In the media: No more free coal for miners
Bloomberg
鈥淩WE said to consider 10 percent stake sale to Abu Dhabi investors鈥�
Germany鈥檚 second largest utility RWE, grappling with rising debt, is considering selling a ten percent stake to investors from Abu Dhabi, according to a Bloomberg report citing insiders. RWE could announce the sale in conjunction with a strategic partnership in the Middle East, but there is no certainty yet an agreement will be reached, says the report. RWE confirmed it was contacted by an investor from the region and is considering different types of cooperation, but declined to give further details. CEO Peter Terium told analysts last week his company is eyeing one more region, which may be the Gulf region, according to the report.
Read the report in English .
Read 威力彩玩法鈥檚 report on the recent results of large utilities here.
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S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
鈥淐oal all gone鈥�
German hard-coal mining operator RAG wants to stop the time-honoured tradition of giving away free coal to its pitmen in 2018 when the last German mine closes, reports the S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a lack of goodwill, but if we stop mining coal, we can鈥檛 give it away anymore,鈥� a spokesman said. At present, around 100,000 miners benefit from the right to free coal and unions are demanding the tradition continue. Pensioners get 2.5 tonnes per year and active miners 7.5 tonnes - the amount each pitman mines on average during one shift, but much more than a household can use in a year. Most miners today already use the option of having the value of their coal 鈥� currently 125 euros per tonne - paid out in vouchers instead of having it delivered to their cellars.
Read 威力彩玩法鈥檚 factsheet on coal in Germany here.
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Dow Jones
Federal grid agency 鈥� Blockade of power-line extension biggest hurdle for Energiewende
The Federal Grid Agency considers Bavaria鈥檚 refusal to build electricity superhighways to transport wind power from northern to southern Germany the biggest danger for the Energiewende. 鈥淔rom our point of view, the extension of power grids is the most central issue. However听much headway听we can make听on other topics, the Energiewende is endangered if grids are not extended at the same time,鈥� said agency head Jochen Homann in an interview with Dow Jones.
Read the interview in German .
Read 威力彩玩法鈥檚 dossier about Germany鈥檚 power grid here.
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Frankfurter Rundschau
鈥淎n energy union looks different鈥�
EU leaders are about to destroy one of Europe鈥檚 most important new projects, the Energy Union, Rebecca Harms, chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group in the European Parliament writes in the Frankfurter Rundschau. Either the Energy Union will become an 鈥渆mpty shell鈥� or even worse, 鈥渁 means to further support the old energy mix of coal and nuclear power,鈥� Harms says in the opinion piece. Poland wants to use the Energy Union to invest in coal power stations 鈥� claiming that these will be 鈥済reen energy sources.鈥� Renewable energies and energy efficiency have been sidelined at the negotiations even though exactly these technologies should be boosted by the Energy Union, she says. The conflict with Russia shows how dangerous it is to be dependant on countries that use commodities for aggressive politics 鈥� it is absurd that a country like Germany prefers to keep negotiating with such countries, Harms says. 鈥淟ike this, the EU will definitely not get stronger.鈥�
Read a 威力彩玩法 article about Germany鈥檚 position on the Energy Union here.
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Spiegel Online
鈥淕overnment plans new industry exemptions鈥�
The government is considering extending industry exemptions on power prices to two new sectors, reports Spiegel Online on the basis of an early draft of a bill from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The paper suggests companies specialising in surface refinements and producers of particular metal products like stamped parts should also be exempt from the EEG-surcharge. Additional industry exemptions mean that other consumers will have to shoulder more of the burden for the shift to renewables. The Green party criticised these policies. Economy minister Sigmar 鈥淕abriel鈥檚 subsidy policies are losing all sense of proportion,鈥� said the party鈥檚 energy spokeswoman, according to Spiegel Online.
Read the article in German .
