Federal Minister of Economics: Reich announces new gas power plants for Germany

Federal Minister of Economics Katherina Reiche calls for the fast addition of new gas power plants in Germany. “We need flexible gas power plants that deliver electricity when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine. And we need that quickly,” said the CDU politician at the Ludwig Erhard summit at Lake Tegernsee. It is therefore important “that we quickly go to the tender of at least 20 gigawatts of gas power plants in order to keep up the security of supply in our country”.

Reality check should take a close look at the energy transition

The power failure on the Iberian Peninsula has recently shown how important such gas power plants are, said Reiche. In order to be able to implement this with regard to the costs, “long -term gas delivery contracts” and a reality check of the energy transition are needed. It must be clarified whether the addition has been ideal in recent years “or we have forgotten system risks and system costs when expanding renewable energies”.

“The expansion of renewable energies advanced us in the goal of climate neutrality,” said Reiche. However, he also created system costs, such as network expansion costs, costs for network bottlenecks and for coal and gas power plants that would now have to be broken down. “That will be one of my first measures. We need a kind of monitoring and self-exhilarating about the status of the energy transition.”

Lower energy prices and “always pay attention to expense”

In order to give the economy in Germany new impetus, the new federal government will also be able to act on electricity prices: “We have to reduce electricity tax, we have to reduce the gas storage surcharge, we need an industrial current price, whereby I have to say that this is a big board in Europe that we drill,” emphasized Reiche. The variety of renewable energies must be used, “but we always have to pay attention to the costs”.

No return to nuclear power

A return to the nuclear energy, as they had also loudly demanded in the election campaign, excluded Reiche. “The exit has been completed.” The return would not only require money, but also no longer existing trust of companies that should do this. In addition, it is still difficult to get social consensus in Germany for nuclear energy. The chance of returning to nuclear power was wasted in the energy crisis and “we have to live with the situation now”.

The German economy, which is aimed at export, also urgently needs new free trade agreements to protect world trade. “That means we have to come to the corresponding free trade contracts with Chile, with Mercosur, with India, Australia and Mexico. And I expressly say that we also need the United States of America,” said Reiche.