Government “discriminates” gas industry in energy transition
The German gas industry believes gas is being “discriminated against” in Energiewende policies. In heating, renewable gas was being treated as a fossil fuel, and CO2-savings by gas-powered cars were not counted as decarbonisation measures, said Timm Kehler from the industry confederation Zukunft Erdgas e.V. during a press conference. He cited a lack of cross-sectoral thinking in energy policy and bickering over responsibilities by different ministries as examples why “innovative solutions” based on gas did not play the role they deserved. Last week, the gas industry launched a campaign against coal-fired power generation and on Monday criticised the government for failing to deliver a realistic Climate Action Plan 2050.
For more information on Germany’s struggle to come up with a roadmap for climate protection see the CLEW factsheet Germany’s trimmed-down Climate Action Plan.