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The CSU’s winter retreat starts on January 6th in Seeon, and they are making the desired return to nuclear power the political hook. Söder is demonstratively pushing this about-face forward, even though in 2011 he threatened to resign and insisted on phasing out nuclear power. This tension undermines his credibility, because energy policy thrives on […]

Parts of Steglitz-Zehlendorf have been without power since Saturday morning. Many residents have been struggling with the cold without heating or hot water. The grid operator expects full power restoration only on Thursday afternoon, January 8, 2026. This means the outage will last at least five days. Firefighters, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW),

The ADAC’s stance on the CO2 tax is alienating many members, as it effectively accepts higher fuel prices as a necessary means of exerting pressure. For millions of drivers, this doesn’t mean “steering” their behavior, but rather an additional burden in their daily lives, regardless of whether they can switch to electric vehicles. Commuters, tradespeople,

The Federal Court of Auditors’ criticism strikes a nerve with current fiscal policy because it doesn’t moralize, but rather focuses on the facts. This makes it all the more serious that Lars Klingbeil intends to cut funding for the auditing authority itself in the 2026 budget, while the debt program increases interest rate risks and

The chemical company Domo has unexpectedly filed for insolvency in Leuna. The Domo Caproleuna and Domo Chemicals group of companies located in the chemical park are affected. Around 550 employees work at the site. Their jobs are at risk if operations are not stabilized quickly. Domo: Insolvency as a consequence of the group’s financial situation

A widespread power outage occurred in southwest Berlin on Saturday, affecting nursing homes and other care facilities. According to Stromnetz Berlin, approximately 45,000 households and 2,000 businesses were impacted. Emergency services worked simultaneously to ensure the supply of power to critical locations. Police are investigating arson as the cause. (welt: 03.01.26) Cause of the Fire

Chancellor Merz began 2025 with grand pronouncements, but the CDU quickly became fractured, its poll numbers plummeted, and the SPD dominated political decision-making. The promised reforms failed to materialize, and migration dominated the debates. Merz promised relief that never came, and virtually every campaign promise was broken. After just 10 months in office, Chancellor Merz

Hydrogen is considered the driving force behind the energy transition, but hydrogen emissions can worsen the climate balance. The reason lies in methane degradation, as additional reactions alter the atmosphere’s chemistry. At the same time, leaks along production, transport, and storage remain a real vulnerability, and soil microbes, acting as a carbon sink, determine the

In an interview with the “Augsburger Allgemeine,” economist Lars Feld describes an industrial crisis that, while building slowly, then hits hard. He cites 150,000 job losses as an interim figure, linking this to location costs, stalled reforms, and the ban on combustion engines. For Feld, symbolic politics are less important than the competitiveness of businesses.

At the Pentagon, China’s battery dominance is now considered a security issue because many batteries and intermediate products come from China and because alternatives are lacking. This poses a security risk, as a supply disruption could hamper procurement and operational readiness. At the same time, pressure is increasing from data centers that require 24/7 power

Gascade filled a 400-kilometer pipeline with hydrogen at the end of December 2025, but no customer has booked any capacity. A total of €428.5 million in investment costs was budgeted for the three sections. The infrastructure for hydrogen in the core network is now in place. Nevertheless, there is not a single contract with a

Sixt is responding to a new initiative from the EU Commission, as the draft targets large vehicle fleets from 2030 onwards. This brings the ban on combustion engines for many new registrations within reach sooner, and at the same time, the available charging infrastructure will determine whether the electric fleet functions reliably in the rental

Cooperative banks, especially Volksbanken, are considered stable because of their regional roots and their financing of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, several cases show that risk management and controls are not keeping pace everywhere, while at the same time the economy is slowing down their core business. Discussions with industry experts also reveal that

Solar subsidies have massively accelerated the expansion of photovoltaics in Germany, and they now shape electricity prices and grid expansion. Feed-in tariffs, the EEG surcharge, grid fees, and periods of low wind and solar output are closely intertwined. Understanding this system also reveals its weaknesses. The German government is providing almost €30 billion for such

Stutensee is the latest municipality to withdraw from the district heating network project, as performance, timeline, and economic viability no longer align. Previously, Bruchsal and Bretten had already announced their withdrawal from the large-scale project. The project development company was intended to bring district heating from deep geothermal sources to the region, with the municipal