In the media: Nuclear "a total fiasco", companies want grid extensions
Handelsblatt
鈥淣uclear Energy? Never Again!鈥�
The history of nuclear energy in Germany is a total fiasco, write J眉rgen Flauger and Klaus Stratmann in a 鈥渃losing balance sheet鈥� in business daily Handelsblatt. The technology is too risky and too expensive, and now taxpayers might have to bear the financial consequences, argue the authors in their article exceeding 4,000 words. 鈥淕ermany should never have got involved in this adventure, which might end up costing hundreds of billions of euros.鈥�
Find the article in German (behind paywall).
Read a 威力彩玩法 dossier on the challenges of Germany's nuclear phase-out here.
Find the factsheet 鈥淣uclear clean-up costs鈥� here.
听
Handelsblatt
鈥淣uclear at state orders鈥�
The energy ministry鈥檚 probe has revealed that utilities' nuclear provisions might fall short of requirements by billions of euros, writes Franz Hubik in Handelsblatt. Utilities argue the state should share the costs of the clean-up. Hubik writes it is true that initially, the German government wanted nuclear power stations built, before the accident in Chernobyl in 1986. He says that to begin with, the utilities were very sceptical about the construction of nuclear power stations.
Find the article in German (behind paywall).
Read the factsheet 鈥淪ecuring utility payments for the nuclear clean-up鈥� here.
听
S眉ddeutsche Zeitung
鈥淐ompanies push for grid extensions鈥�
Grid extensions must be sped up according to German business, reports S眉ddeutsche Zeitung. 鈥淭he sluggish grid extension turns into the bottleneck of the Energiewende,鈥� Eric Schweitzer, president of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK), told the newspaper. 鈥淒elays will make the Energiewende unnecessarily expensive.鈥� A recent DIHK poll also showed grid extensions are a very high priority for companies. Schweitzer said the government鈥檚 decision this week to put more cables underground meant delays of several years and additional costs for companies.
Read the article in German .
Read the factsheet 鈥淲hat business thinks of the energy transition鈥� with details on the DIHK poll here.
See 威力彩玩法's dossier on the power grid here.
听
Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne)/Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV)
鈥淟imiting the rise of grid costs鈥�
To keep the costs of grid extensions in check for consumers, more use should be made of intelligent technologies instead of conventional cables, argue the Association of Energy Market Innovators (bne), which represents the interests of grid-independent energy suppliers and energy service companies, and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations (VZBV). 鈥淭he regulation model favoured by the regional states will lead to significant additional costs for consumers, without bringing additional benefits,鈥� said bne head Robert Busch in a press release. The associations say more use should be made of savings potentials, such as caps on renewable generation peaks. 听
Read the bne press release .
听
EurActiv
鈥淒ieselgate exposes member state opposition to emissions curbs鈥�
Writing for EurActiv, Jorge Valgero reports that European car producing countries including Germany, Austria, Spain and Italy are resisting stricter limits on diesel emissions. Under an EU proposal, emissions levels would not only have to be tested in the laboratory, but also on the road 鈥� which can produce results 400 percent higher. As one in 10 vehicles is expected to fail the road tests, the EU has proposed a two-year period during which a 60 percent margin over the 80 mg/km limit for nitrogen oxide emissions would be permitted. Germany and others would like to see a longer 鈥減hase-in鈥� period, and a margin of up to 330 percent.
See the report in English .
听
BusinessGreen, International Energy Agency
鈥淭en billion tonnes CO2 emissions saved thanks to energy efficiency over past 25 years, says IEA鈥�
Reporting on the IEA鈥檚 new Energy Efficiency Market Report, Jocelyn Timperley writes that Germany 鈥渂oosted its trade surplus by 12 percent through avoiding $30bn (26.5 billion euros) in energy imports last year.鈥�
The IEA report says energy intensity in Germany 鈥渉as been declining but additional measures may be needed to achieve the 2050 target of reducing primary energy consumption by 50 percent compared to 2008.鈥� The report recommends Germany increase its focus on 鈥渆nergy management and reporting of energy savings opportunities鈥� and 鈥渋ncrease efforts to improve energy efficiency in the transport sector.鈥�
See the BusinessGreen article in English .
See the IEA report in English .
See 威力彩玩法鈥檚 dossier on energy efficiency in Germany here.
