Little progress in talks about German stake in Dutch TenneT – media report

There has been little progress in government talks about a German stake in the Dutch state-owned power transmission grid operator (TSO) TenneT since a first announcement in May, reports Klaus Stratmann in Handelsblatt. “Nothing is moving,” a source close to the negotiations told Handelsblatt. The Dutch government wanted a form of participation that excludes direct state influence on strategy and day-to-day business. The German side, on the other hand, insisted on being allowed to participate as much as possible, writes Stratmann. A spokesperson of the German economy ministry said negotiations should be finalised by the end of the first quarter of 2021.

The economy ministry announced in May that it was exploring the option to buy a stake in TenneT as part of a broader energy policy partnership between the two neighbouring countries. TenneT is one of four TSOs operating in Germany. In 2019, the company said it would invest 28 billion euros in new power grid infrastructure in Germany and the Netherlands over 10 years in view of energy transition targets requiring more renewable power to be fed into the grid.