German economy minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) announced that the country will import biogas from Ukraine. “Biomethane is available, is being produced domestically, and is already being sold on the market” she told the Funke Media Group newspapers on Saturday. “Where there is demand, a market will form. Ukraine, for example, offers us large quantities of biogas. We still face regulatory hurdles on both the Ukrainian and EU sides, but once these are resolved we can expect significant biomethane imports”.
Reiche dismissed ongoing criticism of the new heating law. “We want to encourage consumers to make investment decisions by removing their fear of being overwhelmed and by helping them transition to a modern heating system” she said. “In many cases consumers will opt for a heat pump. Where that isn’t possible, new gas boilers can also be used”. She added that this approach will also reduce CO₂ emissions.
She said a model for blending so-called “green gases” is slated for development by summer. The cabinet is expected to approve the draft heating law by Easter, with the law scheduled to come into effect on 1 July.
When asked about the additional costs that property owners and tenants might face, Reiche responded that contract terms are individual and that many products are already available on the market today.
Reiche also explained that the emissions trading scheme will raise the cost of fossil fuels. “The heat pump will be the right solution in many cases, but we will not interfere any further in the heating cellar and will leave the decision to the homeowners and landlords” she said. “Other options that may better suit individual circumstances include modern gas heating systems, hybrid systems, or pellet boilers”.
In response to a question about protecting tenants from overly high overhead costs, she said the worst case for tenants-and the most expensive-occurs when no heating replacement takes place. “Then old devices with high gas or oil consumption run, which cannot be to our advantage”.