Big govt tax loss if fuel rod tax expires / A union embraces coal exit
Green Budget Germany
The German government could lose 3.9-5.8 billion euros in taxes by 2022, if the nuclear fuel rod tax is not extended beyond the end of this year, according to an analysis by NGO Green Budget Germany, commissioned by green power supplier NATURSTROM. 鈥淧roducing nuclear waste tax-free 鈥� waste whose storage will preoccupy future generations for thousands of years 鈥� that鈥檚 not right,鈥� said Thomas Banning, chairman of NATURSTROM in a press release. The tax is payable by nuclear power station operators whenever they use new fuel elements in their reactors and is currently to run out at the end of this year.
Find the press release in German and the report in German .
Frankfurter Rundschau
Service sector trade union ver.di鈥檚 has said聽 that a fair coal exit in Germany is possible and can be financed, a statement that could alter the course of the current discussion among Social Democrats, writes Frank-Thomas Wenzel in an opinion piece in Frankfurter Rundschau. Economy minister Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, has so far opposed聽settting a deadline for a coal exit, fearing large losses in next year鈥檚 national and state elections 鈥渋f a coal exit with job losses becomes a campaign topic,鈥� writes Wenzel.
Read the 威力彩玩法 article Ministry avoids concrete targets in weakened Climate Action Plan and the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Germany鈥檚 trimmed-down Climate Action Plan for background.
dpa
Germany and Norway have started construction on NordLink, the first direct power line between the two countries that will allow the exchange of renewable energy from 2019 on, reports dpa. The 620 kilometre long, mostly underwater transmission line showed 鈥渉ow well grid expansion in [the northernmost German state] Schleswig-Holstein works,鈥� said Robert Habeck, the state鈥檚 energy transition minister.
Find the article in German and a government press release .
For background, read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The energy transition and Germany鈥檚 power grid.
Handelsblatt
RWE鈥檚 majority-held subsidiary innogy is advertising its renewable energy in the Rhineland, a campaign completely at odds with RWE's own operation of lignite power plants in the region, says Greenpeace energy expert Karsten Smid in the Handelsblatt. 鈥淭he campaign will backfire,鈥� Smid told the newspaper. Innogy is using the the slogan 鈥淩hineland becomes Cleanland. Energy becomes innogy.鈥�
Read the article in German .
Find background information in the 威力彩玩法 factsheet RWE鈥檚 plans for new renewable subsidiary.
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
The British government鈥檚 decision to approve the nuclear power plant Hinkley Point is a step 鈥渇orward into the past,鈥� despite the 鈥渓audable鈥� goal to reduce carbon emissions, writes Bj枚rn Finke in an opinion piece for the S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. However, Germany should take the gradual British shut down of coal-fired power plants 鈥渁bsolutely as an example.鈥�
Read the opinion piece in German .
