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Northvolt debacle – taxpayers face loss of another 300 million
The plight of Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt is coming to a head. In addition to the €600 million already known, German taxpayers could lose an additional €300 million. The reason for this is government guarantees and aid that were originally intended for the construction of a battery factory in Heide. The project was supposed to…
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DAX companies are cutting jobs on a massive scale – 30,000 lost within a year
DAX companies are under enormous pressure. Within a year, the largest listed companies lost around 30,000 jobs. This corresponds to a decrease of 0.9 percent. “The demand for employees is likely to continue to decline,” industry experts emphasize. Large severance programs are already underway, but these are not yet visible in the statistics. (faz: 15.08.25).…
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Power shortages slow down the expansion of AI data centers
Frankfurt is considered an important center for the digital economy. However, the planned expansion of AI data centers is stalling. It is not stricter environmental regulations, but a lack of power supply that is preventing progress. Industry circles report a lack of grid capacity. The Association of the Internet Industry Eco therefore demanded that “access…
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Robot taxi crashes into well-secured construction pit in China
On August 6, 2025, a spectacular robotaxi accident occurred in Chongqing. A self-driving vehicle from Baidu’s Apollo robotaxi service crashed into a secured construction site pit. The sole passenger was unharmed. Local residents used a ladder to get her out of the car. Videos showing the car at the bottom of the pit are circulating…
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Floating nuclear power plants: Norway launches maritime energy project
Norway is relying on floating nuclear power plants to supply remote regions and offshore projects with climate-neutral electricity. The country is using its maritime experience in shipbuilding to deploy modular reactors on barges. (neimagazine: 14.08.25). Floating nuclear power plants as a supplement to hydropower Norway covers almost all of its electricity needs with hydropower. The…
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Declining profits – weak wind weighs on RWE’s half-year results
Weak winds, declining trading business, and unfavorable weather conditions weighed on RWE’s results in the first half of the year. Despite higher electricity production, the Essen-based energy group is still aiming for an annual profit of up to €5.15 billion. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) fell significantly—from €2.9 billion in the…
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China’s solar industry in crisis – overcapacity leads to mass layoffs
China’s largest solar companies lost nearly a third of their workforce last year. Company reports show that Longi Green Energy, Trina Solar, Jinko Solar, JA Solar, and Tongwei together cut around 87,000 jobs. That corresponds to an average of 31 percent of their employees. The industry, which Beijing once specifically promoted as a growth engine,…
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Statistical trick: How over a million unemployed people disappear from the official figures
The official unemployment figures in Germany paint a distorted picture. Many unemployed people do not appear in the statistics. Although the Federal Employment Agency collects extensive data, a large proportion of the unemployed are not officially classified as unemployed. This means that the true number of unemployed is significantly higher than the published rate suggests…
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Cutting back 40% of wind power production in Scotland costs consumers over €138 million
In the first half of the year, Scottish wind farms had to curtail almost 40 percent of their potential electricity generation due to overproduction. This curtailment occurred because the electricity could neither be used locally nor transported to other regions. Nevertheless, the operators received high compensation payments. According to calculations by energy analysis firm Montel,…
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Traffic light coalition agrees on the heating law – these are the changes
It took a long time, but the traffic light coalition finally reached an agreement late Tuesday afternoon. The agreement concerns fundamental changes to the draft law on the Building Energy Act (GEG). Homeowners can breathe a sigh of relief as the rules are less stringent than originally planned. It will no longer be necessary for…
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Nuclear double standards: Traffic light coalition relies on imported nuclear power from France
According to a report in the newspaper “Bild”, the Federal Network Agency in Germany is working to ensure energy stability by importing nuclear power from France. The Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWK) has confirmed a corresponding needs analysis by the network agency. The analysis assumes that Germany will phase out the use of nuclear energy…
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Aiwanger and Söder in a duel: credibility and political resentment against the Greens in Erding
Hubert Aiwanger of the Free Voters outperformed the Prime Minister of the CSU at a demonstration in Erding against the policies of the Greens. The event attracted a lot of attention and could create a new dynamic. In Bavaria, almost everything has revolved around Erding since Saturday, where around 13,000 people have come together. Her…
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IEA chief criticises Germany’s energy policy
The(IEA) and Turkish economist, Fatih Birol, expressed his opinion on Germany’s nuclear phase-out and increased coal import policy in an interview mait BILD. The IEA advises various countries, including EU member states and the USA, on important energy issues. BILD wanted to know from Birol whether the European electricity system had enough capacity to support…
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Experts warn of drastic rise in electricity prices and uncertain supply by 2030
According to energy experts, electricity prices could rise sharply in the near future, possibly to 60 to 80 cents per kilowatt hour. The reason for this is the increasing electricity gap, which will become bigger and bigger in the next few years. Although electricity prices have fallen significantly recently, they rose at times to 55…
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Habeck wants to curb industry when energy is scarce in winter
During the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow, the German Minister of Economics, Robert Habeck, made it clear that Germany might be forced to take drastic measures if an extension of the gas transit contracts between Russia and Ukraine is not possible. In particular, Habeck stated that Germany would have to reduce or even…