A divergence in energy policy approaches is emerging between two high-ranking German government officials. Carsten Schneider, Federal Minister for the Environment, has publicly distanced himself from the energy plans recently outlined by Federal Minister for Economic Affairs, Katherina Reiche.
In a guest commentary published in the Handelsblatt newspaper, Schneider expressed concern that a fluctuating political direction in energy policy could lead to significantly increased costs and jeopardize the nation’s climate objectives. Reiche previously announced a reconsideration of expansion targets for hydrogen infrastructure.
Schneider argues that the momentum surrounding hydrogen development is already faltering and that revising the scale of ambition is not a viable solution. He also voiced reservations regarding Reiche’s proposal to combine gas-fired power plants with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology. Schneider contends that new gas power plants should be designed for hydrogen utilization, asserting that CCS is currently and in the foreseeable future an uncompetitive technological pathway for these facilities. He warned that reliance solely on gas power plants, even with CCS, would be an unsustainable and ultimately counterproductive approach to climate policy.
Furthermore, Schneider cautioned against any slowdown in the expansion of Germany’s electricity grid. He emphasized the necessity of an accelerated grid build-out aligned with the required expansion of renewable energy sources.