Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Günther is calling for changes to the EEG amendment

Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther has called for changes to the planned amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) in a letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Günther is thus opposing the draft from the Federal Ministry of Economics by Katherina Reiche (all CDU), which was approved by the cabinet at the end of July.

The planned reform of the EEG and the so-called network package have "the potential to harm the Federal Republic of Germany and my state," says Günther's letter to Merz, which is dated last Friday and is available to ZEIT. Günther agrees with the criticism of the draft law, which primarily refers to the end of certain subsidies and the restriction on the construction of new wind turbines in certain areas.

Günther “extremely irritated” about the end of funding for private solar systems

»When it comes to the EEG, I have to say that the tender volumes for onshore wind are significantly too low. “Not even the wind projects that have already been approved can be realized,” writes Günther in the letter. Network operators would already plan their networks “based on the expected performance”; The federal government is responsible for “ensuring that these areas can also be used for projects.” To achieve this, the tenders must be “significantly increased,” demands Günther.

“I am also extremely irritated by the intentions for roof PV,” the letter continues. This probably refers to the plans contained in the EEG draft to no longer guarantee payment for electricity from new solar systems on private roofs. Operators of new, smaller solar systems who want to feed electricity into the grid will have to market this themselves in the future.

However, systems with an output of more than 100 kilowatts have been in direct marketing since 2012, writes Günther - and have therefore "long since arrived on the market." For him, the plans for the "comparatively small segment" of private solar systems on roofs raise the question of whether "the political benefits and damage are still in proportion."

Prime Minister criticizes lack of citizen participation

Citizens need “low-threshold opportunities to be part of the energy transition themselves,” argues the Prime Minister in his letter. "The rather abrupt switch to unsubsidized direct marketing does not fit in with this." It is also "incomprehensible" that small solar systems above parking spaces, for example, "only receive minimal bonuses or are no longer considered at all," even though they conserve space.

“Local acceptance of the energy transition also depends on the successful design of the further energy transition,” warns Günther in the letter. With reference to his own federal state, the CDU politician cites the successes of the expansion of renewable energies so far. 90 percent of the electricity produced there comes from renewable sources, and their share of electricity consumption in Schleswig-Holstein is 200 percent. In doing so, they would contribute to the energy supply for the entire country and also to “reduce electricity prices throughout Germany.”

There was also criticism of the draft for the EEG amendment from environmental and climate activists, the solar industry and the opposition in the Bundestag and from the federal states. For example, they complained that the technical requirements for the planned direct marketing of electricity from private solar systems were lacking, and the electricity market was not currently geared towards this. In addition, the self-sufficiency of municipalities with regional green electricity is being “massively slowed down”.

The EEG amendment was debated in the Bundestag in its first reading at the end of September and then referred to the Committee for Economic Affairs and Energy, which will deal with it this Monday afternoon. According to the federal government's current plans, the reform should come into force next year. In addition to the approval of the Bundestag, the EU Commission must also approve the plans.