Despite the prevailing view from Federal Economics Minister Katherina Reiche (CDU) that the energy transition can be implemented at lower costs, calculations published by the think tank Agora Energiewende suggest the planned amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) will have the opposite effect, according to “Spiegel”.
Should the Bundestag approve the revised version presented by the federal cabinet, the think tank estimates that an additional three billion euros would accumulate in the EEG account for the federal budget solely by 2030. After this period, these costs are projected to rise to three billion euros annually. In total, the federal budget could face expenses in the double-digit billions over the next decade.
Agora Energiewende attributes these projected cost increases, among other factors, to rising construction risks associated with new wind and solar installations, as well as the planned removal of the feed-in tariff for rooftop photovoltaic systems. Meanwhile, the Ministry maintains the assumption that the EEG revision will not lead to increased costs.
