German steel industry stable / EPH promises jobs - report
The German steel industry has remained stable in a difficult global environment, according to a report by the Rhineland-Westphalia Institute for Economic Research (RWI). “The capacity utilisation of the steel industry increased to 89 percent in the first half of this year. When compared internationally, that’s an exceptionally high value,” said Roland Döhrn, head of RWI's macroeconomics and public finance department, according to a press release. Globally, capacity utilisation was at 65 percent, the lowest value since the recession in 2008/09, RWI says. Because of continued intensive global competition, RWI sees the German steel industry under pressure to adapt and anticipates a slight decline in the employment in the sector.
Read the press release in German here.
Lausitzer Rundschau
Czech investor EPH has announced plans to move “several hundred” administrative jobs to the city of Cottbus in Lusatia - one of Germany’s lignite mining and power production regions - once the acquisition of Vattenfall’s German lignite plants and mines is finalised, reports Lausitzer Rundschau. EPH board member Jan Špringl also told the newspaper the company would not be exporting German coal. “What is mined here will also be converted to electricity here,” writes Lausitzer Rundschau.
Read the article (behind paywall) in German here.
Read the CLEW article Czech utility takes over Vattenfall’s German lignite.
Tennet
The four German transmission grid operators and Austrian grid operator APG have agreed to cooperate on secondary balancing power. The aim is for grid operators to work more closely to shape a harmonised European market for secondary balancing power. By shaping a common merit order for secondary balancing power, the most cost-efficient offer will be used in both countries, Tennet says in a press release.
Secondary balancing power is needed to stabilise the grid in the event of discrepancies between power fed onto the grid and power consumed.
Read the press release in German here.
WirtschaftsWoche
The Renewable Energy Act (EEG) should be ditched and replaced by a carbon tax, writes Dieter Dürand in an opinion piece in WirtschaftsWoche. “It is time for a clear cut: get rid of the EEG. In its place could be a simple tax on CO2,” writes Dürand. “This would reward investments in climate friendly and energy-efficient facilities but leave which technologies prevail to the market.”
Read the opinion piece (behind paywall) in German here.
Deutsche Welle
Among the motivations for Germany's reform of its renewable energy support system have been complaints from neighbouring countries, and the EU Commission’s rules on state aid to the energy sector, writes Dave Keating for Deutsche Welle. But Dörte Fouquet, director of Brussels-based European Renewable Energy Federation says with the new auction system for renewable producers, Germany has done more than was asked and could “decimate the industry and jeopardize Germany's ability to meet its climate and energy targets for 2020 and 2030”.
Read the article in English here.
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
The Energiewende ‘Made in Germany’ will be the main theme of Germany's pavilion at Expo 2017 in Astana. The Expo’s overall theme will be “Future Energy – Solutions for tackling humankind’s greatest challenge”. The German pavilion will present “innovative solutions and processes in the fields of solar energy, wind power, geothermal power, biomass and hydro power”, according to the federal economics ministry.
Find more information on the website of the economy ministry in German here.
Süddeutsche Zeitung
The German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies is to strengthen its position as a supplier of electric cars with the acquisition of US chip manufacturer Wolfspeed, reports Süddeutsche Zeitung. Among other things, the California-based company's expertise will enable Infineon to build smaller and more efficient chargers for e-cars, writes Süddeutsche.
Read the article (behind paywall) in German here.
Read a press release by Infineon in English here.
