23.10.2020 – 21:54
BERLIN MORNING POST
Berlin (ots)
In short: red-red-green promises that no budget has to be used to buy the energy network. In any case, Senator for Finance Matthias Kollatz (SPD) should submit precise calculations to Vattenfall before accepting the offer. Even in the event that the framework conditions on the financial and capital markets change, the state-owned electricity grid company must then be able to service the loans that are due. Because if in the end the taxpayers had to be held jointly liable for the remunicipalisation, the deal would be bad for all Berliners. Nowhere else is it written that a power grid infrastructure must consistently generate profits. Whether this will always be the case in the coming decades is at least questionable.
The full lead article: If everything goes well, the State of Berlin can put a Christmas present under the Christmas tree for itself: The energy company Vattenfall wants to draw a line under the years of legal dispute with the Senate over the capital’s power grid. On Friday he had surprisingly offered the country to acquire all shares in the infrastructure. The deal – if it does come off – is to apply retrospectively to January 1st in the new year. So an agreement seems close at hand. Vattenfall boss Magnus Hall spoke of “having to find a way out of the messy situation”. The legal tug-of-war over the net cost nerves and a lot of money. The fact that there is an end to this in this regard is good news, but also expensive. It would cost Berlin a low single-digit billion amount to take over the power grid entirely. Especially in times of unplanned expenses due to the Corona crisis, the Senate should not take the financing lightly. Red-red-green promises that no budget has to be used to buy the energy network. At least the opposition doubts that this calculation will work. She fears additional costs for the taxpayer. In any case, Senator for Finance Matthias Kollatz (SPD) should submit precise calculations to Vattenfall before accepting the offer. Even in the event that the framework conditions on the financial and capital markets change, the state-owned electricity grid company must then be able to service the loans that are due. Because if in the end the taxpayers had to be held jointly liable for the remunicipalisation, the deal would be bad for all Berliners. Nowhere else is it written that a power grid infrastructure must consistently generate profits. Whether this will always be the case in the coming decades is at least questionable. In any case, a state-owned power grid company has to face a certain balancing act: on the one hand, the purchase price has to be paid off for decades, on the other hand, the grid has to be made fit for the increasing demands. Because in times when electricity is mainly generated decentrally, i.e. in many places and from different sources, the loads on the electricity grid infrastructure increase. It is difficult to ensure profitability through any price increases. Because the power grids in Germany are regulated by the Federal Network Agency. The expectation of being able to take major steps in the areas of energy transition and environmental protection thanks to a state-owned power grid infrastructure could therefore also prove to be a fallacy. From a regulatory point of view, it is conceivable to combine network and sales by the municipal utility under one roof. Both parts must work separately and independently of each other. The Senate has not yet answered the question as to the extent to which a state-owned power grid should lead to an accelerated energy transition. Even after a power grid deal with Vattenfall, Berlin will therefore have to continue investing in solar roofs on houses, insulation in buildings, retrofitting heating systems or wind farms. The state government has only started to intensify this in recent years. But there is still a long way to go to a society with lower CO2 emissions. Berlin must therefore ensure that it sets the right priorities for future decisions. This also includes carefully weighing costs and benefits when purchasing a power grid.
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