Federal cabinet agrees on final repository law / VW settlement deals
Federal Ministry for the Environment / S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
Germany鈥檚 federal cabinet has agreed on a law that is aimed at facilitating the search for a final repository for the country鈥檚 nuclear waste by 2031, the Federal Ministry for the Environment has said in a press release. Environment minister Barbara Hendricks said that 鈥渉istorically speaking鈥, the law perhaps was her most important one in this legislative period and was going to 鈥減ut an end to the nuclear waste chaos鈥, Michael Bauchm眉ller writes in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. According to Hendricks, the search conducted over the next 15 years is going to be based on 鈥渂road and transparent public participation鈥 and will be conducted across Germany. 鈥淭he search for a nuclear repository is not going to be any easier now鈥, Bauchm眉ller says, but 鈥渋ts much debated start is coming closer鈥, he adds.
Read the press release in German and the article in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 factsheet What to do with the nuclear waste 鈥 the storage question.
Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz
The problem of finding a final repository for Germany鈥檚 nuclear waste does not have 鈥渁 solution in the true sense of the word, but only makeshift at best鈥, Reinhard Breidenbach writes in an opinion piece for Allgemeine Zeitung Mainz. Advocates of nuclear power production have been 鈥渓iving a lie鈥 from the beginning, Breidenbach says, adding that the technology 鈥渁ctually does not help with anything but only creates absolutely inacceptable risks鈥. The 鈥渟o-called temporary storage鈥 was a 鈥渉ighly explosive farce鈥 many generations to come are going to be burdened with, according to Breidenbach.
For background read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The challenges of Germany鈥檚 nuclear phase-out.
Die Welt
The EU Commission鈥檚 decision to extend the tariffs on Chinese PV products has raised concerns among environmental organisations that a slower expansion of solar power production might hinder the German energy transition鈥檚 (Energiewende) progress, writes Daniel Wetzel in Die Welt. More than 400 European solar power companies and major environmental organisations like the WWF and Greenpeace have advocated for an exemption of the PV products from customs, Wetzel explains. With this decision, the EU Commissioner for Trade, Cecilia Malmstr枚m, 鈥渙nce again sides with German market leader Solarworld鈥, which has called for a Europe-wide alliance against Chinese competitors, he writes. But according to Udo M枚hrstedt, CEO of IBC Solar AG, the tariffs that 鈥渃ost tens of thousands of jobs鈥 and 鈥渞educed the number of module producers鈥 are in fact 鈥渂ad for Germany鈥檚 solar industry鈥.
Read the article in German .
Introducing a national minimum CO2 price of 75 euros per tonne would enable Germany to meet its target of reducing emissions in the energy sector by 61 to 62 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, energy market analyst company Energy Brainpool has said in a press release. According to Brainpool, the target will not be met if the price for emitting one tonne of CO2 increases to only 27.60 euros, as anticipated in the by the International Energy Agency. But even with a national minimum price, 鈥60 percent of the emissions avoided in Germany would still be emitted in European neighbouring markets via electricity imports from Germany鈥, Energy Brainpool鈥檚 director, Tobias Kurth, explains.聽
Read the press release in German .
Tageszeitung (taz)
Schleswig-Holstein鈥檚 state energy minister Robert Habeck wants to prohibit further oil test drillings off the coast of Germany鈥檚 northernmost state, writes Sven-Michael Veit in tageszeitung (taz). Detonations, drillings and other invasions of the national park Wadden Sea were generally forbidden by state national park regulations, said Habeck. Until now, authorisations were given under Germany鈥檚 federal mining law. Since 1987, Deutsche Erdoel AG () has drilled for oil from a sandbank in the North Sea and it is now planning further test drillings, also in the national park. The Wadden Sea is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Read the article in German .
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
鈥淪ecret settlements鈥 between Volkswagen dealers and customers have helped avoid landmark decisions against the carmaker before higher German courts and could lead to the limitation of claims for customers affected by the emissions scandal, write Markus Balser and Klaus Ott in S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. By the end of 2017, most entitlements would be barred by statutes of limitations, write the authors. Unlike in the US, affected cars in Germany were fixed after obligatory recalls, which 鈥 in VW鈥檚 view 鈥 nullified customers鈥 entitlement to compensation, write Balser and Ott. Volkswagen denied employing tactics to avoid landmark court decisions. What dealers did was their decision, but VW supported them with legal assistance, the company told S眉ddeutsche Zeitung.
Read the article in German .
For background read the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Dieselgate is not over yet for carmaker Volkswagen despite several agreements and progress made in Germany and worldwide over the past couple of days, write Carsten Germis and Roland Lindner in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 鈥淭he largest remaining factor of uncertainty are the criminal investigations of the US Department of Justice that could lead to another billion-euro sentence,鈥 write Germis and Lindner. Wednesday, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) to modify certain diesel engines, relieving the company of having to buy back millions of cars. On Tuesday, VW and the State of California to buy back or modify diesel engine vehicles and pay millions into environmental trusts.
For more information on the emissions manipulation scandal鈥檚 consequences for VW, see the 威力彩玩法 factsheet Dieselgate forces VW to embrace green mobility.
When it comes to heating, there is 鈥渆normous potential鈥 for cooperation between the housing sector and the energy industry, according to a new study commissioned by the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW). The results show that heating systems in about half of leased apartments owned by professional housing companies were 20 years or older. About half of all German apartments were heated with natural gas. The study aimed at gathering in-depth information on the heating market in Germany鈥檚 housing sector. BDEW conducted expert interviews and surveyed 188 landlords and housing enterprises.
Read the press release in German and find the study in German .