Parliament amends energy transition laws, weakens 2035 renewables target
Expanding renewable power generation capacity in Germany will become an overriding public interest, more space will be given to solar PV and wind power installations, and licensing and construction shall become much faster after MPs from the three-party coalition in parliament reached a compromise on the government鈥檚 largest energy transition law package in years. The coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), the Green Party and the pro-business Free Democrats (FDP) fought hard over details until a last-minute agreement on the over 20 laws and ordinances was reached on 5 July, just days before the parliamentary summer recess begins and largely halts the lawmaking process until early September. The energy reform package is designed to put Germany on track to climate neutrality by 2045 and wean it off Russian fossil fuels. Parliament passed the legislation on 7 July - the positive vote by the council of state governments (Bundesrat) followed on 8 July.
"We are unleashing solar energy and ensuring enough areas for more wind turbines," said Green Party parliamentary group鈥檚 vice chair Julia Verlinden. By 2030, the share of green electricity in the grid will be raised to 80 percent, she stressed.
"Since the introduction of the Renewable 麻豆无码版 Act (EEG) in 2000, we have never made such a big step forward in the expansion of renewables,鈥� said the Social Democrats (SPD) vice chair Matthias Miersch. 鈥淲ith this comprehensive package, we are creating the basis for a climate-neutral energy supply in Germany,鈥� he added.
Greenhouse-gas neutrality 鈥渁fter completion of the coal phase-out鈥�
While the government鈥檚 proposed target of reaching a share of 80 percent renewables in gross power consumption by 2030 remained in place, parliamentarians from the three-party ruling coalition scrapped the goal of a near 100 percent greenhouse-gas neutral grid by 2035, as the pro-business and generally less climate-target enthusiastic FDP denied its consent.
Instead, the amended bill now states that greenhouse-gas neutrality of the power supply is aimed for 鈥渁fter the completion of the coal exit鈥�. The coal exit is officially scheduled for the year 2038 but the three-party government said in its 2021 coalition agreement that it would 鈥渋deally鈥� bri