SPD Group Leader Matthias Miersch has announced that his party is blocking the energy transition reform plans put forward by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche of the CDU. Speaking to the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” (Saturday edition), Miersch argued that Reiche’s proposals effectively establish unnecessary hurdles for wind farms by escalating financial risks for investors. He specifically targeted the “redispatch reserve” warning that this clause could become a major impediment to renewable energy expansion and must be removed.
While conceding that the energy transition needs optimization and could improve in certain areas, Miersch stated that slowing the pace of current developments would be irresponsible. Because of this, the SPD parliamentary group intends to oppose the measures. The core issue is the redispatch reserve contained in the Minister’s draft law, which stipulates that operators of new renewable energy plants in oversupplied grid areas will no longer receive compensation if their facilities have to be shut down due to a lack of grid capacity.
Miersch also addressed broader geopolitical and economic concerns, asserting that the escalating prices for fossil fuels and the current international climate suggested that the crisis was not merely about combating global warming. He added that the situation pointed to issues of “independence and stability”.
Despite these concerns, the SPD Group Leader affirmed that his party will not attempt to reverse the energy transition or remain tied to the fossil fuel era. Instead, he pledged that the SPD will push for the acceleration of infrastructure-including wind, solar, grids, and energy storage-rather than hindering it.