Electricity generation without gas: Christian Lindner warns of “electricity crisis”.

Power generation without gas
Christian Lindner warns of an “electricity crisis”.

7/31/2022 12:59 AM

As supplies from Russia have dwindled, there is a risk of a gas crisis in the winter. FDP leader Christian Linder is also now warning of an electricity crisis, and has called on Economy Minister Robert Habeck to stop generating electricity from gas – and instead rely again on nuclear power.

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has asked Federal Economy Minister Robert Habeck to stop generating electricity using gas. “We have to work to ensure that there is no electricity crisis with a gas crisis,” Linder told the “Bild” newspaper. “So, gas can no longer be used to generate electricity, and that’s still happening.” Habeck would have the legal authority to prevent this, Lindner added.

In this context, the finance minister again argued that nuclear power plants in Germany should continue to operate in order to obtain “other electricity capacities”. “There’s a lot to be said for not shutting down safe and climate-friendly nuclear power plants and keeping them running until 2024 if necessary,” he said.

“In the next few months and possibly years, as gas becomes more scarce, electricity will also be used for heating,” Lindner said last week. Meanwhile, the TÜV deemed it feasible to rehabilitate the three nuclear power plants that were shut down last year.

Fears that Russian gas supplies could be cut off could extend the service life of the last three nuclear power plants still in operation in Germany, which must go offline at the end of December under current nuclear law. is discussed.

The union and FDP are campaigning to allow at least limited continued activity beyond the start of the year. Especially the SPD and the Greens are still skeptical. They generally do not want to rule out continuing to operate, at least temporarily, in the event of a crisis.