Nimmermann is currently working in the Hessian state government.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin After the announced separation from State Secretary Patrick Graichen, the Greens politician Philipp Nimmermann from the Hessian state government is to take over the post in the Federal Ministry of Economics, government circles said on Monday. First, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reported about it.
The 57-year-old has been State Secretary in the Hessian Ministry of Economic Affairs since 2019 and was previously State Secretary for Finance in Schleswig-Holstein. Before entering politics, the doctor of economics held various positions at BHF Bank in Frankfurt.
With the decision for Nimmermann, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) wants to draw a quick line under the Graichen affair, which the ministry had blocked for weeks.
Habeck announced last week that Graichen had to vacate his post. The last decisive point was the planned funding of a project by the BUND regional association in Berlin, on whose board Graichen’s sister sits. Graichen is to be placed on temporary retirement.
He had previously been criticized for his involvement in the selection of his best man for the chief post of the federal German Energy Agency (Dena). The selection process for the Dena chief post must be repeated.
Nimmermann has to finish Graichen’s project
The change in personnel at one of the ministry’s control centers comes at a difficult time. The amendment to the Building Energy Act (GEG), one of the most important legislative projects in the energy sector in this legislative period, has been heavily criticized – including by the coalition partner FDP.
Habeck announced last week that Graichen had to vacate his post.
(Photo: dpa)
The core of the GEG amendment is that a share of renewable energies of at least 65 percent should be mandatory for new heating systems from 2024. In fact, in most cases the electric heat pump is the only possible solution.
The draft law bears the handwriting of Graichen. As head of the Agora Energiewende think tank, he had already advocated making the electric heat pump the standard solution. As Secretary of State, he consistently implemented this goal.
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Now Graichen’s successor Nimmermann has to take over the project and complete it. The final decision by the Bundestag is currently scheduled for the end of June. There are numerous change requests, up to and including the postponement of the entire project.
More challenges for never man
But there are also great challenges waiting for Neverman in other areas. The ministry is currently working closely with representatives of the energy industry to design a climate-neutral electricity system.
It is also important to set the course as quickly as possible for new gas-fired power plants to be built by 2030, which can later be operated with climate-neutral hydrogen. They are urgently needed because the planned phase-out of coal by 2030 means that there is no guaranteed power plant capacity, which can always be used when wind turbines and photovoltaic systems are not producing electricity.
At the same time, Nimmermann will have to promote the “Carbon Management Strategy” (CMS) announced by Habeck. Energy-intensive industries are looking for solutions to deal with unavoidable CO2 emissions. The strategy should show ways.
In the ranks of the Greens, the response to Habeck’s personnel decision is positive. The Greens chairwoman on the energy committee, Lisa Badum, said it was good to have someone with a lot of administrative experience in the position.
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This can certainly be understood as indirect criticism of Graichen: although Graichen is considered an energy expert, criticism has repeatedly been voiced in recent months that he is overwhelmed with managing complex processes in a ministry.
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