New German Economy Minister wants new gas-fired power plants, but rules out return to nuclear.

German Economy Minister Katharina Reiche launched a call for new gas-fired power plants in Germany on Friday, DPA reports.

“We need flexible gas-fired power plants that can provide electricity when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining. And we need them quickly,” said Katharina Reiche. That’s why “it’s important to move quickly to organize tenders for gas-fired power plants with capacities of at least 20 gigawatts, in order to maintain security of supply,” the CDU politician added.

The recent blackout in Spain showed how important gas-fired power plants are, said Katharina Reiche. In her opinion, Germany has focused too much on environmental protection in recent years, forgetting other aspects. “The expansion of renewable energies has brought us closer to our goal of climate neutrality,” said Reiche. However, it has also created costs for the energy system, in the form of grid expansion costs, grid congestion costs and costs for coal and gas-fired power plants, which now need to be analysed, the German official added.

However, Katharina Reiche ruled out a return to nuclear power, as the CDU and CSU had called for in the election campaign. “Nuclear power is part of the European energy mix, not Germany’s energy mix,” said Reiche, adding that the process of closing down nuclear power plants is complete, and a possible return to nuclear power would require not only money but also the trust of the companies that would have to build new reactors, trust that no longer exists. The chance to return to nuclear power was squandered during the energy crisis “and now we have to live with this reality,” the German official said.