CDU Vice Kretschmer considers the energy transition to have failed

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Michael Kretschmer (CDU), Prime Minister of Saxony

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Robert Michael / dpa

Michael Kretschmer has declared the energy transition a failure.

"We have reached a point where the base load capacity of the energy has reached its limits," said the Saxon Prime Minister and deputy CDU chairman to the "Handelsblatt".

»The energy transition with gas as the base load has failed.«

Kretschmer called for the lifetimes of nuclear power plants to be extended indefinitely.

"As long as the federal government has not developed a new concept for the energy transition, the nuclear power plants must continue to run." Last winter had already shown that production from green energies is often not sufficient and that electricity production that is independent of the weather is therefore indispensable.

The federal government is currently arguing about a »stretched operation« of the three nuclear power plants that are still on the grid.

According to the TÜV association, three other reactors that have already been shut down could also be safely restarted in a very short time.

In particular, the Greens reject this possibility, which was also called for by FDP leader Christian Lindner.

The Isar 2, Emsland and Neckarwestheim 2 nuclear power plants, which are still in operation, supply around 30 terawatt hours of electricity per year and account for around five percent of Germany's electricity production.

Kretschmer: High energy prices threaten business location

There is no alternative to simply generating more electricity from wind and sun.

In the meantime, the exploding gas and electricity prices are "a threat" for the business location, said CDU politician Kretschmer.

“We need a base load capability.

To fire up lignite-fired power plants is madness,” he said in view of their CO2 balance.

In the past, however, Kretschmer had repeatedly spoken out against an earlier exit from coal-fired power generation, referring to the jobs in his state.

Since July 14, an ordinance has allowed hard coal-fired power plants from the so-called grid reserve to be put back into operation in order to save natural gas.

In addition to the already valid ordinance for hard coal and oil power plants, an ordinance for restarting brown coal power plants that have already been shut down is also being prepared for the beginning of October.

In addition, there is a gas saving regulation that is intended to prevent the unnecessary generation of electricity from natural gas.

According to the Federal Network Agency, natural gas accounted for 11.2 percent of power generation in June in June.

According to experts, if the supply of Russian natural gas, which is largely used for heating, is stopped, there is a risk of a severe economic crisis.

“That would be a setback with a significant impact on economic output.

Germany would then definitely slide into recession," Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper over the weekend.

But that shouldn't be used to spread fear and terror, he added.

The German companies are prepared for the worst-case scenario.

You can't catch everything.

»But the economic resilience of our country is enormous, we shouldn't downplay that.

Incidentally, this also applies to financial resilience, for which we banks are partly responsible.«

apr/dpa