March 16, 2026 · 07:34 Uhr
Spot gas prices in Germany have risen above €60/MWh – six times more expensive than in the USA. Triggers include supply failures from the Middle East (Qatari LNG, Iran crisis) and critically low gas storage in Europe (partly below 10%). German industry and energy supply are coming under massive pressure.
Germany currently imports 13 GW of electricity (over 25% of demand) due to grid overload and insufficient power plant capacity. Bundesnetzagentur warns of partial grid overload in 2026 and demands 45 TWh of additional storage and flexibility capacity. Transmission system operators (TenneT, 50Hertz, Amprion, TransnetBW) struggle with grid connection backlogs for renewables.
Bundeskartellamt attributes significantly increased market power to RWE, EnBW and Leag. EON controls 75% of grid capacity problems through its grid division; corporations benefit massively from renewable expansion. Suspicion of conflicts of interest between power generation and grid regulation (keyword: Katherina Reiche, RWE background).
Renewable energies cover 23.8% of German final energy consumption (2025), PV/wind expansion doubles from 2026 to 22 GW/year. However: electricity prices are declining for new customers, but CO2 emissions remain above EU average due to coal power generation and high gas dependency. Energy transition skeptics criticize lack of storage and grid infrastructure.
Entrepreneur (Düsseldorf) plans reactivation of old nuclear power plants via public-private partnership with federal participation; RWE, EON, EnBW, Vattenfall show "no interest" without government guarantees. Vattenfall received €1.4 billion compensation for Krümmel nuclear power plant; debates on modular reactors and EU atomic strategy intensify.
Germany is facing an energy supply crisis with three converging pressure points: the gas price explosion due to Middle East conflict and missing storage reserves threatens industry and heating; simultaneously, power grid overload is intensifying due to insufficient storage and flexibility infrastructure, forcing massive electricity imports. Decentralized renewable expansion collides with concentrated market power at EON/RWE/EnBW, which control grid regulation and generation, while state control over grid operators increases. Geopolitical vulnerability (gas/LNG chokepoints, electricity import dependency) and capital availability for grid infrastructure/storage become strategic bottlenecks; return to nuclear power is considered necessary but requires state-corporation cooperation under antitrust scrutiny.
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