“We need a reasonable Energiewende concept” – chemical company CEO

Until now, there has not been a “reasonable concept for the Energiewende”, which is needed to secure Germany’s economic strength and make it more climate-friendly, Rudolf Staudigl, president and CEO of German chemical company Wacker Chemie AG, told Handelsblatt in an interview. Staudigl called for a tax-financed transition to a renewables and natural gas-based energy supply, which he said should replace the current levy-based system, in which electricity consumers shoulder the largest cost burden. The Energiewende is a “societal consensus” in Germany, so the state must shoulder its costs, said Staudigl.

Read the interview (behind paywall) in German here.

Also read CLEW’s factsheet Germany ponders how to finance renewables expansion in the future.