As of: March 7, 2024, 8:36 p.m
By: Max Schäfer
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High prices, poor network expansion, too little new service: The Court of Auditors finds deficiencies in the traffic light's electricity policy.
Berlin – The traffic light coalition started as a progress coalition.
The SPD, Greens and FDP wanted to bring Germany into a pioneering role, particularly in the areas of energy and climate.
Olaf Scholz even described himself as a “climate chancellor”.
However, according to a report by the Federal Audit Office, the federal government has not yet been able to fulfill these ambitions.
The verdict of the Federal Audit Office is devastating: a special report published on Thursday, March 7th gave the government a grade of “unsatisfactory”.
Germany is lagging behind in the energy transition.
The measures “carry serious risks for the energy policy goals,” said Auditor General Kay Scheller.
“The goal of a secure supply of electricity cannot be guaranteed in the long term.”
Expensive electricity, endangering supply: Court of Auditors demands government response to energy transition
The list of points of criticism from the Court of Auditors is long: electricity is expensive, the supply is at risk and the environmental impacts cannot be comprehensively assessed.
The slow expansion of renewable energies, the power grids and the lack of development of additional generation capacities are particularly criticized.
“The federal government must react immediately,” it says.
Otherwise the energy transition risks failing.
The German supervisory authority thus joins the EU Court of Auditors, which has also identified deficiencies in the climate targets.
The Court of Auditors complains that the expansion of new wind turbines is not progressing quickly enough to achieve climate goals and ensure supply.
(Archive photo) © Sina Schuldt/dpa
According to the Court of Auditors, the Federal Network Agency was only able to award half of the planned output for onshore wind energies via tender in 2024.
“The unawarded tender volume of 6.46 GW corresponds to the output of four to six lignite or nuclear power plants,” says the report.
In order to achieve the goal, 16.46 gigawatts will now be necessary in 2024.
That is unrealistic.
The expansion of the power grids is also significantly behind schedule: according to the Court of Auditors, seven years and almost 6,000 kilometers.
Court of Auditors demands that the traffic light government expand “secure, controllable power plant output”
When presenting the report, according to the
FAZ,
the head of the Court of Auditors, Scheller , recalled that the Energy Industry Act stipulates that the supply must be safe, affordable and environmentally friendly at the same time.
The Court of Auditors calls on the government to also take “worst case scenarios” into account and – in addition to renewable energies – to also expand “to ensure secure, controllable power plant output at all times”.
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Also included on the list of criticisms are the high electricity prices.
They are among the highest in the EU, explains the Court of Auditors.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs does not take into account the investment costs necessary for electricity expansion when presenting the costs of electricity from renewable energies, the Court of Auditors also announced.
“The federal government must clearly state the system costs of the energy transition.
“In addition, it should finally determine what it means by affordable electricity supply.”
Robert Habeck's Ministry of Economics also believes that the expansion needs to be accelerated in a statement for the report.
However, the packages of measures from 2022 only had a delayed effect.
However, the installation and approvals of onshore wind turbines have already increased significantly year-on-year.
Association of the Energy and Water Industry sees no “supply gap” in electricity
Habeck's ministry receives support from the Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industry (BDEW).
“Despite all the justified criticism on individual points: the Federal Audit Office is overstepping the mark with its general criticism,” explains the association.
The conditions for the expansion of renewable energies have improved significantly and there is also noticeable progress in network expansion.
“We do not see a 'supply gap' in the electricity system, as the Federal Audit Office fears,” says a BDEW statement.
However, the federal government must speed up to enable the construction of hydrogen-capable gas power plants.
(ms with agencies)