No gas power plant deal before election threat to East German coal exit – labour union
dpa / Die Welt
A legislative standstill in plans to build new gas-fired power plants poses a threat to the transformation of East German coal-mining regions, the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) has said. The break-up of Germany’s coalition government has thrown into question whether a law to prepare auctions for the new plants can be passed by before the snap elections in February 2025, news agency dpa reported in an article published by Die Welt.
“Legal clarity is needed quickly as to which plants in which locations are eligible for funding under the Power Plant Security Act,” said DGB deputy chairwoman Nele Techen. Employees in eastern mining region Lusatia were “running out of time,” given the long planning and construction times for power plants.
Techen criticised chancellor Olaf Scholz’s minority government for not putting the Power Plant Security Act on the cabinet agenda in the previous week. Operators such as LEAG are waiting in the wings and want to invest in the conversion and new construction of power plants, she added. If no clarity was provided before the end of the current legislative period, this could jeopardise the timetable for providing supply security after the coal phase-out.
Stakeholders from the energy industry and other sectors have urged all parties in parliament to not let key energy and climate policy decisions fall victim to party politics ahead of the snap elections in February. However, there are also considerable doubts whether a further use of baseload capacity in the power system is needed amid the shift towards a fully renewable energy supply.
