• 3 minutes e-car sales collapse
  • 6 minutes America Is Exceptional in Its Political Divide
  • 11 minutes Perovskites, a ‘dirt cheap’ alternative to silicon, just got a lot more efficient
  • 4 hours GREEN NEW DEAL = BLIZZARD OF LIES
  • 7 days The United States produced more crude oil than any nation, at any time.
  • 46 mins Could Someone Give Me Insights on the Future of Renewable Energy?
  • 4 hours How Far Have We Really Gotten With Alternative Energy
Arab Nations Act Against Iran-Israel Escalation

Arab Nations Act Against Iran-Israel Escalation

Arab states, including Jordan, Saudi…

Oil Moves Down on Crude Inventory Build

Oil Moves Down on Crude Inventory Build

Crude oil prices moved lower…

Germany Admits Need For Gas During Transition

Germany will need natural gas throughout the energy transition to renewable sources, the new German government said this week.

"We will need gas throughout the transitional phase," government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

The government's plans are to use natural gas as a bridge fuel and gradually wean itself off it by 2045.

Germany has a very strong Green lobby that has now become part of the ruling coalition. Despite an anti-fossil fuel discourse, the Greens have now apparently accepted the necessity of at least one fossil fuel, perhaps not least because Germany has plans to shut down all of its nuclear power plants by the end of this year.

Despite the still raging energy crisis, though alleviated in the past few days by much higher wind power production, Germany shut down three nuclear power plants at the end of 2021, with a total capacity of 4 GW. According to AFP, this capacity is equal to the power generation capacity of 1,000 wind turbines. However, the comparison ends there because nuclear can produce electricity continuously.

This will leave Germany with three nuclear power plants, slated for closure at the end of this year. The anti-nuclear position of the German government earlier this week sent it on a crash course with Brussels, which plans to classify some natural gas and nuclear power projects as green, which would open the door to more investments in these sources of energy alongside wind, solar, and hydrogen.

"We consider nuclear technology to be dangerous," Steffen Hebestreit told media in Berlin earlier this week, noting the issue of radioactive waste storage. The spokesman added that Germany "expressly rejects" the EU's assessment of nuclear energy as sustainable and that Berlin is mulling over the next steps.

The strong anti-nuclear stance of Berlin may well set it on a collision course with neighbor France, which relies on nuclear energy for more than two-thirds of its electricity consumption.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:



Join the discussion | Back to homepage



Leave a comment
  • Mamdouh Salameh on January 04 2022 said:
    An admission by Germany which depends on natural gas imports overwhelmingly from Russia for 65% of its needs, of the need for gas during transition doesn’t bring anything new. It is a well-established reality in the market that energy transition won’t succeed without major contributions from natural gas and nuclear energy. Moreover, renewables, on their own, aren’t capable of satisfying global demand for electricity and energy because of their intermittent nature.

    If that is the case, then Germany should speedily certify Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline which will keep it and the EU adequately supplied with gas and help alleviate the still raging energy crisis in Europe.

    Dr Mamdouh G Salameh
    International Oil Economist
    Visiting Professor of Energy Economics at ESCP Europe Business School, London

Leave a comment

EXXON Mobil -0.35
Open57.81 Trading Vol.6.96M Previous Vol.241.7B
BUY 57.15
Sell 57.00
Oilprice - The No. 1 Source for Oil & Energy News