Merkel's conservatives win state election / Lag in grid expansion
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / Die Welt
Germany's big wind-power producing state Schleswig-Holstein faces "difficult" coalition talks after the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) - the party of Chancellor Angela Merkel - garnered a surprisingly clear election win on Sunday, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The current state government of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens and the small, regional聽South Schleswig Voters' Association (SSW) did not gain enough seats to continue. A grand coalition (CDU and SPD) or a three-party-alliance such as the CDU, liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and the Green Party are both possible. Both the FDP and Greens made a strong showing, with the Greens聽defying negative national trends, as Germans look ahead to federal elections in September.
During the campaign, conservative frontrunner Daniel G眉nther (CDU) promised to increase the minimum distance between wind turbines and the nearest home, and slow down wind power development to let lagging power grid expansion catch up. According to a separate article in Die Welt, the Green Party鈥檚 state Energiewende minister Robert Habeck , but said that coalition building would not fail 鈥渂ecause a wind turbine needs to be built 20 metres further away.鈥�
Find the FAZ article in German , the Welt article in German , preliminary election results in German .
Read 威力彩玩法鈥檚 article on the election campaign Wind power course at stake in election in "cradle of Energiewende" and find more information in the 威力彩玩法 factsheet on the German state elections in Schleswig-Holstein.
Politico.eu
The Christian Democrats鈥� (CDU) win in the Schleswig-Holstein state election is "a black eye" for Social Democrats (SPD) and their federal frontrunner Martin Schulz ahead of September federal elections, writes Politico.eu. Results in the last state elections in Saarland had already raised speculation about a 鈥渄eclining Schulz effect鈥� and 鈥淪unday鈥檚 disappointing result for the SPD in Schleswig-Holstein will throw more cold water on the party鈥檚 declared goal to become the strongest party in the German parliament in September,鈥� writes Politico.
Read the article on in English .
For more on the election year read the 威力彩玩法 dossier Vote2017 - German elections and the Energiewende.
Federal Network Agency (BNetzA)
Germany has built about 850 kilometres of a total of 7,700 kilometres of 鈥渉igh priority鈥� transmission lines, the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) says in a press release accompanying its annual report. 鈥�Until these transmission lines are implemented, we will still need the capacity reserve to keep the German grid stable in critical situations,鈥� the agency writes. Analyses for the coming winter show reserve capacities of 10,400 megawatts (MW) are needed to meet the country鈥檚 modernised security standards, it said. The agency also says capacity reserve requirements are likely to decrease next year once the planned 鈥渂ottleneck management鈥� at the German-Austrian border runs smoothly.
Find the press release in German and the report in German .听
See the 威力彩玩法 factsheet How can Germany keep the lights on in a renewable energy future? for backgorund.
Rheinische Post
The head of Germany鈥檚 largest mining trade union IG BCE, Michael Vassiliadis, has said resistance to open pit mining in the country resembles 鈥渁 civil war,鈥� Rudolf Barnholt writes in Rheinische Post. At an event in the run-up to state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Vassiliadis said Germany鈥檚 Energiewende was 鈥渁n absurd endeavour鈥� which would 鈥渇ind no country that is dim-witted enough to imitate it,鈥� Barnholt writes. Vassiliadis argued Germany鈥檚 energy transition was too inefficient and anti-coal activists were wrongfully styled as conservationist heroes who made the idea of ecological modernisation 鈥�a religion,鈥� according to the article.听
Read the article in German .
For more information, see the 威力彩玩法 factsheet When will Germany finally ditch coal?
Handelsblatt
E.ON CEO Johannes Teyssen calls the company鈥檚 split last year an 鈥渁ct of liberation,鈥� but according to an article by J眉rgen Flauger in business daily Handelsblatt, it was an extremely expensive one. In a long analysis of the company鈥檚 balance sheet, Flauger says fossil spin-off Uniper鈥檚 first year as in independent company was a success. But for the renewable E.ON, it was a 鈥渃ritically鈥� strenuous draw on capital resources, according to Flauger.
Read the analysis in German (behind paywall) .
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 factsheet E.ON shareholders ratify energy giant鈥檚 split.
Spiegel Online
Germany鈥檚 transport ministry and carmaker association VDA hope to prevent diesel driving bans in the country鈥檚 cities by retrofitting older diesel cars to make them cleaner, report Gerald Traufetter and Christoph Stockburger in Spiegel Online. An unpublished ministry study says the resale value of diesel cars would plummet with driving bans, alarming carmakers and the ministry, the authors have learned. The ministry could announce a retrofitting initiative as early as this week, but experts remain sceptical of its technical feasibility, according to the article.
Read the article in German .
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
Handelsblatt
Germany does not even come close to its claim of being a leading market for e-mobility, writes Lukas Bay in a commentary for the Handelsblatt. 鈥淕ermany makes lots of announcements, but delivers very little.鈥� German carmakers still don鈥檛 have attractive e-cars on offer, and the roll-out of charging infrastructure remains much too slow, according to Bay. 鈥淭he industry seems united in its hope to keep the combustion engine alive as long as possible [鈥 The German car industry still faces a big electric shock.鈥�
Find background in the 威力彩玩法 dossier The Energiewende and German carmakers.
