German environmental group challenges fossil fuel subsidies at EU level

The German environmental organization Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) and the energy cooperative Green Planet Energy have lodged a complaint with the European Commission concerning Germany's planned subsidies for fossil gas power plants. According to the organizations, the subsidy model favors fossil fuels and thus contravenes European state aid and competition law.

The complainants contend that other technologies, such as battery storage, which can significantly contribute to energy security and be deployed more quickly and affordably, are not granted equal access to the intended state funding. DUH's Federal Managing Director, Sascha Müller-Kraenner, stated that the plans clearly favor fossil energy over cleaner solutions and that the model is incompatible with EU law from an economic and competition perspective.

DUH and Green Planet Energy are urging the European Commission to initiate a formal review and not to approve the planned subsidies as currently intended. They advocate for a fundamental revision of the subsidy model by the German government to create non-discriminatory tenders that allow all suitable technologies to participate.

Nils Müller, a board member at Green Planet Energy, commented that the law promises technological openness but creates conditions that primarily benefit new gas power plants. He added that battery storage faces economically and practically unfeasible grid connection requirements, and flexible consumers are excluded, thereby deepening Germany's dependence on volatile gas markets.