Germany’s energy future under strain as power shortage looms

Germany could face a serious electricity shortage in the coming years, as its current renewable energy trajectory may not be sufficient to meet national demand, Azernews reports via Bild.

According to the newspaper, both the Ministry of Economics and the country’s industrial sector are expressing growing doubts about the feasibility of relying solely on unlimited expansion of wind and solar power.

Economy Minister Katarina Reich stressed that the focus should shift from merely building more renewables to modernizing and expanding the country’s electricity grid. She noted that the required overhaul of Germany’s power grid by 2045 could cost approximately €600 billion — a price tag she acknowledged as “very expensive.”

Germany’s challenge is further complicated by its plan to completely phase out coal-powered electricity by 2038 at the latest. With renewable energy sources unable to fully fill the gap, Reich indicated that natural gas power plants could become a crucial part of the transitional strategy.

To this end, the minister announced plans to launch a tender for the construction of new gas power plants later this year, in hopes of securing a stable and flexible energy supply for the future.