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Controversial Uniper coal-fired power plant Datteln 4 in North Rhine-Westphalia
Photo: Hans Blossey / euroluftbild / ullstein bild
Green parliamentarians are concerned about the federal government's planned entry into the troubled gas supplier Uniper.
The Düsseldorf-based group also operates nuclear power plants in Sweden and gas and coal-fired power plants in Russia.
With a silent contribution, the German state would become a shareholder in this business.
Uniper should not go bankrupt, Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the European Committee in the Bundestag, told SPIEGEL.
But the federal government should exert its influence in the event of an entry.
"We should take over the German part, but then make sure that the rest of the company with the controversial parts of the business is sold," says the Bavarian Green.
The Baden-Württemberg Green Sebastian Schäfer made a similar statement: "With a state entry into Uniper, we would also take further risks in the form of nuclear power plants on our balance sheet," said the member of the Bundestag.
A way must therefore be found that maintains security of supply without taking further risks.
With the help of a new regulation in the Energy Security Act, the federal government wants to create the possibility of supporting energy companies such as Uniper.
The Federal Ministry of Economics is currently negotiating with the group about acquiring company shares.
Uniper is under severe financial pressure due to the Ukraine war and a lack of Russian gas supplies.
The group has to buy natural gas on the spot markets for a lot of money, but serves private and large customers with cheap supply contracts.
This costs the group a double-digit million amount every day.
The Federal Ministry of Economics also has reservations about an unconditional takeover.
There it is still being discussed whether the federal government will help out with a loan or just take over the gas business.
A spokeswoman for the ministry said on request that all options were being examined.
One is aware of the problem, according to people close to Economics Minister Robert Habeck, who clearly rejects a longer service life for the three German nuclear power plants.