Merkel’s Sweeping Wind, Solar Plans Seen Unrealistic by CDU Ally

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s plan to boost the share of renewable energy in the nation’s power mix is probably unrealistic, said a senior lawmaker from her Christian Democratic Union party.

Wind and solar power-generation targets set this month by Merkel’s prospective new coalition government may overstretch the technical capacity of the national grid and overstep levels of affordability, said Christian Hirte, the CDU-CSU’s deputy caucus chairman in parliament.

“We have a very ambitious plan and it may fail,” Hirte said in an interview in the lower house today. “It is essential that an upgrade of the grid keeps pace with expanding clean power and essential that costs don’t explode.”

Since becoming chancellor in 2005, Merkel has made unfettered growth of green power the lead actor in climate protection. Lawmakers such as Hirte may be about to call time on the policy amid Merkel’s endorsement of clean power’s fastest growth ever.

In their coalition contract drafted this month, the chancellor’s new alliance proposed that clean power should make up 65 percent of Germany’s energy mix by 2030. That compares with last year’s 36 percent share.

Merkel’s prospective Social Democrat allies will vote on the coalition draft March 4. Approving the policy blueprint would mean parliament may begin to tackle climate and energy policy from April or May.

Source: Bloomberg L.P.