The result of the stress test of the electricity transmission system operators is clear: In the coming winter, electricity generation capacities in Germany and many other European countries will be scarce. 50Hertz, Amprion, Tennet and TransnetBW are the four companies that conducted the test. And they didn’t want to reassure politicians.
Industrial sectors that are heavily dependent on electricity and gas are struggling to survive. Hundreds of thousands of jobs are at risk. This mix is unique, the situation catastrophic. Some of the problems are solely a consequence of political decisions. For years, Germany has maneuvered itself into a difficult situation that is now threatening the foundations of our prosperity.
It can now only be a matter of mobilizing all the generation capacities that we have – for security of supply and to dampen prices. Every kilowatt hour counts, and also those capacities that, until recently, seemed politically inconvenient to us.
From this it is also possible to deduce what Robert Habeck could do now. The Economics Minister should do everything possible to achieve a secure and cheaper supply of electricity.
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But he doesn’t. The solution proposed by him, to keep two of the three nuclear power plants in operation as emergency reserves, is tentative and insufficient. Even the announcement that the three remaining nuclear power plants would be kept in extended operation for another three months could have reduced prices on the electricity exchanges.
Nuclear power plants: Habeck is reluctant to mess with his party
But Habeck decided differently. He doesn’t want to risk taking on a section of his own party. Perhaps he even overestimates the influence of this part of the Greens. Because the mood in the AKW runtime extension has changed dramatically in recent weeks.
With his initiative to keep the two reactors ready, the minister falls short of expectations. Is he about to be corrected by the coalition partner FDP? The topic continues to cause controversy in the traffic light coalition. And it’s a conflict worth fighting for.
What’s more: With his advance, Habeck is breaking new ground. Nuclear power plants should ideally remain in continuous operation. They are very unsuitable as a stand-by solution. A convincing increase in safety compared to a classic stretching operation is not recognizable here.
More: 870 euros for singles, up to 1600 euros for families – who benefits from the new relief