call for new gas-fired power plants as a vital “bridge technology.” Exiting both coal and nuclear would not be possible „only with wind power, mandatory solar roofs, climate neutral heating and the hope that our neighbours have some energy left for us,” said Raimund Haser, environment expert for the Christian Democrats (CDU).
Though Germany just ushered in the biggest renewables reform in decades, power generators have to burn more domestic coal to fill the short-term gap caused by lower Russian gas imports, economy minister Robert Habeck admits. By 2035, however, Europe’s biggest economy aims to almost fully rely on wind and solar power – the government’s “Easter package” stipulates.
The British government wants to reduce the country’s reliance on fossil fuels by building eight new nuclear power stations, plus two additional units at Sizewell. Up to 24 GW will come from nuclear power, while approvals for offshore wind farms and hydrogen plants will be accelerated and a new licensing round for North Sea upstream projects launched this summer.
The German economy ministry aims to double onshore wind capacity to 110 GW while quadrupling offshore wind and solar PV capacity to 30 GW and 200 GW, respectively, with the aim of covering the country’s entire electricity needs from green sources by 2035. Tender volumes need to be adjusted – as will availability of flexible peaking plants and energy storage.
Rebuking calls for a ban on Russian oil and gas imports, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz underlined Europe has “deliberately exempted” supply from Gazprom from sanctions as there are no shortterm alternatives. EU leaders are at loggerheads over the phase-out date for Russian energy imports – some say 2030, some suggest 2027, others want it now.
The European Commission wants to wean Europe off Russian fossil fuels well before 2030. The proposed plan ‘REPowerEU’ seeks to gradually remove at least 155 bcm of natural gas – equivalent to the volume imported from Russia in 2021. Nearly two-thirds of that reduction is meant to be achieved before year-end.
Germany wants to spend over €200 billion on clean energy sources by 2026 to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels, especially those from Russia. Finance minister Christian Lindner announced the funds will be used to increase hydrogen production, e-car charging infrastructure and accelerate the build out of renewables which he called “freedom energies.”
The German government aims to cover the country’s entire electricity needs with renewable energy sources (RES) by 2035 to gain independence from Russian gas imports. But this move also requires a substantial build-out of energy storage to handle the rapid increase of fluctuating wind and solar power, critics caution.
Germany is considering extending the run-time of coal power stations to insulate against the threat of a halt in Russian gas deliveries. In the short run, coal-fired plant could be kept in reserve or even left running as a precautionary measure, economy minister Robert Habeck said, though he ruled out delays to the planned nuclear exit.
Five European energy companies – lead by RWE, Uniper and UK’s Rockhopper – have filed a €4 billion lawsuit against Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the Netherlands under the Energy Charter Treaty. The claimants oppose government decisions that mandate the closure of coal-fired power plants without compensation, or block the development of upstream oil projects.
German chancellor Olaf Scholz is meeting the Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to deescalate tensions, knowing the US will levy sanctions to derail the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia attacks Ukraine. An outright war could put 155 Bcm/y, or 30% of Europe’s annual gas imports at risk, Rystad Energy warns.