From the perspective of Katherina Reiche (CDU), Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, operators of green energy plants should contribute to the financing of the expansion of the power grid in the future. »System responsibility means that the costs of grid expansion should no longer be borne solely by grid operators and electricity customers through general grid fees,« the CDU politician told the German Press Agency on Thursday. This was reported by several media outlets, including Handelsblatt.
»We need to achieve a fair distribution of responsibility,« Reiche said. »We need renewables for decarbonization. We also need them because they are innovative technologies. But the risks and costs must not be transferred to customers alone. Renewables can and must take on more system responsibility. And that also means taking responsibility for the costs of the overall system and contributing to grid stability, controllability, and manageability.«
According to Reiche, the expansion of renewable energies is happening too quickly. She had already made this clear in her inaugural speech on May 7. At that time, she said that renewable energies could not supply an industrial nation like Germany with energy reliably and at affordable prices. At the Industry Day of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) on June 24, Reiche went further and described the expansion of renewable energies in Germany as »completely excessive.« Even then, she made it clear that she wanted to make the »beneficiaries of the renewable energy system« contribute to the grid costs, for example through construction cost subsidies. »That will bring the business case down again. But it doesn’t help; I can’t just profit at the expense of industry and consumers. That will have to change,« said Reiche, referring to the renewable energy sector. Reiche has not yet mentioned any contribution by fossil fuel power plant operators to the grid expansion costs. They will therefore continue to be able to use the grid free of charge.
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