Just before the German federal elections, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) seems to be shifting its course on the topic of the energy transition, at least in the “Technology and Motor” section. In the article “Licht aus” (Light Out), author Michael Spehr concludes on a Sunday that:
“With the power outage, everyone has finally understood: the energy transition has failed. Without foreign aid and the burning of coal, it won’t work. Germany is the ghost driver of energy policy.”
According to Spehr, the German energy transition has failed. Specifically, the shutdown of nuclear and coal power plants was a major mistake – not just due to the lack of power supply, but also because of the massive costs associated with it. Germany has replaced stable, affordable, and CO2-free nuclear energy with unreliable and expensive wind and solar power, which has already cost “hundreds of billions of euros so far.” But it gets worse: consulting firms like EY and others estimate that if the current path continues, more than 1,000 billion euros will be destroyed in the coming years.
Looking ahead to 2025 and the federal elections, Spehr demands: “Next year, it must be better and different. Otherwise, the light will go out.” Has Friedrich Merz (CDU) and Robert Habeck (Greens) read the article?