German government vows to speed up energy transition

The German coalition government has promised to accelerate the country's landmark energy transition and other core legislation procedures, newswire dpa reports in an article carried by magazine website Stern. Following a cabinet meeting, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD said his government wants to "get this country moving”, referring to slow planning and approval procedures that need to be accelerated. "We have to get some speed into this,” he added. Economy and climate minister Robert Habeck of the Greens said government plans for the rollout of wind turbines and development of a hydrogen infrastructure could not be achieved in existing planning periods. Free Democrat (FDP) finance minister Christian Lindner added that the government is aiming for "presentable results" in its bid to cut red tape throughout the first half of the year. "Our country is tied down, we have tied ourselves down,” he said.

The government has ramped up the 2030 target for the share of renewables in power consumption to 80 percent, but the approval of a new wind turbine often takes several years due to complex regulation regarding environmental protection and local resistance. The coalition has made speeding up and simplifying permit procedures one of its central tasks.